Introduction:

Television and popular magazines are littered with images of women and girls who are typically white, desperately thin, beautiful, and "perfect." Images of female bodies are everywhere. Women sell everything from food to cars. Popular film and television actresses are becoming younger, taller, and thinner. Women's magazines are full of articles telling women that if they can just lose those last twenty pounds, they'll have it all-the perfect marriage, loving children, great sex, and a rewarding career (Wolf 56). Numerous case studies and research investigations agree that the media's portrayal of the ideal female body negatively affects women of all ages. From depression, low self-esteem and anxiety, to eating disorders, body dissatisfaction and over-exercise, American women take extreme measures to emulate the unrealistic ideals they see everyday, everywhere they look (Dittrich).

Movies, TV shows, and commercials emphasize and comment on women's appearance and its importance in their lives far more frequently than men's, and over half of commercials aimed at female viewers used beauty as an appeal of the product (Myers 110). The mass media presents a narrowly defined body type ideal for females; this ideal is slender and toned. Although the current emphases the media places on weight control and muscle development helps to create a more health-conscious society, negative impacts, such as body dissatisfaction, preoccupation with attaining a certain body type ideal, and eating disorders, have emerged as well. In the United States, women are becoming increasingly dissatisfied with their bodies: A study conducted in 1985 by Cash, Winstead, and Janda (35), reported that 20% of women between the ages of 18 and 70 negatively evaluated their

appearance and expressed concern about being or becoming overweight. In a similar national survey in 1993, nearly 50% reported such concerns (Kelley 25), clearly showing a drastic increase in just eight years of women's body dissatisfaction.

The use of highly attractive women in advertising is certainly popular, though support for their effectiveness is somewhat mixed (e.g., Bower and Landreth 2001; Caballero, Lumpkin, and Madden 1989; Caballero and Solomon 1984). Other research has established that some women experience negative affect by comparing themselves with these beautiful models (e.g., Irving 1990; Martin and Gentry 1997; Richins 1991). The present research extends prior undertakings by investigating whether the negative affect stemming from comparisons with these highly attractive models may have a negative impact on advertising effectiveness.

Background of Research Problem:

The use of thin attractive models in advertising is no doubt increasing the sales for the company but also is affecting the minds of women and making them self-conscious and making diet problems and makes them eat less and creating eating disorders. By seeing these ads and products, women who are averaged sized or obese are getting more self conscious about there looks and wants to loose weight. They try to fast or use products which claim to help them loose weight quickly.

Statement of the Problem:

Research question:
How using the ultra thin models in advertising effecting the diet of the viewers and whats its impact on them?

Hypothesis (optional):

Purpose of Study:

The purpose of conducting this study is to analyze the impact of using ultra thin models on the diet of the viewers. These days we are seeing lots of advertising with attractive thin models in them and there is lots of advertising of the diet products such as tablets, machines, gadgets, which influence the viewers mostly women to be self conscious about there looks and weight. Overweight viewers want to loose weight early and are continuously looking for such products which can make the loose weight. People often compare themselves with others in their daily lives. Even when watching television commercials, there is a tendency to make comparisons with the models used (Martin & Kennedy, 1993). Richins (1991) indicated that 50% of the young adult female respondents in his study frequently compared themselves with models in regard to clothing, personal care, and cosmetics. Some studies have also indicated that female college students, adolescents, and pre-adolescents compare their physical attractiveness with that of models in ads (Richins, 1991; Martin & Kennedy, 1993, 1994).

Justification of the Study:

Scope of the Study:

The study is restricted for the women aged between 18 to 30 years of age and are

Basic Assumptions of the Study (if required) Glossary: