Women, media, and eating disorders : a thematic analysis

Abstract

This study explored the perceptions of female university students regarding how the media depict eating disorders. The media has been identified as being a predisposing factor for the development of eating disorders in women as they encourage being thin as the ideal, and they put pressure on women to conform to unrealistic body expectations (Peroutsi & Gonidakis, 2011). This study sought to identify the participants’ perceptions concerning the ways in which the media portray eating disorders. Six female participants were recruited and data was collected through semi-structured interviews. Data was analysed using thematic analysis, a qualitative methodology. Three overarching themes and subsequent subthemes emerged through the process of data analysis. The findings illustrated that the participants believed that the media are not always consistent in their depiction of eating disorders, as eating disorders are glamourised whilst simultaneously being portrayed as a serious mental condition. The participants also described that the media perpetuate eating disorders as only affecting women. They regarded the media to be an influencing factor for eating disorders as they encourage women to look unrealistically thin. To build on this study, future research could explore the relationship between eating disorders and the media in regards to middle-aged women and in men.