Study task 2: Jansson-Boyd, C. (2010) Consumer psychology. New York: McGraw Hill Education.

'Many studies have found that both women and men do not believe that their current body form is attractive... Research has repeatedly found that physically attractive individuals are perceived by most to be socially more desirable than those that are perceived as being unattractive, something that is likely to have been reinforced by consumer societies...'

Key terms: Gender, body image, gender and advertising, gender and the media, gender representation, gender and branding, gender and consumer society

What does it mean, to be physically attractive? attractiveness is subjective, right? Boyd's statement is vague with what it means to be attractive; 'physically attractive individuals' & 'those who are perceived as being unattractive'...by who's definition?. The mention of 'consumer societies' seems to indicate that the attractiveness Boyd is referring to is based around type of people to mass media subject viewers to. 

CURRENT BODY FORM - WHAT IS SOCIALLY DESIRABLE - WHAT IS DEEMED UNATTRACTIVE - CONSUMER SOCIETIES 

Many studies have found that both women and men do not believe that their current body form is attractive.....

https://yougov.co.uk/news/2015/07/21/over-third-brits-unhappy-their-bodies-celebrity-cu/

"The study captured the body image happiness of people in 25 countries around the world. In Britain, over a third (37%) said they were either not very happy or not happy at all with their body image and weight. 59% said they were happy.

There is a gender split. Woman are far more likely to be unhappy with their body image. Over four in ten (44%) are not happy, compared to 53% who are. Men seem to be a little bit more comfortable in their own skin – 66% are happy compared to 31% that are not."

i-D : is male beauty the next step for body image?

"IMG cast Zach Miko as their first plus-sized male model last month under the new 'Brawn' division, but the thinking behind the change is disappointingly narrow. "Brawn has a body positive message," the agency's president insisted. "Brawn is physical strength." The casting of Miko, who boasts a 40-inch waist (but is also - surprise! - dizzyingly tall and muscular), is perhaps a move in the right direction, but the rigid boundaries of masculinity aren't really being widened at all, or even challenged; worryingly, it seems like they're being reinforced. The message is clear: it's okay to be plus-sized, as long as you're also physically strong. Be any kind of man, but just make sure you're a masculine one."