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Adolescent Body Image

Much research has been conducted on the psychological ramifications of body image on adolescents. Modern day teenagers are exposed to more media on a daily basis than any generation before them. Recent studies have brought to light that the average teenager watches roughly 1500 hours of television per year. Page text. As such, modern day adolescents are exposed to vast amounts of images and ideas of what they are “supposed” to look like and act like. The concept of a person being unhappy with their own image or appearance has been defined as "body dissatisfaction." In teenagers, body dissatisfaction is often associated with body mass, low self esteem, and atypical eating patterns. And while there has been a stronger focus on the effects of media on the body image of teenage girls, it has been found to have negative effects in both sexes. On average, girls are found to be more focused on thinness while teenage boys had more of a drive to appear muscular and fit. . One theory on why the focus has been primarily on girls is the male manifestation typically results in excessive weight training and exercise, which is less stigmatized than eating disorders, which are more typically found in female populations. It has been historically more possible for adolescent boys to go without ever being diagnosed with body dissatisfaction. However, awareness about body image dissatisfaction in both of the sexes has been growing and numerous support groups exist to adolescents in need of help.