Britney, the body and the blurring of popular cultures: A case study of music videos, gender, a transcendent celebrity, and health issues

Abstract

It is well documented that mediated images of the "ideal" female body-the tall, thin, attractive body and the more toned, athletic body increasingly in vogue-are linked to body image disturbances and feelings of dissatisfaction with physical appearance for many (young) women (e.g., Bordo, 1993; Cusumano and Thompson, 1997; Dionne et al., 1995; Hesse-Biber, 1996; Lavine, Sweeney, and Wagner, 1999). Among the many concerns expressed by those critical of these portrayals is that very few females are genetically able to achieve the body shapes, sizes, and traits depicted in the media, yet many continue to internalize and make efforts to attain these bodies (Markula, 1995). In the same way, these depictions have been critiqued because they implicitly support the deceiving and problematic belief in a relationship between having the "ideal body" and being healthy, successful, and productive (Bordo, 1993).