An exploration of the influence of media on body image among Irish students and public
Authors
O Reilly, Aisling
Issue Date
2011
Degree
BA (Hons) in Psychology
Publisher
Dublin Business School
Rights holder
Rights
Abstract
The aim of this study is to explore how the media influences people’s body image. This paper will examine how the media portrays its beauty ideal. Different models to measure body image will also be examined. A cross-section questionnaire study was carried out using independent samples. One hundred participants were involved, fifty of whom were students from Dublin Business School.The remaining fifty were picked randomly from the public. The questionnaire included of a participant information sheet, The Sociocultural Attitudes Towards Appearance Questionnaire devised by Heinburg & Thompson, 1995, the Body Shape Questionnaire devised by Cooper et al.(1986). Average media influence was tested as a predictor variable. ANOVA tests indicated that there were some differences in outcome measure regarding body shape and frequency.