Social Networking's Influence on Eating Disorders Essay

Girls especially are told that they are supposed to look how famous people look, but are not told how vastly edited and corrected the models in the pictures are. Today, women as young as 11 and 12 have began developing eating disorders due to the constant media bombardment telling them to look a certain way—incredibly skinny—which forces them into starvation. Psychologists have coined the new disorder ‘”body image disturbance syndrome” or BIDS. BIDS is characterized by the incessant feeling of being ‘fat’ when someone is perfectly healthy usually turning to one of two options: anorexia or bulimia. Anorexia is the act of not eating to achieve a body image, but this often results in gross malnourishment. On the other hand, bulimia is characterized by binge eating large meals followed by self-induced vomiting. The motivation behind bulimia is that if they keep the food in their body just long enough to absorb the nutrients, they can vomit the actual bulk of the food that makes them look overweight. The sad reality of the fact is that not only are the nutrients not completely absorbed until they reach the intestines, but the stomach acid brought forth with their vomit virtually rots away their

After reviewing the “Dying to be Thin” (2000) video and the two studies on anorexia nervosa (AN) and bulimia nervosa (BN) my view of these two disorders has been expanded and somewhat altered. The “Dying to Be Thin” video looked at the history, triggers, medical complications and treatments. It documents the struggles of models, dancers and teenagers with the disease. The two studies on AN and BN asked patients in a therapeutic setting to write letters to their disorders from the friend and foe perspective. The results were interesting and merit further studies.

Eating disorders have become an increasing public health problem once thought to be an affliction amongst young women, now an epidemic across culture and gender boundaries. Anorexia gives rise to serious socio-economic and bio-psychological circumstances of our ever vast, growing society. Awareness of eating disorders have increased but perhaps only in proportion to its advancement of its research and treatment. That which still leaves us in a position for a much greater demand for education and heightened awareness of this perplexing disease.

In my research, I explored the world of eating disorders. I wanted to see if there was anything specifically encouraging eating disorders and if there was a way to stop it. Eating disorders affect the community greatly because often times, they go unchecked or unrecognized. As a recovered anorexic, I feel it’s very important to address this issue. It’s a very big problem that is often not addressed at all, or is seen as normal, like counting calories. I hoped to find a way to improve the way that eating disorders are viewed and explain to people about what defines an eating disorder, because many people will never know if it is not explicitly explained to them. My study’s purpose is to bring light into the dark world of eating disorders

As the "ideal" women’s body has become progressively thinner over the past decades, the eating disorder anorexia has become progressively more prevalent. Anorexia is a disease in which a person eats nothing beyond minimal amounts of food so that her body weight drops dangerously. It is no wonder with all of the cultural messages of thinness being aimed at women, that 90-95% of anorexics are female, 25.7% of all female ballet dancers are anorexic, and that the percentages are similarly high for female models and athletes (Malson, 1998). Six to eight percent of young women have been diagnosed. For some the disease takes a devastating and irreversible course; 20% of anorexic patients will die and as many as half of those will be from suicide

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

For this paper, I chose to focus on eating disorders looking mainly at their causes. Based on personal experience, I feel that these disorders are stereotyped very heavily in our society, and that public awareness of their causes lacking. Growing up I was always very thin, due to a high metabolism and a small bone structure; traits which ran in my family. Many times, people would make fun of me and even call me anorexic. However, I was not anorexic or bulimic, I was just a thin child, and am still a thin young woman. These trials taught me a very valuable lesson about labeling people, and how much that can hurt them. This is one of the reasons I chose to write about this topic. I also chose to focus on the causes of these disorders because

While obesity is a great concern for many American adults, it is an even greater concern for American children. These children are losing years of their life by eating junk food and living sedentary lives. Obesity can prevent them from achieving their life aspirations. Fortunately, this issue has caught the attention of many people. Action is being taken to combat the issue. One example of this is the Let’s Move campaign started by the First Lady of the United States, Michelle Obama. The campaign’s objective is to stop childhood obesity in this generation so that children can be more optimistic about their future (Ferran, 2010). However, many have questioned the effectiveness of the Let’s Move program. Due to this program’s immense issues, the U.S. government should reform the Let’s Move campaign into a campaign that is less strict on diet, more strict on physical activity, and more aware of other factors that influence childhood obesity. In this essay, I will explore the upbringing of the obesity epidemic, the objectives of the Let’s Move campaign, and the policies it has influenced to fight childhood obesity. In the bulk of my essay, I will explain how and why the Let’s Move program should change in order to better tackle the issue of childhood obesity. Furthermore, I will refute the arguments against my proposed solution.

In today's society all the actors, actresses, and models are all really thin. There is nothing to them, except skin and bones. With all these role models looking this way it creates a few problems. Problems that are over looked until something drastic happens. These traumatic experiences stem from the drastic measures that young girls and women take; like starving themselves to feel good. Anorexia and bulimia nervosa are serious illnesses that affect young girls and women between the ages of ten and twenty. Both similar in the sense that they involve losing weight but both different from each other. Lets take a closer look at each.

Approximately a half million teens in the US struggle with eating disorders or disordered eating. Eating disorders are any range of psychological conditions of unusual or abnormal eating habits such as overeating, starvation, or both. Eating disorders are caused by genetics, psychological problems, and environmental factors. Social media is an environmental factor that has many damaging effects on self-image and is also one of the main causes of eating disorders. Opposing views claim that social media isn’t a huge factor in the development of eating disorders (Karges 1) and that if social media did affect the development of an eating disorder, it would be categorized under the psychological problems instead of environmental factors. This is wrong because many studies show that the more time someone spends on social media, the higher their chances of developing an eating disorder are, so social media is able to influence eating disorders. Social media is also a factor

Everywhere we go, we are surrounded by “perfect bodies”. Slim, tall and toned is advertised on television, magazines and billboards. Many men and women strive to obtain the body of perfection. Unfortunately, some people put their lives at risk for the expectation of perfection. According to the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Diseases, 30 million people, both men and women, are suffering from an eating disorder.(“Anorexia and other Disorders”) Bulimia nervosa is one of those eating disorders.

Social media heightens that exposure.” ( Rojas, 2014). Social media such as: Facebook, Tumblr, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter are icon obsessed. There is easy access to these social medias that promotes anorexia. Some social media such as Tumblr create small communities that often are used as a support system. Typically it’s where tips are exchanged or where messages are send to help encourage users to continue being deprived of food. Also, Instagram helps promote anorexia by allowing hashtags that supports such acts by using #thinspiration or #proana which helps feeds into anorexia. However, people with anorexia don’t view it as a disorder but rather as a lifestyle. It has a domino effect because the more you look into these website the more you get access or tips from other going through the same procedure which typically trigger or encourages unhealthy eating

It is funny how so many girls and women today are led to believe that the only way to feel attractive and be beautiful is to have their bodies consist of nothing but skin and bones. Women are dieting more today then they have ever been before. They are striving for an unattainable body figure that is portrayed by the media as being the ideal standard for today's women. It gets worse. Not only are women dieting unlike ever before, but they will ruthlessly harm their bodies in order to achieve these inaccessible standards. This ruthless harm that haunts so many women today just so happens to be what we call eating disorders. Anorexia and bulimia are the primary diseases that go in the category of eating

Imagine being in a situation where you are constantly putting yourself down because of your reflection in the mirror, and your life revolving around the way you look and the perception you have of yourself. Eating disorders have become a common issue surfacing in our society today. A main root of the eating disorders that exist are societal norms and the image that you have to be the “perfect” and “thin” Barbie to be accepted by society. Anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder are common today. Eating disorders and deemed “okay” to society, pop culture, and social media, because the norm is to be perfect with no flaws; however, these eating disorders characterized by little to no eating and excessive exercise can harm the

Each year millions of people in the United States are affected by serious and sometimes life-threatening eating disorders. The vast majorities are adolescents and young adult women. Approximately one percent of adolescent girls develops anorexia nervosa, a dangerous condition in which they can literally starve themselves to death. Another two to three percent develop bulimia nervosa, a destructive pattern of excessive overeating followed by vomiting or other " purging " behaviors to control their weight. These eating disorders also occur in men and older women, but much less frequently. The consequences of eating disorders can be severe. For example, one in ten anorexia nervosa leads to death from starvation, cardiac arrest, or