Body Image And Eating Disorders: Article Analysis

     Plato once said, "We behold beauty in the eye of the mind...." What some people consider beauty others may not. From the actresses that are shown on television, movies, models that are in magazines, and the pop stars that create hip and modern music videos, one could be under the impression that to be beautiful you must thin. Actresses such as Jennifer Aniston, Sarah Michelle Gheller, Clarista Flockheart, Courtney Cox and Debra Messing all have staring roles in their own television shows and are all extremely thin. The audiences of these shows being mostly women and adolescent girls, what kind of message about body image are they sending out?

Laine Sterbenz, a student from the University of Kentucky and popular blogger on Odyssey, concludes that skinny models give girls and women motivation to live healthier lifestyles in a way no other body type could. In her post, she argues that models have that skinny body that is desired by every girl, the ideal to work to attain. She then continues into saying that if overweight models were to be used, or even average sized ones, then women wouldn’t actually have the motivation to want to eat better and live a healthier life, because they would already be satisfied with how they look. While Sterbenz brings up valid points, she weakens the argument by contradicting her own statements, and unwittingly promoting unhealthy eating habits and

Cindy Crawford in a magazine interview states, “‘do you look at me and want to puke?’ Evidently, they’re not hearing or paying attention to a deafening ‘Yes’ from the seven million American girls and women who, according to Dr. Vivian Meehan, suffer from eating disorders” (Zimmerman). Even if you don’t have an eating disorder, you are still affected by the media and supermodels. Saying to yourself “If I had those shoes I’d look as stunning as her”, models are used to sell products but instead sell their bodies and the products are just vamping that up. Models leave millions of young impressionable people, striving for an unachievable perfection. Dr. Morris Fishbein says, “Of all of the fads which have afflicted mankind, none seems more difficult to explain than the desire of American women striving for the barber pole figure.” (Zimmerman). Why is being a bean pole so sought after? If the media

The Fashion Industry is affecting our body image in a huge way. They are the number one contributing factor in how we perceive ourselves and what is normal, especially in young girls. The following research shows some of the negative effects of the Fashion Industry. First, the negative effects of the media on body image and how it give countless an unrealistic views of what is normal. Second, how the Advertising and Magazines can affect our self-image in a negative way by using extremely thin models to promote sales. Eating Disorders will be looked at lastly, to reveal the high number of women and young girls suffering from anorexia and bulimia and how much responsibility falls on the Fashion Industry. The conclusion will end with the review of key factors and how the fashion industry has affected the self-esteem and body image of our society.

In Susan Bordo’s article “Never Just Pictures,” she expresses her understanding of how images in the media alter the way our society sees itself. She starts off addressing how critical society has become about the weight of those in the spot light. This cruelty has emerged from critics comparing those in the media such as, athletes, actors, news castors, etc. to super models who are expected to remain at an extremely low weight percentage for fashion shows and photo shoots. In just about every magazine, there are advertisements for a weight loss products or promises, or show models glamorized while they look to be on the verge of starvation. She implies that magazine editors only care about selling products and do not consider the effect the

When Victoria’s Secret is allowed to have models prance around on screen but Lane Bryant Ads (lingerie for plus size women) is banned then there’s a problem. The media is portraying these models who are thin to the point where it is unhealthy. And the media is feeding society lies. A perfect example is of Gerran Tyler. Tyler was a 12 year old supermodel. She walks the run way for clients like Marc Jacobs, Calvin Klein, and Betsey Johnson. She’s tall, thin, the perfect model because she hasn’t hit puberty yet. She walked during New York Fashion Week and posed for these designer brands advertisements. This body type is unachievable for almost all adult women (Roberts). Somebody in their twenties or thirties doesn’t have the ability to look like a twelve year old girl, but this is how these designers are telling us to look. Tyler had an amazing career and high expectations but the fame didn’t last long. As she got older and hit puberty she began to develop boobs, hips, and curves. She began getting less and less bookings. Her supermodel career was virtually over. “Eighty percent of 10-year-old American girls say they have been on a diet” and the, “Number one magic wish for young girls 11-17 is to be thinner” (Missrepresentation). This self-esteem problem with young girls is a result of these unobtainable ideas of beauty. Jennifer Siebel, creator of the documentary Missrepresentation, says

One ex-model, Sasha, who modeled for top brands such as Tom Ford and Galliano, tells how before anything they have to be thin. She claims to have lived off of diet and apples for two years. By her early twenties, she was making millions. Hilton is trying to tell us that the models do not get victimized since they get a lot of money. She told us how Sasha did the modeling gig for a little period of her life and now lives a better life. In the article “The model industry and body image” Kristen Haglund tells us that in many European countries, they recognize the problem with eating disorders in the modeling industry as labor issues. Europeans believe that women are being almost slaved into the field of modeling. Just because the models make a lot of money for what they do, they are still being victimized. They are victimized in the fact that male athletes go through almost the same vigorous dieting that the models go through, but instead the athletes are congratulated for doing it, likewise models who are criticized for it. Just to make weight jockeys, boxers, and wrestlers put themselves through torture to make weight. 69% skipped meals, 34% used diuretics, 67% sweat off pounds in the sauna, 30% vomit, and 40% use laxatives. Hilton says that since models don’t have to do any physical labor, and that all their gifts are from nature, that they are not victimized. The article “Cocaine Catwalk” by the Electric New paper helps my claim that models are victimized. The article talks about how widespread the use of the drug actually is. People wouldn’t look at a model and even understand close to what they actually go

Because of the fashion industries portrayal of beauty in advertisements, a value system that focuses on looks and external beauty is built by the men and women that are exposed to them (Sheehan 108). Although the word "fashion" is often used in a positive sense, the Fashion Industry itself may have some significant negative impacts. Many studies connect the exposure to such advertisements and media coverage of thin models to women with a negative self-esteem and issues with body image. The images of women that are presented by the Fashion Industry, especially in magazines, represent an image that is nearly impossible to achieve. As a result, many women and even men turn to eating disorders in hope to become the image of beauty that has been created for them by the Fashion Industry and the media. So, it can be argued that sociologically, the Fashion Industry indeed has a negative impact on the values, self-esteem, and the perception of women and men such as listed below. factor

The amount of males that are unsatisfied with their bodies has tripled in the last twenty-five years. According to Helen Fawkner, doctor of philosophy, it has increased from fifteen percent of the male population to forty-five percent. It is an extremely severe problem that most people are not aware of. It can lead to suicidal thoughts, self-harm, and eating disorders, but the majority of people think that males do not have to worry about it as much as females. However, they have the same amount of pressure to have the perfect figure as females, it is just not delineated. Body image and eating disorders are not just female problems, men go through the same issues.

The common themes of skinny models in this edition of Glamour is typified in the image found in the AG advertisement. The model is extremely skinny, as her waistline is completely flat. Her neck is elongated, and her arms are toothpick thin. Her clothes appear to be slightly too big on her. Additionally, her thighs do not touch, and they do not even get bigger as they get closer to her hips. This unnatural body type sets unrealistic expectations for the readers. Most American women could not achieve that body type. Vulnerable populations, including teenagers, may go to drastic lengths to try and achieve a body type like that, for these types of images is what the media is saturated with.

Long slender legs, slim figure and size zero hips , that stunning runway model on America’s Next Top Model is the motivation for staying in shape. Appallingly, this motivation is the primary cause of life threatening eating disorders in our young women today. According to a research, 95 % of those suffering from eating disorders are between the ages of 12 and 25, the primary audience of Fashion modeling television shows. 70% of girls from grades 5 to 12 say magazine images of fashion models influence their ideals of perfect body. Fashion Modeling Industry has been the most influential source in our young women’s lives. Young girls and young women are seen eating as little as they can, even starving themselves at times to stay fit. Susan

There is a problem with how social influences affects a male’s body dissatisfaction and induces eating disorders. Dina L.G. Borzekowski and Angela M. Bayer define body dissatisfaction as “the internal representation of one's own outer appearance which reflects physical and perceptual dimensions.” (Borzekowski & Bayer, 2005) Body image issues are prevalent within our perfection-focused society. We are told to comply with the impossible beauty standards set by society and that we have to fit a particular body shape. If we do not abide by these standards we are not considered beautiful. Television commercials, doctors, friends, family, and cultural preferences attempts to encourage dieting fads in order to achieve that “perfect” figure. Individuals

Every day, teenagers are surrounded by different messages from different sources that impact the way they feel about the way they look. For some, poor body image is a sign of a serious problem: an eating disorder. Eating disorders are not just about food.The eating disorders contain anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge-eating disorder, and their variants, all feature serious disturbances in eating behavior and weight regulation. They are often a way to cope with difficult problems or regain a sense of control. They are complicated illnesses that affect a person’s sense of identity, worth, and self-esteem. The risks of eating disorders for teenagers are in physical health, mental health, substance abuse and negative self-esteem/self worth. ​

“The attention-grabbing pictures of various high-flying supermodels and actors on different magazine covers and advertisements go a long way in influencing our choices” (Bagley). The media is highly affective to everyone, although they promote an improper image of living. Research proved says those with low self-esteem are most influenced by media. Media is not the only culprit behind eating disorders. However, that does not mean that they have no part in eating disorders. Media is omnipresent and challenging it can halt the constant pressure on people to be perfect (Bagley). Socio-cultural influences, like the false images of thin women have been researched to distort eating and cause un-satisfaction of an individual’s body. However, it

More recently, Sports Illustrated model, Kate Upton whom is a size 4, is now considered a plus size model and deemed to be “too curvy”. In the United States the “normal” sized woman is between the size of 6 and 10. Most of us do not understand why some put themselves through so much anguish to satisfy these body image complexes. Back in the 1950’s, models were