Abstract
Previous research has explored the influence of media on the development of feminine body image. Additional research has examined the influence of interpersonal relationships such as family and friends on body image. No research has yet examine the ways in which these factors are related and the effect they have on one another. This thesis examines the ways in which young women who are all members of the same sorority discuss their body image with one another, the stories that they tell about developing their own body image, and the factors that they find most influential to their body image. The girls speak about their body image in relation to mediated images; food, exercise, and diet; and clothing. The stories that they tell about developing body image either include the influence of friends and family or the influence of a particular activity that changes their body image. Finally, the girls' body image is most influenced by external situations such as interactions with others.
Dummer, Susan Ilene (2002). "I'm not perfect": an analysis of the narratives of young women's body image. Master's thesis, Texas A&M University. Available electronically from
https : / /hdl .handle .net /1969 .1 /ETD -TAMU -2002 -THESIS -D865.