Health Issues: Exploring Disorders In The Media

According to the internet, 10 million American women suffer from eating disorders? Eating disorders are serious illnesses which are caused by irregular eating habits and concerns about body weight. As a result, eating disorders are caused psychological and environmental behavior which can often result in a fatal illness. This is what Kathryn Arnett experiences in her life. She explains how she developed an eating disorder in her essay, “Media and Advertisement: The New Peer Pressure.” The factors that contributed to Arnett’s eating disorder was media idolizing and portraying fake body images, teens developing and having low self-esteem, and parents not being present in their children's’s life.

In longing to reach the norm many people fall victim to these detrimental illnesses. Sadly, women are more subject to these eating disorders than men, the number of men suffering from eating disorders is on the rise. Our culture puts pressure on each of its inhabitants to attain this ideal body type that is unrealistic for most people. The images that pollute television and magazines make us all feel inadequate if we don't meet the credentials of slenderness; therefore, continuing the role of our society in the development of eating disorders.

According to the EDC (Eating Disorders Coalition) Approximately 11 million Americans suffer from and eating disorder.” The amount of people diagnosed with an eating disorder has reached an all time high. “Eating disorders do not discriminate: men and women, all economic classes, young and old are affected.” Some say that it has gotten worse because of the media’s new unreachable image of beauty. I believe that the media does play some part, but they are not the only ones to blame. We define our sense of worth by how we see ourselves and how others do as well. The people around us have a great effect on our attitude. A kid does not think that they are fat or ugly until they reach the age where someone has told that they are. They do not start

Social determinants are another way psychologists research and try to explain disorders like binge eating disorder. The origins and effects of social interactions includes many different example, but social media is one of the most frequently discussed determinant in eating disorders. One specific study asked the question of what the role of media has in the development of eating disorders. The subjects of this study were college women in the western world. In attempts to answer their question, researchers followed the social media exposure of the women, as well as, the measurement of body discontent and the development of eating disorders. The conclusion of this study was that media exposure leads to a desire for thinness, which in return contributed to the development of eating disorders in women of the Western world.

In America eating disorders are a pressing issue and are growing in popularity among women of all ages. These eating disorders are caused by many factors including one 's body image which is influenced by a person environment. A big influence on women 's body image today is fashion and media, many women look to magazines, television, and celebrities to get tips on beauty and the perfect body. The one problem with media is the size of models has declined immensely over the years to a very slim size. Many women become dissatisfied with their bodies when they see that they do not fit the ideal body shape that these women in the media have. Although it was not always ideal to be slim the growing use of slender models in fashion and media has impacted women 's body image caused women to become more dissatisfied with their bodies and develop eating disorders. Women are impacted by the women they see on television and movies which in most cases are very slim. Along with television, slender women are seen in advertisements are seen in magazines and billboards which reach women every day. Fashion is also known to commonly use very slender models since the turn of the century. Slender models are used in all aspects of fashion from runway shows to online shopping. All of these different media outlets make a big impression on women, and many feel pressured to fit the ideal body type media has brought forward. When

When it comes to disturbances in a person’s diet or food intake where the person is afraid of eating and becoming overweight, it is hard not to feel spiteful towards the media (Spettigue & Henderson, 2004). Many researches have tried to figure out who are the individuals at risk towards the media’s messages. Eating disorders are psychological disorders that are distinguished by abnormal or disturbed eating habits. The most common types of eating disorders are anorexic nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge-eating. Victims of such disorders are usually teenagers who are unhappy with their own body shapes or sizes, especially in females. With the constant evolution of technology, media now plays a huge role in advertising and it seems to be playing a huge role in placing importance on how ideal body shapes should be like.

There are numerous forms of eating disorders, such as anorexia and bulimia. In this case it deals with overeating, under eating, or provoking oneself to vomit consumed food. People with anorexia limit the amount of food they eat, even if they are harmfully thin to begin with. Other problems associated with the media’s negative influence on body image are depression and anxiety. Teenagers spend most of their day worrying about their appearance causing anxiety and depression when they can’t measure up to popular media’s standards.The root for these serious issues is the negative influence media has on society, with distorted body images directed to only one specific body type. However it is possible to restore one’s self esteem, but may need professional assistance, like a therapist to help with deep rooted insecurities. At the end of the day we all can’t have long hair, clear skin, and be a size zero. In a way it’s a miracle not all teenagers are diagnosed with eating disorders, due to puberty changes and constant pressures from society. Because of developing technology, it is hard to disconnect from social media and personal

Eating disorders are a link to the subjection of the “ideal” person portrayed by the media. The obsession created by young girls over their body image has led to an increasing number of people who have developed an eating disorder to try to deal with their lack of self-esteem, rooted from the media. “The media says that if we fail at achieving this ‘ideal’ body image, we must try harder no matter what the costs” (Moak 62). The more women that are watching advertisements and commercials, the greater their desire is to be thin. According to Eating Disorder Awareness and Prevention Incorporated a study was conducted of 4,294 television commercials, which revealed one out of every 3.8 commercials send some sort of “attractive message,” telling

Recent research has shown strong correlation between eating disorders and social desirability bias. A study by James R. Hebert and his colleagues not only illustrates the importance of social desirability bias in dietary intake but also looks at it from a scientific standpoint. Mass media plays an important role in shaping the lives of the people from creating awareness to help in developing a better standard of living. However an attempt to create a better life style or a good standard of living may not always be received positively by the masses. For example: Viewing health related programmes on television or reading articles in a magazine may create a negative schema about oneself followed by a desire to look in a way that is well accepted by the society which may be accompanied by decreased food intake thus leading to an unhealthy lifestyle.

Eating disorders have been haunting women and men alike. However, has this been impacted by media? Since Marilyn Monroe’s reign came to an end, it seems as though the ideal symbol of beauty has transformed into thinness. The National Eating Disorder Association states that numerous studies have linked exposure to the “thin ideal” in mass media to body dissatisfaction, internalization of the thin ideal, and disordered eating among women.

The objective of this research paper is to see if the media has an effect on anorexia specifically in girls. The media is in our everyday lives and after doing this report I saw how the media praises the unrealistic illusion of being extremely thin. The media glorifies thin ideals through magazines, television shows, and social medias. We can see that through the dietary advertisements, clothing, Instagram and Tumblr, the photoshopping of celebrities which sculpts them into perfection images, and also through new trends such as thigh gaps. This all affects girls views which causes a dissatisfaction between their bodies. Due to the fact that they see models and celebrities they look up to being very thin which then motivates the viewers to do

There is something obviously wrong with these statistics. Women who subject themselves to these circumstances are fighting against their own body make-ups in order to fulfill the standards put out by the media. In order to change these staggering statistics in the future, we must examine what the media does to make girls and women obtain eating disorders.

My counter argument of research paper mass media is only psychological problems. People might argue the eating disorder is heavenly influenced by genetics, neurobiology, and individual personality traits rather than the media. Broadcast and written media can be a source of valuable information on health and well-being. I addressed that the media play great role to influence on eating disorders. To prove this, I have given

“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

8. Accessed on: 25/02/13 Title: RCPsych Eating Disorders Section: Statement on the influence of the media on eating disorders. http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/pdf/RCPsych%20Eating%20Disorders%20Section%20-%20Statement%20on%20the%20influence%20of%20the%20media%20on%20eating%20disorders.pdf