Society, Culture, and the Selfie: Analysis of the Impact of the Selfie Practice on Women's Body Image Open Access

Porch, Tichelle Carol-Denise (2015)

Permanent URL: https://etd.library.emory.edu/concern/etds/dv13zt75h?locale=en
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Abstract

Previous research on mass media and idealistic images of women have been shown to negatively impact women's body image. Although much is known about how mass media affects women, little is known about how the selfie practice, in particular, may impact women's body image. The present thesis sought to examine how aspects of the selfie practice, such as a person's frequency of posting or viewing selfies of other women on social networking sites, affected women's self esteem, body esteem, physical appearance comparison score, and perception of self. Additionally the study sought to understand the important qualities and characteristics of selfies and if there was a connection between the selfie practice and society' and men's expectations of the female body. It was hypothesized that the selfie practice would negatively impact women's body image and there would be similarities between how women create their selfies and society and men's expectations of the female body. While the survey results supported the hypothesis, the interview results showed both negative and positive impacts of the selfie practice. However, further analysis of the interview results showed how there are a number of complex, sociocultural factors that negatively impact women's body and body image. As one of the initial studies on the selfie practice and women's body image, this study suggests a number of sociocultural and personal factors should be further examined in order to better understand the impact of the selfie practice on women's body image.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Introduction

Project Origination

Background to Research

Chapter 2: Western Culture and the Woman's Body

Chapter 3: Methodology

Chapter 4: Results

Survey Results

Interview Results

Chapter 5: Discussion

Chapter 6: Conclusion

Chapter 7: Appendix

Consent Form

Survey Questions

Interview Questions

References

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