¶ … media, British or otherwise, has been known to stereotype all groups of people, including men, women, the gay community, and racial minorities. Young people are no exception. In particular, racial stereotyping and body image form part of the media's agenda setting practices, mostly in terms of advertising products. In the media then, women and girls are normally portrayed as flawlessly beautiful, white, and very thin. The impact on the body image of the youth is profound. Black girls for example are taught through this that it is better to be white and very thin than black and of a more normal, healthy size. Girls thus go through torturous practices such as continuous dieting to accomplish something as close as possible to the ideal image portrayed by the British media. Black girls and those of other races are also taught that they are somehow not as beautiful as white girls, which might lead to other issues such as hate crimes. White girls on the other hand are taught...

The same holds true for the body image instilled upon boys.
The image of men usually portrayed by the British media is either that of an accomplished, confident businessman, or otherwise a strong, sweaty action hero. Seldom are the changing values of society reflected in this environment. Young men are for example seldom shown to display any emotion, and once again are shown to strive for the ideal of muscular body image. This is once again used by the media to gain profits in terms of products and services that cater for acquiring the body image so promoted.

In the British media, the ideal young person…