Proof #3

Marika Tiggemann and Hayley K. Dohnt in their article "Body 
 
Image Concerns in Young Girls: The Role of Peers and 

Media Prior to Adolescence." state that  media is an 

important way to spreading socio-cultural ideas to 

adolescents.A sample of 128 were  recruited after 4 years of 

schooling, they were individually asked about their aspects 

of 
body image and what they knew about dieting. After the 

questions were over and the results were reviewed they 

found that by the age of 6 most of the girls wished to have a 

thinner body.They also found that peer and media influences 
 
played a major role in them feeling this way; watching TV 

shows and reading magazines that were appearance 

focused played a role as well. The study highlights that girl 

5-8 already live in a culture where peer and media already 

influence that thin idea.Body image dissatisfaction is known 

as a pervasive problem experienced by a large proportion of 

society.Although initial research targeted
 
adolescence as the age of onset for body dissatisfaction,a 

growing research consensus has now established that 

preadolescent girls ( age 8–11 years) are also dissatisfied 

with their bodies and wish to be thinner.By the age of 6 many 

girls both desire a thinner ideal body and are aware of dieting as a
 
means to achieve this.Socio-cultural models are regarded as 

 providing the most theoretically sound explanation for the 

development of body dissatisfaction and dieting behaviour in 

women and adolescent girls.These models are promoting 

the 

ideal that being thin is what it takes to be seen as beautiful in 

the eye of society.This thin ideal is transmitted and 

reinforced 

through a number of different socio-cultural mechanisms, 

primarily parents, peers and the media.Finding the ‘roots’ of 

body image concern is crucial for the prevention and 

treatment of both eating disorders and depression.In 

contrast, peers and themedia have receivedmuch less 

research attention. However, these influences are very likely 

to be present in the socio-cultural environment of even quite young girls.Young girls may engage in conversations with 

their friends about pop stars or models, thereby reinforcing 

media-presented societal messages of the thin idea.