Everywhere you turn, society is presented with images of perfection, beauty, or sexuality. Some of these images represent unrealistic or unattainable expectations and can be truly harmful. It's common to see women exploited on reality shows and music videos. Young women are also influenced by the images they see in commercials, billboards, Internet sites and films. These images serve to damage a woman's self-confidence and also affect her overall health. Today's mass media messages have a negative effect on the way women perceive themselves. I would like to propose a project that involves analyzing several women, from many different age groups, over the course of their lives, while testing how much the media influences their lives. In the following paragraphs I will summarize three research articles regarding this topic. The first article is titled: The Effects of Media on Body Image by Amanda J. Holmstrom. This article proposes the theory that media portrayals of a thin body image may lead women to believe that they should achieve this ideal goal. It details three theories that create a positive correlation with the effects of media on body image. The first and most common of the three theories is Festinger's social comparison theory. Festinger states that people evaluate themselves through comparison with others and are more likely to compare themselves to people similar to them. Comparison motivates a woman to improve her image if she seems lacking. An average woman might be discouraged by the difference between her body and what the media portrays as ideal. This can lead to body dissatisfaction. The second theory is called Gerbner cultivation theory. This theory implies that more… half a sheet of paper… analyzing a woman over the course of her life, I would be able to record and hypothesize the effects of her everyday influences. I would also take field notes from women around the world to see if some cultures differ from others. Works Cited Amanda J. Holmstrom, AJH. (2004). The effects of media on body image: A meta-analysis. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 48(2), 196-217.(Amanda J. Holmstrom, 2004)Marika Tiggemann, MT, and Jessica Miller, JM. (2010). The Internet and adolescent weight satisfaction and the drive to be thin. Sex Roles, 63, 79-90.(Marika Tiggemann and Jessica Miller, 2010)Marika Tiggemann, MT, and Julie Slevec, JS. (2010). Attitudes toward cosmetic surgery in middle-aged women: Body image, aging anxiety, and media.Psychology of Women Quarterly, 34(1), 65-74.(Marika Tiggemann and Julie Slevec, 2010)