According to the article, "Being Fit and Looking Healthy: Young Women's and Men's Constructions of Health and Fitness," a studied was conducted on the views of male and female teenagers on the topic of health and fitness. The media constantly portrays men with ripped, muscular, toned bodies and females with skinny, lean, bodies. This overwhelming portrayal has a negative effect on both male and females, forcing them into bad habits such as eating disorders. In contemporary Western societies, physical appearance is said to be associated with social, or individual, value. The more attractive one looks, the more social value he or she is assumed to suppose to have.
A study was conducted on six secondary level schools with both males and females in the age group from twelve to nineteen. The individuals involved in the study were asked what being healthy and being fit meant to them.
The results showed that both males and females came up with similar responses to what they thought it meant to be healthy. The most common response was that 'being healthy' had to do with a personal responsibility of having good eating habits while engaging in sufficient amounts of exercise.
While their responses were similar to the question of what being healthy was to them, males and females greatly differed with their response to the question of what they thought it was to be fit.
Most males responded to the question by saying that they thought being fit was having the ability to perform a given task, whether it be work or a sport. They thought it was important to be fit because it enabled them to be more 'responsive to life.' When the question of being fit was asked, males rarely talked about the relation of being fit to physical appearance.
On the other hand, females greatly differed from males in their response to the question of what it meant to be fit. Most women responded by saying that they wanted to be fit to achieve a slim body. In Western society, women are very self-conscience about their looks. Women associated being overweight with someone who eats too much or doesn't exercise enough. They compared a person's weight with their health. This is spring boarded from the media constantly comparing a person's health with their appearance.
In conclusion, the study showed that both males and females are informed on what it means to be healthy. Both know the correlation between eating healthy, exercising, and their overall health. The difference comes into play when males' and females' mindsets differ on the way they are going to be perceived by the public. The media is very powerful and influences many teens in numerous ways, and often times, more than it may intends to do.
A study was conducted on six secondary level schools with both males and females in the age group from twelve to nineteen. The individuals involved in the study were asked what being healthy and being fit meant to them.
The results showed that both males and females came up with similar responses to what they thought it meant to be healthy. The most common response was that 'being healthy' had to do with a personal responsibility of having good eating habits while engaging in sufficient amounts of exercise.
While their responses were similar to the question of what being healthy was to them, males and females greatly differed with their response to the question of what they thought it was to be fit.
Most males responded to the question by saying that they thought being fit was having the ability to perform a given task, whether it be work or a sport. They thought it was important to be fit because it enabled them to be more 'responsive to life.' When the question of being fit was asked, males rarely talked about the relation of being fit to physical appearance.
On the other hand, females greatly differed from males in their response to the question of what it meant to be fit. Most women responded by saying that they wanted to be fit to achieve a slim body. In Western society, women are very self-conscience about their looks. Women associated being overweight with someone who eats too much or doesn't exercise enough. They compared a person's weight with their health. This is spring boarded from the media constantly comparing a person's health with their appearance.
In conclusion, the study showed that both males and females are informed on what it means to be healthy. Both know the correlation between eating healthy, exercising, and their overall health. The difference comes into play when males' and females' mindsets differ on the way they are going to be perceived by the public. The media is very powerful and influences many teens in numerous ways, and often times, more than it may intends to do.
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