Dr. Beccy Watson, Samantha Holland and Prof. Sheila Scraton
Leeds Metropolitan University

Body conscious? Teenage girls' consumption of mass media and its impacts on body image

This paper draws on media diaries kept by 45 teenage girls aged between 13 and 15 years. Evidently, teenage girls spend a considerable amount of time consuming mass media as part of their leisure. The diaries focused on visual forms of media including television, magazines and the internet and the girls were asked to write a commentary on their feelings about body image in relation to these media forms. Data show that consumption of the mass media is part of the fabric of their everyday lives and television programmes, magazine articles and some use of the internet provide reference points on image, self identity and entertainment. Fascination with celebrities in magazines and the elusive fame appeal of recent TV programmes are clearly significant influences. Interestingly, relatively short periods of time were spent on the internet in comparison to watching television. Internet use was often for homework (as opposed to leisure) though some time was spent in chat-rooms. A range of magazines for girls continue to encourage consumerism particularly around fashion and make-up. Arguably, these well established gender codes leave little room for self-determination or autonomy (Whelehan, 2000) on the part of girls' body image. However, data suggest that although the girls are affected by media imagery, dominant messages are not internalised in a singular way. Girls resist and re-negotiate dominant messages and the diary evidence suggests some contradiction and ambiguity surrounding body image (Fasting, 2000). The girls were all studying, or thinking of studying, a GCSE in P. E and took part in a number of physical activities albeit at different levels (e. g., football, dance, kick-boxing, swimming, netball). Body image is mainly defined in relation to feeling good about oneself and interesting questions emerge including whether the girls in this study demonstrate more confidence about body image as a result of being physically active (Gilroy, 1997). Nonetheless, their views reflect considerable self surveillance around body shape and gendered forms of 'looking good' that are reproduced by the mass media.

References
Fasting, K. (2000) 'Seeing and being seen: Body fashion in female recreational sport' in S. Scraton and B. Watson (Eds) Sport, Leisure Identities and Gendered Spaces, LSA Publication No. 67, pp. 151-162
Gilroy, S. (1997) 'Working on the body: Links between physical activity and social power' in G. Clarke and B. Humberstone (Eds) Researching women and sport, London, Macmillan, pp. 96-113
Whelehan, I. (2000) Overloaded: Popular Culture and the future of feminism, London, Women's Press.