The Research: What, Why, and How

Communication- it plays a vital role in every aspect of our every-day lives. One avenue of communication is modern day advertising, whether that be through television, magazines, newspapers, the radio, or the internet. The presentation of advertisements and the people that populate them have major influence over the way that many of us look at ourselves and the world that we live in. One demographic at risk of negative influence is adolescents, especially female adolescents. It seems crucial to critically examine such advertisements and their effects, using scholarly articles, studies, journal articles, etc., to ask ourselves: How does modern media advertising and the stereotypes that it presents affect female adolescents' body image? In our bustling society and its concern with health, it seems necessary to examine what effects advertising might have on teens, which many of these ads are directed towards, especially when ads compound stereotypes to sell a product. Many modern resources have become available to parents and teens to understand the media and its ramifications when it comes to a healthy body image. With many young females suffering from self-abuse, eating disorders, low self-esteem, depression, and many other serious maladies, such a question and the following research might just reveal that simple advertising is more complex than it appears.  

An advertisement such as this can very often be seen  in our society's media environment: it showcases a  bronzed, toned, and beautiful girl in a position of subservience to a man. The advertisement is for Skyy Vodka, and the subjects appear glamorous, possibly having an extreme effect on adolescents and body image.