Hammer, Tonya R. "Controlling Images, Media, and Women's Development: A Review of the Literature." Journal of Creativity in Mental Health 4.3 (2009): 202-216. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 21 Nov. 2010. From a young age children, especially girls are told or shown what is acceptable for them to look like. The main forms they are shown this is through movies, television, and advertising. Advertising in particular starts at a young age forming children's opinions of what is normal. This is true for both men and women. They are shown this specifically through stereotypes of each gender to form what they should look like, act like, and with whom they should befriend.

Gurari, Inbal, John J. Hetts, and Michael J Strube. "Beauty in the "I" of the Beholder: Effects of Idealized Media Portrayals on Implicit Self-Image." Basic & Applied Social Psychology 28.3 (2006): 273-282. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 21 Nov. 2010. This article discusses the results found in a study of people about how they feel about their self images. It shows that there is a difference between how the subjects reacted and they are measured with explicit reactions and implicit reactions. Both of these styles of reactions show similar results as previous studies showing that the level of beauty stressed in media caused children, especially girls to have a lower self esteem and makes them have more emphasis of their own personal appearance.

Chambers, Karen L., and Susan M. Alexander. "MEDIA LITERACY AS AN EDUCATIONAL METHOD FOR ADDRESSING COLLEGE WOMEN'S BODY IMAGE ISSUES." Education 127.4 (2007): 490-497. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 22 Nov. 2010. Women are all exposed to images in the media of thin, perfect looking models and are almost always under pressure to look like them. As a result, some women develop an eating disorder to become thin like these models they see in the media. However, not all women do develop an eating disorder. This article discussed the possibility that this is because some women are taught to analyze these images and messages and so they are not as effected by them. Through this media literacy they can overcome what they are shown and they do not hurt themselves and have a healthy self image.

Stephanous, Andrea Zaki. "Media's role in developing images of 'self' and the 'other'." Media Development 54.2 (2007): 14-18. Communication & Mass Media Complete. EBSCO. Web. 18 Nov. 2010. Media is a means of persuasion. When used by a strict government it can be a way of persuading citizens to do or not do something. Through stereotypes the mass media can be used to change public sentiment towards whatever the producers of this media would like. This can be helpful or hurtful to a nation. Through the discussion of this topic it shows the reader examples of this. Specifically it talks about the Middle East and the Israeli conflict.

Lewis, J. and Jhally, S. "The Struggle Over Media Literacy." 1998. Journal of Communication, 48: 109-120. Wiley. Web. 17 Nov. 2010. Media literacy is an extremely important thing for an informed person to attain. It is growing more and more important with the increase in media we as consumers see everyday. This article talks specifically about the differences in what media literacy means. Media literacy can mean seeing an image and realizing what it is telling you. But it can also mean seeing an image and realizing why it is there and that is the type that most people are illiterate in.

Engeln-Maddox, Renee, and Steven A. Miller. "TALKING BACK TO THE MEDIA IDEAL: THE DEVELOPMENT AND VALIDATION OF THE CRITICAL PROCESSING OF BEAUTY IMAGES SCALE." Psychology of Women Quarterly 32.2 (2008): 159-171. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 18 Nov. 2010. Thin and flawless, this is beauty. According to the media the ideal female body is thin, tan, tall, and completely flawless. That is what the magazines and the movies have taught us to believe and that is what most women have been made to think. However, the research in this article shows that women are more critical of these images than previously thought. It shows that women do not accept these images as what to strive for and they realize that they are unattainable and fake.

Bullen, Rebecca Richards. "The Power and Impact of Gender-Specific Media Literacy." Youth Media Reporter 3.(2009): 149-152. Communication & Mass Media Complete. EBSCO. Web. 18 Nov. 2010. Girls are not the only ones who are effected by the media. Both boys and girls look at the media and react to the stereotypes they see. However, they are effected differently. Girls are effected by images of what they think they should look like specifically their bodies. This causes them to do things that are stupid and even dangerous to achieve what they think they should look like.

Zambo, Debby M. "Using Visual Literacy to Help Adolescents Understand How Images Influence Their Lives." Teaching Exceptional Children 41.6 (2009): 60-67. Communication & Mass Media Complete. EBSCO. Web. 18 Nov. 2010. Children all over the world are greatly effected by the media because they are still learning who they are. The media images they see make them believe that is who they should be and who they should be around. This is not always the most ideal person for a young child to aspire to be. These images effect children and even-more-so effect children with disabilities who have an even harder time fitting in with other children and accepting themselves. These images show them what they are suppose to be like and who their friends should be and this is why media literacy is so important.

Agliata, Daniel, and Stacey Tantleff-Dunn. "THE IMPACT OF MEDIA EXPOSURE ON MALES' BODY IMAGE." Journal of Social & Clinical Psychology 23.1 (2004): 7-22. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 19 Nov. 2010. Most of the research done with the effects the media has on body image is done with women. However, men are also greatly effected by the media. While women are told to be thinner and smaller men are told to be stronger and bigger. Women are told to loose weight and diet while men are told to be more muscular and lift weights. In the past studies have shown that women feel the pressure to be thin because of the media. What more recent studies are showing is the increase pressure that men also feel to be more muscular.

Irving, L. M. and Berel, S. R. "Comparison of Media-Literacy Programs to Strengthen College Women's Resistance to Media Images." Psychology of Women Quarterly. 25 (2001): 103-111. Wiley Online Library. Web. 3 Nov. 2010. This article is talking about the results of a study that was done among college aged women. It was to see the effects of media images on their body image. It was done with 110 undergraduate women to see what they thought about the images the media was projecting toward them and how it effects how they see themselves. It was also done to see what would help stop this from continuing to happen to these young women. Throughout the study it was shown that with the help of this "intervention" the women began to question whether or not the images were really what ideal beauty looks like. This shows that through media literacy something like this can be stopped and women can feel better about their body image.