Rather than focusing on a specific blog this week, I’d like to discuss the findings of a research article which focuses on the affects of celebrity gossip blogs, as nontraditional media, on society’s beauty ideals. Lewis and Martinez
This study is unique in that, “the majority of research examining the exposure to images of ideal standards of beauty has focused on traditional media such as television and print magazines (Harrison, 2001; Harrison & Cantor, 1997). However, few studies have examined how ideal standards of beauty are encoded and promoted in celebrity gossip blogs, an increasingly popular media source” (Lewis & Martinez, 2008, p. 1). Researchers agree that media plays an important role in promoting social standards and values, particularly media’s influence over young women’s body images.
Levine, Slomack, and Striegel-Moore (1996) outlined seven ways in which the media potentially contribute to eating disorders (as cited in Lewis & Martinez, 2008):
1. The media accentuate the importance of physical beauty.
2. The media present a restricted definition of beauty.
3. The media define thinness as a "gold standard" of beauty.
4. The media associate thinness with success.
5. The media conveys a general repugnance toward fat in general, and fat women in particular.
6. In accordance with its negative portrayals of fat individuals, media content places a strong emphasis on the importance of diets and fashion.
7. The media influences expectations of gender roles by setting unrealistic standards of beauty and success.
1. The media accentuate the importance of physical beauty.
2. The media present a restricted definition of beauty.
3. The media define thinness as a "gold standard" of beauty.
4. The media associate thinness with success.
5. The media conveys a general repugnance toward fat in general, and fat women in particular.
6. In accordance with its negative portrayals of fat individuals, media content places a strong emphasis on the importance of diets and fashion.
7. The media influences expectations of gender roles by setting unrealistic standards of beauty and success.
Blogs are a relatively new type of media, and gossip websites/blogs are reaching an increasingly large number of readers. “These sites, which offer a mix of gossip, news, pictures and video, are much more risqué than anything published by traditional printed publications. The popularity of these sites is in part, due to their expressed lack of pandering to political correctness. No celebrity is safe from attack, and unflattering photos, scandals and rumor comprise its primary content” (Lewis & Martinez, 2008, p. 6).
Results of the Lewis and Martinez (2008) study found that despite gossip blogs’ intentions to entertain audiences by critiquing celebrities’ weight and skin color, the absence of counterarguments and the politically incorrect format lead to the perpetuation of unrealistic beauty ideals. “We found that four of the most popular celebrity gossip blogs featured recurring themes revolving around strict definitions regarding which weight and skin tone (for Caucasians) are essential for achieving beauty ideals. The messages of these beauty ideals set forth by the bloggers reach a larger audience than traditional print celebrity gossip magazines as the blogs link to other celebrity gossip blogs and create a network of like-minded celebrity gossip bloggers addressing similar images, topics, and events.”
Lewis, N., & Martinez
Conference Papers – National Communication Association, 1.
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