The depiction of the human body in mass media and its psychological impact on personal body image perception: a socio-cognitive analysis
Lena Bauer
2026-03-21
4 min. read
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For years, the aspiration to attain an idealized physique—modeled after figures such as Lara Croft, particularly in the cinematic portrayal by Angelina Jolie—has remained a pervasive societal phenomenon. The vision of a fuller bust, a narrower waist, or a perfectly sculpted derriere serves as a benchmark, yet neither the average individual nor the actress herself meets these criteria without the aid of digital enhancement. Intriguingly, even beauty icons like Jolie likely pursue these unattainable standards, underscoring how deeply ingrained these aspirations have become. Technology, however—through sophisticated editing tools—has the capacity to fabricate illusions that distort self-perception, fostering dissatisfaction and discontent with one’s own body image.
Ideals of beauty in the media
So why do we strive for computer vision? An important role here is played by the exposure effect, described by R. B. Zajonc. He says that every unrealistic stimulus to which we are often exposed becomes increasingly preferred by us over time. In other words, we like what we often see. And the reality around us, in a constant and intense way, provides us with images of women's and men's bodies. Unfortunately, only 5% of women have a visual appearance similar to that of actors in the media.
False beliefs grew out of false ideals
There are also a number of misconceptions behind the images of women in the media that have a real impact on how we think about their attractiveness. The second is that women who are less attractive or overweight are treated as unattractive, weak, unorganized. However, the first is that physical beauty is identified with a woman's strength, in other words, the strength of a woman is determined by her physical attraction.