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The issue of media influence continues to be a growing cause for concern in Ireland today. It is seen by many as both an increasing burden causing body image distortion and also as a pathway to psychological illness such as low self esteem, depression, anxiety and eating disorders. It is the aim of this research project to explore media influences on body image, and the resulting effects on self esteem, eating habits and mental health in males and females. A non-experimental correlational design was used. Data was collected from 100 males and 100 females. Participants completed a questionnaire which comprised of Revised Objectified Body Consciousness Scale (ROSBC) and Media Influence Scale. Two sets of variable were measured in this study; these are the criterion variable which includes body shame, body surveillance, body control; and the predictor variable which is media. This research aims to add to the previous researches that have been carried out in relation to the effects of media on body image. More commonly, females are thought to be more influenced and affected by media images. Men, on the other hand, are believed to be less influenced, and thought to have more control over their bodies. The results showed ―a significant difference between the effects of media images on males and females respectively‖.. Future researchers may look at a larger sample as results may show to be more representative of the general population. Also, future researches may use a wider range of questionnaires as this would help explore deeper into the issues of the influence of media images on body image. Author keywords: Media image, body image, body shame, body surveilance, body control, eating disorder
