The unsustainable weight of self-image: presentations in the spectacle society

• Published in: Ciência & saude coletiva Vol. 26; no. 7; pp. 2663 - 2672
• Main Authors: Rodrigues de Oliveira, Michelle, De Almeida Machado, Jacqueline Simone
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Portuguese; English
• Published: Associacao Brasileira de Pos-Graduacao em Saude Coletiva - ABRASCO 01.07.2021
• Subjects: Brasil
• ISSN: 1413-8123; 1678-4561
• DOI: 10.1590/1413-81232021267.08782021

This study aimed to identify adolescent self-image in the face of a society forged hy perfect image-body standards, understanding the influence of social relationships and the media in constructing their identities. This is qualitative research based on Oral History involving 13 male and female and adolescents aged 15-19, students from a public school in Minas Gerais. We employed interviews with a semi-structured road-map to collect data, which were later interpreted by thematic content analysis proposed by Bardin. The findings were arranged into two categories: 1 - Self-image in the construction of the adolescent's identity and 2 - The aesthetic ideal of the spectacle society. The reports show a strong influence of technology in forming their identities and possible consequences that the search for a spectacular image to meet the aesthetic standards of the virtual or real world can bring to adolescents. This idealized self-image reveals the new way of being and living, the values, and the fragile and superficial relationships in the spectacle society. Key words Adolescent, Self-image, Body image, Social identification, Beauty culture