Essay on The Face of Eating Disorders

What is a feminist approach to understanding eating disorders? Not all feminists have the same understanding of eating disorders. There are many different theories that are prevalent in feminist literature today. This web page will explore some of the different feminist perspectives about the cause of eating disorders in our culture.

The Barbie doll has been a popular play toy for young girls since the late 1950s. Although the Barbie doll seem like an innocent toy, it has had an effect on little girls’ body images. Many studies have shown an association between young girls playing with Barbies and eating disorders. Even grown women want to resemble Barbie so badly that they start to do surgery on their bodies which can be very dangerous. This has led to the term, Barbie Syndrome, which refers to “the drive, often of adolescent girls, to attain impossible standards of beauty, projected by toys—e.g., Mattel’s Barbie Doll—and the media, resulting in failure and frustration, issues related to body

Barbie is known as one of the most common toys that young girls play with in their adolescent years. These growing girls, look up to Barbie and see her has a role model of perfection. Barbie has a perfect mansion, car, clothes, boyfriend, job and life overall. But most of all, she has the “perfect” body. This is the woman that most girls desire to be like when they grow up. They want to be perfect, just like Barbie. This desire for perfection is one of the main causes of eating disorders for both men and women around the world. While there are many different organizations and treatment establishments, the aid required in overcoming an eating disorder is very expensive. Many insurance companies

The media constantly sends out an influx of images and messages promoting an almost unattainable unrealistic image of beauty, that has consistently been linked to disordered eating and body dissatisfaction, predominantly among girls but can also be seen in boys. Throughout the years the ideal body shape has progressed from voluptuous and curvaceous an image Marilyn Monroe emulated to a slimmer and leaner frame in congruence with high fashion models such as Kate Moss (Katzmarzk & Davis, 2001). Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia nervosa affect between 1% and 4% of young adult females (American Psychiatric Association, 1994). Eating disorders have been linked to body shapes and images present in the media (Shorter, Brown, Quinton & Hinton, 2008).

Eating disorders are no secret in this generation; it is a struggle women face all around the world. However the problem is becoming increasingly more prevalent in America as time continues. People do not die from suicide; they die from sadness. According to the South Carolina Department of Mental Health one in two hundred American women suffer from anorexia and twenty percent of people suffering from anorexia will prematurely die from complications caused by their eating disorder commonly between the ages of twelve to twenty-five. No girl at such a young age should have such “thin” expectations of herself. Images of women in magazines as well as the toys children play with are responsible for these expectations from adolescence to adulthood.

Eating disorders are serious disorders that can be life damaging. Eating disorders affect five percent of women and one percent of men in the United States. Reports show that five to ten percent of women who have an eating disorder will die within ten years of having the disease. People need to be taught to be more aware of the dangerous effects of eating disorders.

Making education events, talks, programs and workshops can give students a deeper understanding of eating disorders. In particular, students can know more about what are different types of eating disorder, the causes and consequences them. Knowing the consequences will have a deterrent effect on those who wants to lose weight. Besides, if students know the symptoms of having an eating disorder, such as skipping meals or avoiding social events, they can better recognize those who needs help and direct them to dietitians.

When the original Barbie doll came out in the late 1950’s and early 1960’s it was meant as a child’s toy. It sparked a revolution however in women everywhere who wanted to look just like the doll with the “womanly” figure. Weissman explains how the Barbie doll became a wide spread phenomenon is the late 50’s. The doll inspired the interest of many young girls because she was an adult doll instead of the typical baby doll. Barbie also gave young girls an idol, considering the doll radiated independence and popularity (57). As Barbie’s popularity spread, it seemed like a good thing at first, since women now had the mindset that they could do anything. However her reputation quickly became something that was not necessarily a good thing for the body image of young girls. Barbie became a pop culture icon and has been for over 40 years but she has been studied as “a damaging symbol to young females” (49). Yet, women would go to extreme lengths to look like her.

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

What was first a diet to lose a few pounds was now a disorder resulting in drastic amounts of weight loss. She was already a normal weight pre dieting. Talking back with her now she shares, “I didn’t realize the stronghold dieting had over me. Every time I saw myself in the mirror I just saw a girl with excess fat.” She also shares, “It is still a struggle today with constant reminders from the media of standards I don’t meet.” A survey conducted with 185 students on a campus through the Nutritional Journal, 58 percent felt pressure to be a certain weight, and of the 83 percent that dieted for weight loss, over half were already at a normal weight pre dieting” (). Eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia are huge issues within today’s society. This creates a problem because it develops unhealthy patterns in women, so women begin self-starvation in the fear of being overweight or overeat and then crash diet. “13 percent of girls age 15-17 acknowledge having an eating disorder” (“The Dove campaign for Real Beauty”). Not only are girls turning to eating disorders in hopes to raise the decline of their self-image, but they are also partaking in alternatives like plastic

“About 11 million people in the United States suffer from an eating disorder” (Wexler 36). Company’s display their models to look like they never eat. These men and women do not look healthy and they make teens and others want to look like them. Whether the public agrees or disagrees, models do infact have a huge impact on girls and boys. They set a certain image that everyone wants to look like and that is not what they should be showing. They should be showing different sizes of different models. Additionally, women and men tend to look at these models and develop problems. They can get eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia. These disorders can cause serious effects including death. It can also cause low self-esteem and low confidence. This low thoughts on someone can cause self harm and suicide if taken too far. Even though companies are allowed to advertise in ways that benefit their company, social media and commercial advertising are causing men and women to have a negative body images of themselves and should offer more realistic examples because girls compare themselves to the models and develop self-confidence issues, and the unrealistic body images

There are many mental illnesses and eating disorders fit the category and are considered to be the highest risk of death. Eating disorders are commonly viewed to only affect women, but that is incorrect because men can have them as well. There are three groups of eating disorders such as anorexia (nervosa), bulimia, and eating disorder not otherwise specified because it doesn’t fit the specific criteria for neither anorexia nor bulimia. While eating disorders have “...a 10 percent...” (Krans) mortality rate, they have many causes, effects, and awareness’s and preventions.

Over the past fifty or so years, Barbie dolls have set the standard for beauty; big blue eyes the color of the Caribbean Sea, platinum blonde hair longer than Rapunzel’s, a big bust paired with the juxtaposition of a narrow waist, and legs that could go on for days. These standards are often taken to an extreme where people have gone to the ends of the earth to ensure that they look exactly like Barbie does. For example, a Ukrainian model named Valeria Lukyanova. She endured countless and costly plastic surgery procedures to make herself look exactly like Barbie. As she expressed in an interview posted on hollywoodlife.com, Valeria also claims to have not eaten in weeks. She has joined a cult-like sect entitled Breatharianism, where the members believe that they can survive solely off of “Cosmic micro food” consuming no real food or water. She shared her hopes for this new lifestyle saying, “I’m hoping [not eating for multiple weeks is] the final stage before I can subsist on air and light alone.” This raises a red flag to possible hidden anorexia and other mental health disorders Valeria may be experiencing due to the Barbie’s design. Similarly, an American woman from Ohio named Cindy Jackson underwent a similar process. Starting in 1988, she endured over twenty surgeries including a hair transplant, upper and lower eye lift, lip augmentation, tooth enhancement, chin reduction, semi-permanent makeup tattoos, breast implants, and inner and outer thigh liposuction. In fact, she holds the world record for the largest amount of cosmetic surgeries. She was so dissatisfied with her body that she believed the only way to be content was to have the mirror image of Barbie. Furthermore, Barbie’s impractical body shape and accessories may also be responsible for leading young girls into maladaptive eating patterns. For example, the 1965 Slumber party Barbie doll included a scale

The issue of eating disorders has become a phenomenon affecting people in many cultures all over the world, especially young women. Today eating disorders are so common that research by The American Psychology Association suggests 1 or 2 out of every 100 students will struggle with an eating disorder and in the United States, 20 million women and 10 million men suffer from a clinically significant eating disorder at some time in their life, including anorexia nervosa. This same research suggests that 95% of those who have eating disorders are young women between the ages of 12 and 25 (Thompson & Smolak, 2001). Each year thousands of young women develop eating disorders or problems with weight, eating, and body image; the prevalence of eating disorders is only increasing as time goes by. Research suggests there has been a rise in cases of anorexia in young women ages 15-19 in each decade since 1930 (Hoek& van Hoeken, 2003). While many people believe this issue only affects a certain part of the population, eating disorders don’t discriminate among race, ethnicity, or culture. The prevalence of eating disorders has been found to be similar among different races such as Hispanic, Asians, African-Americans, and Asians ((Hudson et al., 2007). Therefore, it’s very important to address the potential causes and factors that can contribute to the development of eating disorders.

In modern day society, impressionable teenage girls are bombarded with forms of media. They are constantly exposed to media platforms and are consequently susceptible to society’s outrageous standards of what their ever-changing bodies should look like. This can drive them to have unrealistic expectations for themselves, deteriorating confidence and potentially life threatening illnesses such as, anorexia and bulimia. Therefore, it is clear that the media has damaging effects on the still developing females within our society.