Mental+Health+and+Generation+Y+-+Consumerism+and+the+effects+of+advertising+to+blame+?


 * Name: Hannah Graham**
 * Student Number: n8328803**
 * Tutor: Colleen Niland**

=‍**Cultural Artefact**=



This particular image is of a young woman modelling clothes for a clothing company. It is evident from this image that this woman is affected by an eating disorder and therefore is also suffering from a mental health disorder. This image is representative of the thousands of models around the globe striving for the thin ideal that is constantly depicted in advertising and other media outlets. The image itself is from an article addressing the push for models to be thin in the fashion industry.


 * Public Health Issue **

Mental health can be defined as a state of social and emotional well being (ABS, 2007). Generation Y is more susceptible to mental health disorders compared to other generations, with approximately one quarter of generation Y suffering from a mental disorder. The disorders most likely to affect young people are anxiety disorders at 15%, substance use disorders at 13% and affective disorders at 6% (ABS, 2007). In particular, another mental health disorder most likely to affect those in generation Y are those associated with disordered eating. The prevalence of eating disorders in Australia is on the incline, especially in relation to adolescent females with 1 in 100 having anorexia and 5 in 100 suffering from bulimia (Eating Disorders Victoria, 2011). The development of eating disorders generally stems from the want and need for physical vanity, which can be described as the thin ideal. A possible explanation for the startling prevalence of mental health disorders in generation Y is consumerism. In particularly how the consumerist nature of gen y is played upon by businesses through the media.


 * Literature Review **

Extensive research has been carried out over the last decade in order to identify associations between consumerism, generation Y and the prevalence of eating disorders. The research carried out ranges vastly and findings have been indicative of consumerism affect of the mental health of Generation Y, particularly in relation to eating disorders.

Unlike previous generations, the population of generation y have been brought into an environment which provides more opportunities to shop than ever before. As a result of this, society today has become materialistic and consumer driven. For example, with the world of online shopping at your finger tips, you can purchase nearly anything you desire, 24 hours a day, without even leaving the house. As a consumer group, generation y is renowned for their disposable income and sophistication when it comes to shopping preferences. Hence generation Y have noticeably become the target group when it comes to the advertising of most companies (Gupta, Brantley & Jackson, 2010). Therefore, it is evident, once again, that generation y is only responding to the influence of the environment they have been exposed to and the opportunities they have been provided with. However whilst Gen Y represent an attractive market for business, the behaviours of this generation in particular have been quite concerning to psychologists, particularly when dealing with issues of eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia (Durvasula & Lysonski, 2008).

The desire for physically vanity is most commonly seen in the female population of generation y, hence the majority of research completed in this area involves women. To be beautiful is a goal for most of the population in generation Y, hence why many companies associated with beauty market their products to this generation **(**Durvasula & Lysonski, 2008). Whilst completing their research, Durvasula and Lysonki observed that many companies associated with enhancing ones vanity use women who represent the ‘thin’ ideal to market their products. Society then believe that being thin is beautiful, resulting in a strong desire to be thin which then, more often than not, results in the development of an eating disorder. Therefore by playing on the generation’s consumerist tendencies and desire for vanity, these companies are contributing to the prevalence of this mental health disorder **(**Durvasula & Lysonski, 2008).

As mentioned previously advertising is a medium frequently utilised by companies to enhance the sales of their products. Byus and Peterson completed a study which visually analysed a random sample of television advertisements which used a female model. The aim of the study was to examine the degree of slenderness of the female models in the particular television commercials by categorising them as either overly slender, standard weight or heavy. The study revealed that the advertisements viewed employed a large number of models who were overly slender (Byus & Peterson, 1999). This finding then had implications for those who are concerned with the incidence of eating disorders for the following reasons.

Additional research for this paper indicated that by using these abnormally thin models, these businesses and companies are depicting unhealthy physical conditions to their consumers to market their products (Byus & Peterson, 1999). Members of a consumerist society begin to emulate what they see on television as they begin to perceive it as normal. It is then evident that society (mainly the female population) begin to strive for the ‘thin’ ideal which, as mentioned previosuly, is more than likely to result in the development of an eating disorder (Byus & Peterson, 1999). This result in particular aligns with the research completed by Durvasula and Lysonki and suggests that the perception of  vanity is a marketing/advertising technique which resonates well within the population of generation Y. This is because the research indicates to businesses that society is responding to the advertisement created. However this study did not analyse the use of male models therefore is limited in what the results can suggest for the entire generation Y population.

Another study focusing around the issue of generation Y consumers and their mental health was completed by Becker in 2004. The study examined the impact of the introduction of television had on the identity and body image of adolescent ethic Fijian schoolgirls. Becker completed this study by collecting narrative data from the girls 3 years after television had been introduced in their community. Results of this study illustrated that there was a dramatic increase in signs of eating disorders after those three years had passed (Becker, 2004). Though this study did not entirely focus on advertising, advertising makes up a major part of television. Therefore the results from this study are a prime example of how profound the impact of advertising is on adolescents and hence why the constant portrayal of overly thin women in advertisments is affecting their mental well being (Becker, 2004). It also reiterates how successful these companies are when they use these sorts of advertisements. However, like the previous study, this research does not analyse the effects on men, therefore suggests that this issue could be even more important as other elements are yet to be considered.


 * Cultural and Social Analysis **

The constant shifts in generation Y consumer patterns and personal preferences can be used to explain why this generation is so affected by this issue (Ziebland, Robertson, Jay and Neil, 2002). The current obsession generation Y has with weight and shape is quite a recent phenomenon and has been associated with eating disorders due to the impact it has on body image (Eshun and Gurung, 2009). The desire for vanity indicates that generation Y has become a very materialistic generation due to influence from their contemporary culture, hence why the ‘ideal’ boy size is supported. By continually re-laying these sociocultural ideas to society the mass media, advertising in particular, can be named as the number one cause for the current support for the ‘thin ideal’(Eshun and Gurung, 2009). Byus and Peterson hypothesised that the vanity focus of these marketing campaigns is aimed at providing the consumer with an opportunity to fit the stereotypical picture of beauty. It can be said that Generation Y have grown up in a culture that values slimness, hence why the appeal of vanity is successful for companies.

Media exposure can impact greatly on how young members of society view themselves. Therefore it has been stated that part of the success in advertising this way to this particular group is that it stimulates the desire to develop an identity (Becket, 2004). An individual will draw on cultural resources and symbols around them to create an identity for themselves. Therefore with almost every advertisement focusing around vanity, products and lifestyle changes which enhance physical beauty has become a major part of generation Y’s identity. Therefore by catering to generation Y’s value for slimness and want for beauty through advertising, businesses are receiving the results they desire (Becket, 2004). However by doing this, businesses are encouraging the thin ideal, and therefore increasing the prevalence of eating disorders.

Awareness of this issue is extremely important as eating disorders do not only affect ones mental health; they also severely affect ones physical health. Therefore, when compared to other mental health disorders, can be much more life threatening. Some members of the population are more susceptible to developing eating disorders than others, therefore these mental health disorders to do not affect everyone. However this does not mean that it will not affect everyone in the future. With the prevalence of eating disorders on the rise it is imperative that this issue be discussed and researched in more depth. Public health officials need to closely monitor the advertisements reaching our television screens and billboards. This will then ensure that they are having an appropriate influence on the health of Australia’s younger generations. By ensuring that models with in a healthy weight range are employed for advertisements, public health officials will be aiming to reduce the burden of this disease on the population of generation Y.


 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Artefact Analysis **

<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">This image is an excellent summary of how businesses play on the consumerist nature of generation Y by encouraging the thin ideal and therefore contributing to their mental health status. This model is overly slender and yet has been chosen by this particular company to advertise their clothes on the catwalk. This woman is adhering to society’s cultural values and is portraying to society that this is what beauty looks like. The image also indicates that the model may be suffering from an eating disorder. This then makes this issue even more alarming as it seems companies are beginning to use women who are already suffering from these disorders.

<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">As a result of this assessment piece, my understanding of generation Y as consumers and how that affects their mental health has been broadened. Prior to completing this assessment piece I would have never made the connection between generation Y’s consumer patterns and their mental health, especially when it comes to the development of eating disorders. My findings from the research for this assessment piece will definitely make me more aware of how certain things are portrayed in advertisements and how this portrayal makes me feel. As a member of generation Y, this assessment will also make me think about how advertising and its appeal on vanity affects me as a consumer.

Reference List

Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2007). Mental Health of Young People, July 2010, cat.no. 4840.0.55.001. ABS, Canberra

Becker, A. E. (2004). Television, disordered eating, and young women in fiji: Negotiating body image and identity during rapid social change. //Culture, Medicine and Psychiatry, 28//(4), 533-533-59. doi:10.1007/s11013-004-1067-5

Byus, K & Peterson, R. T. (1999). An analysis of the portrayal of female models in television commericals by degree of slenderness. //Journal of Family and Consumer Sciences, 91//(3), 83-91. Retrieved from __ @http://search.proquest.com/docview/218160418?accountid=13380 __

Durvasula, S., & Lysonski, S. (2008). A double-edged sword: Understanding vanity across cultures. //The Journal of Consumer Marketing, 25//(4), 230-244 end_of_the_skype_highlighting. doi:10.1108/07363760810882425

Eating Disorders Victoria. (2011). Key Statistics. Retrieved from __[]__

Eshun, S & Gureng, A.R. (2009). //Culture and Mental Health: Sociocultural Influences, Theory and Practice.// West Sussex, UK: Wiley-Blackwell

Gupta, M., Brantley, A., & Jackson, V. P. (2010). Product involvement as a predictor of generation Y consumer decision making styles. //The Business Review, Cambridge, 14//(2), 28-33. Retrieved from @http://search.proquest.com/docview/347564391?accountid=13380

Ziebland, S., Robertson, J., Jay, J., & Neil, A. (2002). Body image and weight change in middle age: A qualitative study. //International Journal of Obesity, 26//(8), 1083-1901. doi:10.1038/sj.ijo.0802049

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