The role of culture and the media in influencing our ideas about appearance
What we think ‘looks good’ depends on the culture and the beliefs of people around us, for example, body shape. One hundred years ago, being a bit fat was considered attractive in European culture. A thin woman was seen as poor and unhealthy: a fat man was considered to be someone who was successful. This began to change in the 1950s and 1960s when looking young and thin became the goal to aim for. By the 1980s, the ‘Barbie doll look’ became a model for some people.
Your hairstyle, dress and behaviour can give other people ideas about your gender, age group, wealth, lifestyle, beliefs and culture. The way you look may show that you are a member of a particular kind of group.
The important issue is to have a positive self-image.
A poor self-image may cause a person to lack confidence or feel depressed about their relationships with other people.
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Gender – Along with ethnicity (race) and age group, gender is a major social influence which affects how we understand ourselves. Children seem to be able to classify themselves in terms of gender very early in life – they know whether they are a boy or a girl. There are expectations of men and women. Men are expected to dress, think and behave differently from women. Men are expected to have different interests and habits from women.
Sociologists see being a man or a woman as like having a role in a play. People have gender roles or acts that they have to perform across life. Fifty years ago, gender roles or acts were rigidly different for men and women in Britain.
When it comes to self-concept, women are likely to think differently from men. Career success, work and making money are standards which more men judge themselves against than women. More women than men see a successful life in terms of good relationships.
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Culture and socialisation – The family and the local area or community where you grew up may have different beliefs and expectations from many other families and areas. Different people have different customs and ways of thinking, including the following:
- Different beliefs about food, e.g. Muslim and Jewish people do not eat pork, most Hindus do not eat beef and Buddhists are vegetarian.
- Different beliefs about education, e.g. some neighbourhoods and families think educational achievement is very important, where as others do not.
- Different beliefs about behaviour, e.g. some families emphasise the importance of keeping appointments, never being late and being organized for work.
- Different beliefs about marriage and gender roles, e.g. different religions and communities have different beliefs about sex and marriage.
Our culture can influence how we understand ourselves, because different cultures create different ideas about what is normal and right to do.
Your self-esteem will be influenced by cultural beliefs about what is right and wrong. What you eat, how much you care about education, your attitudes to drugs and sex will be influenced by your culture.
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Media – Media means things like newspapers, radio, television, DVDs, music and Internet sites. We get many ideas about our culture from the media that we choose to watch, read or listen to. Families often influence the media that children experience, but, as children grow older, they start to choose media that interests them.
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Income – Being in a low- or high-income family may influence the media and cultural beliefs that we grow up with. Self-concept may be influenced by the opportunities associated with our family’s income.
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Relationships with family and friends – Throughout life, relationships can strongly affect how successful and happy we are.. Self-concept is very strongly influenced by the quality of the emotional relationships we make with others. Our self-esteem is likely to be strongly influenced by our relationships with others.
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Education – A person’s idea of who they are is strongly influenced by their experience at school.
The tasks we have to do affect our beliefs about what we are good or bad at. Education influences us because we mix with other people and compare ourselves with them.
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Emotional health and well-being – Emotional health and well-being may depend on a clear sense of who we are and feeling that we are special and valued. Poor physical health or mental health problems will affect a person’s self-concept.
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Abuse – the word ‘abuse’ covers a wide range of behaviour. Abuse can be criminal acts of violence or acts of neglect. Children can be subjected to abuse within their family or through bullying at school. Vulnerable adults, such as people with a learning difficulty or older people, may be subjected to abuse by family members or by care workers.
Forms of abuse
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Physical abuse – hitting, pushing, restraining or causing pain or distress by physical actions.
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Sexual abuse – sexually exploiting or humiliating others.
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Emotional abuse – bullying, blaming, threatening and damaging others’ feelings of self-worth and self-esteem (sometimes called psychological abuse).
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Financial abuse – taking others’ property or money, theft and exploitation of others’ resources.
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Neglect – not giving food or physical care, not giving attention.
The effects of abuse
Abuse will result in harm to an individual. The effects of abuse will vary from person to person, but some general medium- and long-term effects are listed below.
Abuse can cause:
- A lack of social confidence
- Copying the abusive behavior
- A negative self-concept
- Withdrawal from other people
- Attention seeking
- Mental ill-health
- Increased dependency
- Self-destructiveness and self-harming
- A loss of self-esteem
