Abstract
The issue surrounding body-esteem and dissatisfaction seems to be an escalating problem
within society, as the media increasingly celebrates thin ideals. The aim of the research was
to investigate whether mass media had a direct influence on body-esteem and body
dissatisfaction. A Quantitative analysis was the chosen method. 90 participants were used for
analysis, split equally for both genders. The analysis revealed that male and female
participants experienced similar levels of body-esteem, with the media playing a powerful
predictor for body-esteem levels; with female participants scoring higher than males. Both
male and female participants revealed low levels of body-esteem and body dissatisfaction as
a result of the media; however females were shown to be more influenced by media than
males. Author keywords: Body image, body satisfaction, body esteem, media
