The Struggles of Self Esteem

Most people face self esteem problems at different levels. At some point in life people face this problem without realizing it. In the essay The Trouble with Self-Esteem written by Lauren Slater starts of by demonstrating a test. Self esteem test that determines whether you have a high self-esteem or low self-esteem. The question to be answered however is; what is the value and meaning of self-esteem? The trouble with self-esteem is that not everyone approaches it properly, taking a test or doing research based of a certain group of people is not the way to do so.

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).

In a recent survey done by the National institute on Media and the Family, fifth graders, ten year old boys and girls told researchers they were dissatisfied with their own bodies after watching a music video by Britney Spears or a clip from the TV show “Friends.”(4) If this isn’t shocking enough, the research group reported that at the age of thirteen, fifty-three percent of American girls are “unhappy with their bodies.” This grows to seventy-eight percent by the time the girls reach seventeen. Also, eating disorders are beginning to start at an alarming young age. Statistics show that girls are developing eating disorders at the age of six.(1) Young girls that are exposed to appearance focused television programs, and magazine shows feel that they need to look like the models that they see. Most of these girls are not even have fully developed bodies yet and are already trying to perfect themselves. One girl had even shared how one of her best friends discovered that her fifth grade cousin was bulimic. Girls at that age should not even be concerned with their bodies yet and eating disorders being developed is a harsh wake up call as to how young girls everywhere are being effected by the media each and everyday.

Beauty standards in the media are one of many reasons feeding and eating disorders are a rising problem. The unrealistic body types of being extremely thin, in pop culture, are influential factors for many teens, especially teen girls. According to the Diagnostic Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fifth edition (DSM-5), anorexia nervosa is a “restriction of energy intake, intense fear of gaining weight, and a disturbance in the perception of one’s body size” (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Individuals diagnosed with anorexia tend to place a high value on their shape and weight, which can interfere with their daily lives. Individuals diagnosed tend to view of their body shape in a distorted representation. The motivation to become

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

There are several categories of eating disorders and the etiology differs among individuals. Weight and physical appearance has a direct relation to the food we ingest. Young women often seek an ideal look and weight. This perceived image is often a product of media influences such as televisions, and magazines, as well as generalized peer pressure. Women are more apt to suffer from eating disorders. Young women are specifically affected. Historian John Brumberg concluded that about 95% of people who suffer from eating disorders are women between the ages of 12 to 25. The Food and Drug Administration reported only 5 to 10% of the population that is afflicted with an eating disorder is males (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders).

According to the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA), as many as 60 percent of children between ages 6 and 12 worry about weight gain, and half American teens think they’re overweight. (Turner, 2014) Girls want to lose huge amounts of weight because they think they will feel prettier when all there doing is damaging the inside of their body. Among adolescent girls, 1% to 3% have bulimia and 1% have anorexia. Only 5% to 15% of all people with anorexia or bulimia are male. (Harris, 2004) Most young females and males go through some type of eating disorder. A study in the Archives of General Psychiatry found that more than half a million teens have an eating disorder. (Turner, 2014)

In the words of American psychologist Mary Pipher, “When unnatural thinness became attractive, girls did unnatural things to be thin”(“A Quote by Mary Pipher”). There are three main types of eating disorders: anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder. An eating disorder is a mental illness that affects at least 30 million people of all ages and genders in the U.S. every year (“Eating Disorder Statistics”). Of the number of factors that may lead to an eating disorder, the media is an extremely prevalent causative. It portrays an ideal body image that is unrealistic for most people, acts as a trigger for eating disorders in people who may have been prone, and although positive measures are being taken, the overall impact of

that I got bullied almost every day for the way that I looked contributed to my self-

“The incidence of anorexia nervosa among 10 - to - 19 year olds during a 50 year period found that it parallel changes in fashion and idealized body image and young women who have greater body dissatisfaction have earlier onset of smoking” (Huffington post) Girls would rather skip meals to lose weight than be comfortable and secure in their own bodies. 58% of college-age girls feel pressured to be a certain weight, and approximately 91%. women are unhappy with their body and resort to dieting or more severe methods to achieve that shape. They think they are not good enough just the way they are, and they have to look like the women they see on T.v, when in reality the women they are trying to look like do nott even look like that in real life. “Only 5% of women in the entire world, naturally look like the body type portrayed in media” (11 facts about body

Today in our society, there is a strong emphasis placed on body shape and appearance as seen in much of our media (Grigg et. al, 1996). Unfortunately, the ideal body image encouraged by society is often unhealthily thin and unrealistic and may therefore contribute to the prevalence of body distortion and ED , may times women will engage in disordered eating in hopes of attaining the false ideal. Even girls aged 5–8 years of age are already living in an appearance culture in which both peers and the media influence body image and dieting awareness ( Dohnt & Tiggermann, 2006). The vast majority of people with eating disorders in the United States are adolescents and young adult women. Eating disorders, in addition to causing various physical health problems, are associated with illnesses such as depression, substance abuse, anxiety, and especially OCD (Rubenstein et. al, 1992).

Anorexia Nervosa is a mental disorder and while the cause can not been completely identified some of the effects are a decreased self-esteem, negative body image issues, and societal pressures per peer group. Anorexia affects females more than males but is most commonly found in teenager girls. Anorexia Nervosa is one of the most common types of eating disorders. It’s an eating disorder that is more than just concerns about obesity or out of control dieting, it decreases a person’s self-esteem. Over time, the weight loss becomes more than a sign of mastery and self-control but also a way of judging oneself. The thoughts of losing more weight becomes a secondary to concern and is more about control and/or fears about one’s body and not

Self image seems to be a high factor in women and teenage girls. Appearances seem to be everything to some people, especially for women or teenage girls. By believing this, people do not even realize that for some girls go through great lengths to have those looks or self image. The measures women take to do so most likely results in making risky decisions. Anorexia is usually the result of low self-esteem, or self body image of the individual. Women do not seem to understand this leads to a mental disease. This disorder is called Anorexia, this affects mostly women, but in some cases men. Anorexia is a type of medical condition that causes an individual to obsess over the desire to lose weight

Furthermore, the effects of these awards go far beyond sports and contests. Being awarded at such a young age for just about anything is highly misleading of how the real world works. Many young Americans have developed a sense of entitlement, expecting to gain more in return for less effort. Per a study done by Bernard Goldberg approximately one out of every three college students believes they deserve a B just for attending their courses. This sense of privilege is an almost contagious mind-set that has only gotten worse. But many ask how exactly the idea that one should be rewarded for almost anything began?

Anorexia is the most common eating disorder among the youth of today. It involves starving yourself to lose weight (Newport Academy, 2014). Teenagers suffering from anorexia usually do not see how dangerously thin they are, or how much damage they are doing to their bodies. Anorexia normally arises from teenagers who are insecure (Newport Academy, 2014). These teenagers go to extreme lengths to achieve an unrealistic body weight. They think that they are actually benefitting themselves by