Preadolescents' self-concept and popular magazine preferences.(Report)

Abstract. This article draws on a larger study of Canadian children's sense of self and media habits, 223 children in all (112 boys, 111 girls; 10- to 13-year-olds; M = 11.17y). Participants completed a questionnaire on their self-descriptions and reading habits over a 3-year period. Content analysis of the responses showed great diversity in preadolescents' magazine reading habits and self- descriptions. Results showed that across all ages, girls preferred mainly fashion and entertainment magazines, whereas boys preferred mainly magazines concerning sports and video games. Results suggest that preadolescents' popular magazine reading habits may differ according to age and gender, and may reflect their self-perceptions. Educational implications for critical media literacy are discussed.

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Adolescence is at times referred to as a "culture" because of its marked distinctions from adult life. Viewed as a dynamic web of values, beliefs, and discursive practices diffusing through permeable boundaries within and across communities (Bakhtin, 1981), culture is formed socially in the environment in which we live and is strongly influenced by parents, teachers, and the institution. Entry into early adolescence (ages 10-13) presents a critical juncture of unlearning and relearning social roles. Preadolescents must renegotiate their roles and relationships, and learn how preadolescence is socially situated within multiple cultural, historical, and institutional settings. According to Bruner (1996), the self is dialogue-contingent, and is influenced by social communication and literacies, particularly media.

Self-development in preadolescence may be of particular importance, given that early adolescence (ages 10-13) presents a critical juncture in sociocognitive and emotional development (Finders, 1997). An increase in expectations for social experiences outside the home, increase in self-development and self-consciousness, and an intensification of differential gender roles impact early adolescents at a crucial time in their lives (Hill & Lynch, 1983; Maccoby, 1998). Within these multiple processes of renegotiating values and behaviors, particular roles become informed by self, peers, family, and the larger society, including the media. Building on past research on adolescents' media experiences and self-concept, this study will explore the connections between adolescents' ability to describe their sense of self, and their popular media experiences. Given the immense complexity of media culture, this study will focus on preadolescents' habits and preferences with a particular type of media--popular magazines.

Traditionally, homes, schools, and other societal structures have played key roles in helping children form a sense of self-identity and worldview. Recently, however, children and adolescents are increasingly targeted by the marketplace, where media and economic powers compete for their time, money, and interest (Marsh, 2005; Marsh & Millard, 2000; Mercer, 2006). There is a growing concern that parents and teachers, who once had the greatest influence on the development of children's self-concepts and cultural perspectives, may have less influence than the popular media (Worthy, 1998). Some media researchers claim that media images are the central elements of the appearance or fashion culture and serve as powerful forces that influence physical appearance standards (Jones, Vigfusdottir, & Lee, 2004). Such standards of body-image values reinforce and model cultural ideals of beauty and body shape in stereotypically uniform ways (Field et al., 1999).

The identification of the specific sociocultural factors that may play an influential role in self-concept development and gender-role awareness during preadolescence has particular social urgency. The general sociocultural model (Thompson, Heinberg, Altabe, & Tantleff-Dunn, 1999) maintains that current sociocultural standards of beauty emphasize the desirability of thinness and sexiness for women and a lean, muscular build for men; therefore, these ideas are generally accepted and internalized by most women and men. This physical ideal is transmitted and reinforced by a number of different social agents, including peers, family, and the mass media (Field et al., 1999). Not surprisingly, parental and sibling influences have received the most recent attention as the most salient sources of information for children and preadolescents (Smolak, Levine, & Schermer, 1999). A number of studies have confirmed that maternal comments and modeling influence preadolescent girls' attitudes concerning self-image, including issues of weight and body shape (e.g., Dohnt & Tiggemann, 2005; Hill & Pallin, 1998; Sinats et al., 2005; Smolak et al., 1999).

Interestingly, although theoretical models such as Thompson et al.'s (1999) apply to both females and males, the majority of studies have focused on the role that sociocultural factors, such as the mass media, play in girls' and adolescent females' self-development. Within the past five years, research has found that the desire to develop muscularity and "perfectly fit" bodies has emerged as a central issue associated with male body image (Botta, 2003), and the sociocultural pressure for the ideal muscular build has been increasingly evident in recent years in the greater muscular bulk of male action toys and magazine models (Leit, Gray, & Pope, 2001; Pope, Olivardra, Gruberk, & Borowiecki, 1999; Ricciardelli & McCabe, 2004).