Abstract
M.Tech. (Somatology)
Body image is a construct determined by a series of individual and sociocultural factors that have a decisive influence on several aspects of a person’s life. Highlighting the emphasis on body image are images displayed on billboards, television and in maga-zines. The amount of money, time and effort invested in the pursuit of beauty and the perfect body through clothing, hairstyles, and the increasing popularity of cosmetic sur-gery procedures confirm this. The somatology industry markets and advertises cosmetic products, aesthetic procedures, weight loss products, fitness and holistic lifestyle options portraying long lasting youth and vitality to the users.
South Africa (SA) is a relative “newcomer” to the world of global capitalism. It is sug-gested that with the increasing influence of Western media, more South African women are falling prey to the slender beauty ideal portrayed in the media. Unfortunately this ideal is often unattainable, contributing to depression, low self-esteem and eating dis-orders. Furthermore, research on body image in SA has tended to focus on white women, even though literature indicates a strong influence of cultural factors on body image. The inclusion of women from other racial groups in the realm of body-focused research in SA is very limited and less clearly established.
The aim of the study was thus to determine the influence of the media on the way black and white South African women perceive their body image. A quantitative research ap-proach was adopted with an experimental research design using validated and reliable questionnaires previously used in literature. These questionnaires consisted of:
• The Photographic Figure Rating Scale (PFRS)
• Physical Appearance State and Trait Anxiety Scale Questionnaire (PASTA)
• Body Image States Scale questionnaire (BISS)
• Multidimensional Body Self-relations Questionnaire (MBSRQ
• Sociocultural Attitudes Towards Appearance Questionnaire (SATAQ-3)
• Body Image Avoidance Scale (BIAS)
The influence of the media on South African women was documented and differences between the age and ethnic groups were described.
The sample size to gather data was 321 female participants between the ages of 20 and 40+. The convenient sampling method was used to recruit staff members of higher...