Influence of media and media literacy on women’s self-esteem :a pilot study -

Abstract

There is much pressure and influence from the media suggesting ideal standards of thinness and attractiveness for women, thus potentially affecting their self-esteem. Media literacy has been proven to help viewers become more cautious and guarded of media messages that promote stereotypes and ideal perceptions about beauty. The present pilot study examined how media exposure to messages of thin-ideal, beauty, and attractiveness portrayed in the mass media may be related to self-esteem among Lebanese female college students. Fifteen media studies and 15 non-media studies majors, between the ages of 18 and 25, responded to two questionnaires: the Self-Esteem Questionnaire (SEQ) and the Multidimensional Media Influence Scale (MMIS). After the data was analyzed using an analysis of variance, results indicated that exposure to messages of thin-ideal, beauty, and attractiveness portrayed in the mass media was related to low self-esteem. It was also determined that the media influence on self-esteem in media studies students, with higher levels of media literacy, were not significantly different than those who were not majoring in media studies. This could be the result of the small sample size or the consequence of the way media literacy was assumed for students taking media courses. These results are inconsistent with previous literature that showed media literacy to be a preventer against the internalization and social comparison process of media messages.