Female Adolescent Athletes: The Impact of Body Image and Participating in Sports and Physical Activity

Abstract

The influence of the media on young females is a consistent problem: drive for thinness, unrealistic body expectations, and pressure to become something unattainable. Athletic involvement can produce overwhelmingly positive outcomes, countering negative influential media messages. This research was conducted to expand upon the importance of sport participation using a survey. Twenty-six female student athletes from Minnesota participated, all 13-17 years old. Results revealed that athletes did not feel pressured by the media to change their bodies. Athletes are able to challenge the negative impacts of the media and, instead, are discovering what their bodies are capable of doing. Conversely, they generally rated themselves as overweight on a Likert scale, despite the majority of participants (68%) being classified as normal or underweight according to their body mass index. Although sport participation poses numerous benefits (fewer mental health problems, strong academic achievement, and increased chances of staying active in adulthood), the underlying concern of the media’s voice on body image still exists. Fortunately, females are becoming more involved in athletics: 69% of participants were involved in more than one sport and 61% were involved in sports 10-12 months of the year. Overall, sports provide valuable, healthy, and long-term opportunities for athletes.