When Beauty Means Goodness: Children’s Perceptions of Body and Morality in Media Narratives
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.55737/trt/v-v.365Keywords:
Body Image Perception, Children's Literature, Media Representations, Beauty and Morality Association, Aesthetic and Moral Development, Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA)Abstract
This study dissects how children’s storybooks construct body-related ideals of beauty and ugliness through the portrayals of heroes and villains, and how these depictions shape young readers’ body perception and moral reasoning. Using Critical Discourse Analysis, we examined the narrative structures of selected storybooks alongside semi-structured interviews with second-graders (ages 7–8), in a qualitative deep-dive into how they perceive heroes and villains. Under the auspices of Creswell's social constructivism approach, the study highlights how children actively create meaning through their interactions with texts and their environments. The study looks into how children understand and occasionally challenge how characters are portrayed, as well as how discourses of morality, authority, and beauty standards are woven throughout them. Findings reveal that children don’t just absorb dominant narratives, they remix textual cues with social influences and personal experience. The research contributes to understanding how early media exposure influences children’s body image formation and aesthetic–moral judgments, underscoring the importance of balanced portrayals in promoting positive body attitudes and self-concepts.
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