Mass Media's Influence On Eating Disorders

It is apparent that with the increasing popularity of social media today, there has been a shift in dietary changes within our society. Individuals are subconsciously changing how and what they eat. The question arises, why are so many young women dissatisfied with their bodies, despite their size? Although there are several forces believed to play a role in this dissatisfaction such as peer criticism and parental influences, the thin-ideal body is dominating the media (Grabe, Ward, & Hyde, 2008). Thinness is largely emphasized and praised for women in magazines, television shows, movies and commercials (Stice & Shaw, 1992). Anorexia Nervosa is an eating disorder that stems from this ubiquitous obsession to be thin and is often associated with a pathological fear of gaining weight, distorted self-body image and emaciation (The American Heritage® Science Dictionary).

As of the year 2013, an estimated 805 million people worldwide suffer from Hunger. This number represents a group of people who suffer from food insecurity. This means they have inadequate access to food and don’t know when their next meal will be. This being said, an estimated 70 million people worldwide suffer from some sort of eating disorders as of 2015 with 30 million being made up of Americans. Eating Disorders can be defined as any eating habit that negatively affects ones overall health. Media has had a large impact on how both males and females see their bodies.

Eating disorders have become a major problem throughout the world, specifically in the United States. The key factor that has an influence on eating disorders is the media. Including people of all ages and genders, up to twenty-four million people suffer from an eating disorder in the United States (ANAD np). This is a huge problem in the world today but what makes it so much worse is the fact that it can be prevented and it is in our control to change it. Young adults look to these celebrities, which are often their role models, and try to look just like them. What they fail to remember is the fact that celebrities have a lot of money, money that can afford nutritionists and personal trainers. They also fail to remember the extensive measures the celebrities may have to go through to look the way they do. An example of extensive measures can be considered plastic surgery. Ultimately, this creates a false goal that is almost unattainable for the “average” or “regular” person. Overall, the media has overtaken a huge impact on what the “ideal” body image has become today. Eating disorders are still on the rise and it is proven that an eating disorder such as anorexia affects up to 5 percent of women from ages 15-30 years old ("Media, Body Image, and Eating Disorders | National Eating Disorders Association np"). This may not seem that significant but it is also not considering other eating disorders such as bulimia. All in all, eating disorders

The subject of this article are young girls, mainly who are in their teenage years, but also the parents of teenage girls. However, anyone can be impacted and learn from this article. This article questions why society drills the idea of thinness into the minds of people, and every reader can take a different stance and have a different opinion on the issue. Some people may take a stance and say that individuals, themselves, are the only influence on their body image. However, others may take the stance and say that society, as a whole, has a huge influence on an individual and their body image. The author of this article, Erica Goode, includes many quotes from parents of teenage girls, who feel as if they need to go to extreme measures to fit in with society. In this case, the author is creating the stance that society plays a role when it comes to influencing an individual. Goode also provides many

Girls are pressured at increasingly younger ages to be thin. In her piece New Recruits For The Cult Of Thinness, Sharlene Hagy states “Eating disorders are increasing in the United States. They are no longer confines to a particular class, or ethnic group, and are affecting females at younger ages” (Hagy, 188). Girls are striving to meet the expectations of thinness that these ads portray, even if it’s through unhealthy means, such as anorexia and bulimia.

“Michelle M. Lelwica author of The Religion of Thinness: Satisfying the Spiritual Hungers Behind Women’s Obsession with Food and Weight declared that ‘Thinness is worshipped in American culture. Unrealistic body images are promoted in the media and entertainment resulting in greater numbers of women and men who feel ‘too fat’ and suffer from eating disorders’” (Shell 1). Eating disorders are characterized by abnormal or disturbed eating habits such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating. Eating disorders have several causes including behavioral, psychological, and social factors, and they frequently appear during adolescence or early adulthood, but it may also develop earlier or later in life. In today’s culture media has a more powerful presence than ever before; this causes the individual to be constantly bombarded by what the media portrays as a “good” body. The mass communication transmits both positive and negative messages about body image to the public. The general public unaware of what a positive or negative body image can do in mental and physical health end up trying to meet those unrealistic standards, thus, so inducing harmful lifestyles. Eating disorders can be caused by sociocultural incitements such as unrealistic standards, set by society and culture, and lack of knowledge about positive and negative body image, but regulations and education must be established to help reduce the problems.

We live in a society ruled by the media. At every turn we’re bombarded with images of what a girl is supposed to look like, what she’s supposed to wear, and how she’s supposed to act. Models range from stick thin to plus size, with no representation of average size six girls to be found. All around the world, girls are starving themselves to look a certain way, with terms like “thigh gap” and “collarbones” running rampant in their minds. But why? What are those things really worth?

In America, the words “beautiful”, “fit”, and “thin” are often used to describe someone that has the ideal “perfect” body, everyone’s perception of it can vary and about half of the population has the body that many people adore or aim to have. However, not everyone has or can achieve the ideal body type, some people will go to extreme measures to either gain or lose weight just to feel accepted in today’s society. These dangerous actions can result in a person developing an eating disorder that can alter their lives both physically and mentally. “An eating disorder is an illness that can be defined as having irregular or abnormal eating habits while being concerned about body weight or shape”

Why are women and men pressured because of an image of skin and bones or walking muscles? Most commercials and magazines flicker photos every second of photoshopped or unrealistic bodies. In addition, Americans on average spend 250 billion hours watching television. More importantly, children and teenagers gape at 20,000 commercials a year. Using unflawed advertisements, they gnaw at children's minds into thinking they aren't beautiful. For example, women are accentuated to live up to the expectations of a Victoria's Secret model--a skinny waist, huge breasts, and meaty thighs. Men, on the other hand, are bombarded with pictures of a projected, heavily built abdomen. In society, people are driven to look like living Barbie dolls. Human beings shouldn't have the weight on their chest to look like the model on an advertisement. Several people can have higher expectations of a person, develop eating disorders, and even lose self-esteem.

These women we see in the media and in magazines are models. People see models as gorgeous women, who they should want to look like. People think models have it so easy because all they have to do is take pictures, walk down a runway stage, and ultimately look stunning all the time. The truth about models are they have to keep that thin body image or they could become jobless. Nona L.Wilson, and Anne E. Blackhurst say, “Those researchers who have acknowledged the importance of social and cultural factors in the development of eating disorders have focused primarily on the cultural norm of thinness. This approach has highlighted the role of the media and other cultural forces in promoting a "thin ideal" that is unattainable for most women. To date, the most

In America, more than eight million people undergo eating disorders; ninety-five percent of the eight million are females. According to The Alliance of Eating Disorders Awareness in Florida, the average American woman is approximately five feet and four inches tall and weighs one hundred and forty pounds, while the average American model is about five feet and eleven inches tall and weighs under one hundred and two pounds. These models are thinner than ninety-eight percent of American women (National Institute Of Mental Health’S (Nimh) Guid. “Eating Disorder Statistics”). Society today encourages girls to believe that the only qualities in life are being slim and beautiful. Little do these girls know, most of the images that females are comparing themselves to are photoshopped images or women who have gone through cosmetic surgery to look that certain way (Djoukoue. “Keep It Real Challenge:”). A survey proved eighty-three percent of pubescent girls and females read fashion magazines for an average of about four hours each week. The surveyor then asked the girls (aged eleven through seventeen) if they could have one wish, what would they wish for. Most of the girls said to “lose weight and keep it off”. Then, the

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

“To be happy and successful, you must be thin,” is a message women are given at a very young age (Society and Eating Disorders). In fact, eating disorders are still continuously growing because of the value society places on being thin. There are many influences in society that pressures females to strive for the “ideal” figure. According to Sheldon’s research on, “Pressure to be Perfect: Influences on College Students’ Body Esteem,” the ideal figure of an average female portrayed in the media is 5’11” and 120 pounds. In reality, the average American woman weighs 140 pounds at 5’4”. The societal pressures come from television shows, diet commercials, social media, peers, magazines and models. However, most females do not take into account of the beauty photo-shop and airbrushing. This ongoing issue is to always be a concern because of the increase in eating disorders.

To lose confidence in one’s body is to lose confidence in oneself. Many people often forget that our flaws are what makes us human. If we can accept them as part of who we are, they really do not have to be an issue. In fact, the things that we hate in ourselves causes us to function differently than what is expected. This ideal perception of beauty can lead to several mental illnesses. Most importantly, eating disorders. Eating disorders include extreme emotions, attitudes and behaviors surrounding weight and food issues. Many people suffer with this mental illness and it can have a huge impact on their lives. People today live in a media-saturated world and do not control the message. Society and the media contributes to eating disorders by displaying unrealistic body images, unsuitable advertising and impractical mental health care.

According to the National Eating Disorder Association the media has a major influence on what a woman’s body should look like. Every print and television advertisement suggests that the ideal body is extremely thin. However, most women cannot achieve having a super-thin body that the media favors. The resulting failure leads to negative feelings about one’s self and can begin a downward spiral toward an eating disorder (National Eating Disorders Association).