“Twenty years ago, the average model weighed 8 per cent less than the average woman—but today’s models weigh 23 per cent less." -- Kilbourne, J. Beauty and body image in the media. July 30, 2007, from link

Today, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the average U.S. woman is about 5’ 4’ inches tall and weighs 152 pounds and has a body mass index of about twenty six (US Dept. of Health). According to U.S.A Today, the average model weighs about 120 pounds and is about 5’11” inches tall, which would make her body mass index below a healthy level. In comparison, fashion models in the 1960’s weighed about 130 pounds and were about 5’7” tall, which made her body mass index at a healthy level. Thus, since the 1960’s the size and shape of models have increasingly gone down, especially in the nineties, which produced the label “heroin chic” for ultra thin models. Ultimately, today’s society consists of women obsessed with being thin and being close to the “ideal” body type.


According to Anne Becker, a Harvard researcher, she “found that eating disorders had been virtually nonexistent prior to the introduction of television, but then they suddenly became common” (Cole & Daniel 41). Research for more than forty years has found a link between the role of media influences and eating problems. The media “promotes eating disorders” by showing only thin women and linking this to beauty, success, and the ideal body (Cole & Daniel 41). In comparison, the media depicts fat women as being lazy, ugly, and a failure. This, without a doubt, causes psychological problems relating to food, exercise, and being thin. For all of history, women are meant to be delicate and beautiful, and in today’s society, the media defines beauty as being thin and if you are not thin, you must find a way to achieve it. A study conducted by Becker in 1995 studied women in Fiji who had not been exposed to television until that year. The people of Fiji had traditionally prized a curvy body with hips, breasts, and a round derriere, which ultimately changed after the introduction of television. After three years, women began dieting, showing concern about their body size, losing weight, and eating disorders became common. This in itself proves the power of the media and the negative effect it has on women.

Cole, E., & Daniel, H.D. (Eds.). (2005). Featuring females: Feminist analyses of
media. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.