America's Obsession With Weight Loss and Body Image

Although a great deal of early research on body image and eating disorders focused on upper/middle class Caucasians living in America or under the influence of Western ideals, many researchers are realizing that eating disorders are not isolated to this particular group. They are also realizing the differences in body image between occur in different races and genders (Pate, Pumariega, Hester 1992). Recently, several studies have shown that eating disorders transcend these specific guidelines, and increasingly, researchers are looking at male/female differences, cross-cultural variation and variation within cultures as well. It is impossible to broach the concept of body image without

There are many trends in American society ranging from popular dance moves to political opinions. Some of them are beneficial and improve the society as a whole, such as the increasing popularity in clean energy. However, there are some on the rise that are not as beneficial, such as American obesity. America is not the only country that faces issues with obesity, but the US has the highest ranking in the world for the total number of people who are overweight. In September of 2014 it was shown, “every state is above 20 percent (1).” It is a very large issue and commonly debated in American culture. Due to the fact that obesity not only increases chances for health problems, but can also cause decreases in confidence and acceptance into society. There is a lot of public interest to resolve this issue, which many organizations have been founded to try and increase awareness for positive body images, and others are trying to decrease the percentage of obesity in America.

The media has distorted people’s views on the way they look at their own body image. The media has shown what their ideal body type is, while leaving people to feel as if the average weight is not good enough. (Cardosi, 2006) We live in a world where people feel as if having zero body fat is the idea body type to have. Pictures of models for clothing stores, bathing suits, lingerie etc. all exhibit to this to be true. Body image is perceived to be negatively influenced by the media and the way that the media displays their models. Parents, teachers, adolescence and even children all find themselves to be comparing themselves based on what the media exposes. (Levine & Murnen, 2009)

Picture the world controlled by the media. Could you imagine how ugly, scarce, and hateful it would be. What would you do if a magazine or a television show told you that your body weight had to be twenty pounds lighter to be all most perfect? Would you actually consider the fact or let ignore it? Teens, mainly girls, will be sucked into these magazines. (National Eating Disorders Info Centre 15) These could be magazines like Seventeen and Cosmo Girl. In addition with many others of course. All though, the media is a bad example at times it is not precisely the main issue for negative body image. (National Eating Disorders Association 1) All though, these constant screaming messages the media produces

Due to young women being constantly indoctrinated by being told how to look and act, it is no surprise that effects on a young woman’s body-image are primarily psychological. Within the group of young women, adolescent girls are targeted when it comes to thin-ideals and negative body-images. Throughout many psychological studies, it has been noted that this is because a young girl’s body is going through many psychological and physiological changes that make them more vulnerable to a negative body-image. Bell and Dittmar describe why adolescent girls are more defenseless by saying, “ During adolescence, a primary psychological task faced is that of identity formation, and being socially accepted by one’s peers becomes

Whoever controls the media, controls the mind. Jim Morrison. Since World War II, the media has increasingly advertised a slimmer and thinner body image for the ideal body type. The media has become more influential in our lives, so much that it influences how each person feels about their own image. Studies show that Body image is closely linked to self-esteem. Low self-esteem in adolescents can lead to eating disorders. The most common eating disorders in American are Anorexia Nervosa, a serious psychological disorder characterized by a lack or loss of appetite for food and Bulimia Nervosa, illness in which a person binges on food then uses different methods for example vomiting or abusing laxatives to prevent weight gain. Advertising is

Body image is defined as the subjective picture or mental image of one's own body, which greatly differs among the fit and unfit individuals. Body image has a powerful effect on all. “Negative body image has grown to almost epidemic proportions in the past 20 years, with as many as 60 percent of adults in national studies saying they don't like the way their bodies look” (Hausenblas). Many people are dissatisfied with the way their bodies look, so they turn to numerous products such as diet pills, and cosmetic procedures. Body image isn’t always negative. Studies show, people who exercise rather than those who don’t, feel much better about their bodies. How does body image affect people? Body image is both internal and external, the internal is how we personally feel about our bodies, and external is how society perceives our bodies. Nowadays, how we look has a huge societal importance, possibly more than it ever has. The media is serving as a platform on how we should look. When we're constantly on social media and seeing perfect images of others, it

Our culture has portrayed the “thin ideal” in every avenue of the media such as; magazines, social media, movies, and commercials. In the past 70 years, the number of all eating disorders incidences have dramatically increased. For example, bulimia cases have tripled since 1988 from ages 10 to 39 (Grabe et al 462). Body dissatisfaction and low self- esteem has put

Our body image is fundamental to our sense of who we are. We are not born with a body image, but we do start painting an image in our heads from the time that we are adolescents. How we portray ourselves, can make us or break you. Author of enhancing your body image, Rebecca Donatelle, amplifies how media outlets, celebrities and the current era affect our ideas of what human being should look and how our idealistic body image are scrutinized. Donatelle, informs us of the 66 percent of Americans men and women whom suffer from obesity.

We live in a media-saturated world especially, in western society that provides a significantly influential context for people to learn about body ideals and the value placed on attractiveness that influences the way they perceive themselves. Media invades our lives through television, radio, magazines, newspapers, cinema, advertisements and internet and is very influential on vulnerable adolescents who cannot distinguish what is real and what is not Lopez-Guimera, Levine, Sanchez-Carracedo, & Fauquet, (2010). Mass media contributes to the promotion of the thin ideal as a way to achieve social approval, recognition, and success; in addition, it promotes dieting and food restriction as a socially agreeable practice. In America, body dissatisfaction has reached normative levels among girls and young women. Approximately 50% of girls and undergraduate women report being dissatisfied with their bodies, these perceptions begin at an early age of 7 and exist

“The dissemination of unrealistic body standards has been linked to eating disorders among men and women of varying age groups, but it has a particularly destructive health effect on children and teeneagers” (Ros-Lehitnen). Many women

As young women go through puberty, they begin to mature both physically and emotionally. Particularly, women begin to gain weight when they undergo puberty. Throughout their adolescence, women are exposed to harsh opinions others have on their bodies and how they should carry themselves. Most importantly, women are exposed to society’s values through the use of media. Women begin to value their body image and force themselves to conform to society’s idea of the “perfect body”. Personally, I think of body image as a trouble of mine because I struggle to come to terms with not having a flawless figure. Each day, I see women on social media with unrealistically perfect bodies. After being so exposed to the media’s opinion of a good physique,

“11 facts about body image”, concludes that approximately 91% of women are unhappy with their bodies and resort to dieting to achieve their ideal body shape and only 5% of women naturally possess the body type often portrayed by Americans in the media. The women who do not portray the “ideal” body type decide to do fads, diets, and if those don’t work, some women/girls decide to go to the extreme. Anorexia and bulimia, are a few of the major things women/girls decide to do if diets don’t work for them. Media, not only makes girls feel bad about themselves, but it makes them go to the extreme to reach that “Body Goal” type of body. According to “What is Body Image?

There are four aspects that make up our body image; perceptual body image, affective body image, cognitive body image and behavioural body image. Perceptual body image is the way you see your body; even though it is not always a correct representation. Affective body image is the way you feel about your body; how content you are with your body. Cognitive body image is the way you think about your body. Lastly, behavioural body image is the behaviours which you participate in as a result of how you think you look (“What is Body Image?”). This paper will argue that eating disorders are caused by women’s negative self-views of their own bodies because of the predisposing factors that influence women; the impact of social media, cultural messages and parental relationships that influence

Millions of people struggle daily to maintain a perfect physical body image in hopes of receiving approval, love, and happiness. The need to maintain this perfect image is supported by society and the media with a mirage of messages that you can be happy if you obtain this perfect image. Society 's ideals of what the human body should look like have caused numerous people to develop abnormal eating patterns in a contempt to conform and seek society 's approval of their body image.