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Body Image among Students in Beijing: Impact of media, status, and health concerns

Bergenholtz, Erik (2014) ACET35
Centre for East and South-East Asian Studies, Lund University
Abstract
The importance of body image is increasing in China. Academic research and news media point to the rising desire for an ideal appearance, especially among young people in the country, in order to gain an advantage in society. This thesis was conducted to examine if university students at a high-ranking university in China were influenced by commercial ideals in the media to the same extent as young people in other settings in China have been shown to be in earlier research. This was done using a qualitative approach with a combination of in-depth interviews with students at Peking University and participant observation. The findings were interpreted through four different theoretical frameworks in order to analyze students’ perception of... (More)
The importance of body image is increasing in China. Academic research and news media point to the rising desire for an ideal appearance, especially among young people in the country, in order to gain an advantage in society. This thesis was conducted to examine if university students at a high-ranking university in China were influenced by commercial ideals in the media to the same extent as young people in other settings in China have been shown to be in earlier research. This was done using a qualitative approach with a combination of in-depth interviews with students at Peking University and participant observation. The findings were interpreted through four different theoretical frameworks in order to analyze students’ perception of body image ideals shown in media, how these ideals are related to importance of status, as well as the implications they have for students’ mental and physical health. The study found that even for Peking University students, the necessity of possessing a favorable appearance cannot be neglected in order to enhance chances of future success. An ideal appearance was important for gaining status, and the quest for it had implications for students’ health. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Bergenholtz, Erik
supervisor
organization
course
ACET35
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
student health, status, media effects, body image, university students, China
language
English
id
4499613
date added to LUP
2014-06-24 11:21:21
date last changed
2014-06-24 11:21:21
@misc{4499613,
  abstract     = {{The importance of body image is increasing in China. Academic research and news media point to the rising desire for an ideal appearance, especially among young people in the country, in order to gain an advantage in society. This thesis was conducted to examine if university students at a high-ranking university in China were influenced by commercial ideals in the media to the same extent as young people in other settings in China have been shown to be in earlier research. This was done using a qualitative approach with a combination of in-depth interviews with students at Peking University and participant observation. The findings were interpreted through four different theoretical frameworks in order to analyze students’ perception of body image ideals shown in media, how these ideals are related to importance of status, as well as the implications they have for students’ mental and physical health. The study found that even for Peking University students, the necessity of possessing a favorable appearance cannot be neglected in order to enhance chances of future success. An ideal appearance was important for gaining status, and the quest for it had implications for students’ health.}},
  author       = {{Bergenholtz, Erik}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Body Image among Students in Beijing: Impact of media, status, and health concerns}},
  year         = {{2014}},
}