New Research to determine the Perceptions of Body Image among women in Nigeria and the United Kingdom (6/8/2008)

Study to examine the impact of media on women's perception of body image.

A new study at the University of Leicester will question whether the constant media message that thin is beautiful really does affect how women think about their bodies.

The research, conducted in the Department of Media and Communications at the University is examining the perceptions of body image among women in Nigeria and the United Kingdom

The research aims to find out the similarities and differences that exist in British and Nigerian magazine images as well as the meanings that are derived by the women readers respectively.

According to the postgraduate researcher Shade Adeoye, who is conducting this study, the recent increase in the debates on body image and the assumption that culture plays an important role on how women feel or perceive their bodies led to the interest in the research.

She believes that the outcomes of her research will assist in discovering whether the constant portrayal that thin is ideal and beautiful in media messages is a main determinant of how women feel about their bodies and how satisfied or otherwise they may be.

Shade commented:, "The results of this study would add to the research in the areas of media and cultural studies regarding women's body image. The aim is to produce information grounded in collected data that will fill gaps in the extant literature by examining the relationships among cultural background, media consumption, and body image perception."

In addition, Shade feels that the in-depth interview method that has been chosen as one of the two research methods employed for the research has enabled her to concentrate on the feelings of the actual consumers of the media messages, which has not been the case in past research in this field.

The research is being presented to the public at the University of Leicester on Thursday 26th June. The Festival of Postgraduate Research introduces employers and the public to the next generation of innovators and cutting-edge researchers, and gives postgraduate researchers the opportunity to explain the real world implications of their research to a wide ranging audience.

Note: This story has been adapted from a news release issued by the University of Leicester

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