IMPACTS OF MEDIA INFLUENCE ON FEMALE BODY IMAGE: NUTRITIONAL AND BEHAVIORAL IMPLICATIONS

Abstract

This article aimed to analyze the influence of media on female body image and investigate the resulting nutritional and behavioral impacts. It is an integrative literature review based on scientific articles published in recent years in the PubMed, SciELO, LILACS, and Google Scholar databases. The results indicate that constant exposure to unrealistic and unattainable aesthetic standards, widely propagated through social media, acts as a determining factor in the development of distortions in female self-image. Consequently, this dissatisfaction drives the adoption of risky behaviors, such as severe restrictive diets without professional guidance, the use of weight-loss substances, and extreme physical exercise practices, increasing nutritional risk and predisposing women to the development of eating disorders such as anorexia, bulimia, and body dysmorphic disorder. It concludes that it is imperative to promote critical media literacy and the valuing of body diversity, in addition to the involvement of multidisciplinary health teams to prevent and treat the damage caused by aesthetic pressure.