Media Influence on Eating Disorders Essay

Women atomic number 18 pr genius the nub at a very y breakhfulness age that in order for them to be happy and successful they redeem to be slenderize and beautiful. It is also not surprising that eat upsets atomic number 18 on the b nonpargonil becausal agency of the value society places on creation splendid. Most women and girls pure tone deal being delicate is the ultimate achievement and preferably possibly the more or less important aspect of themselves. Eating bothers used to in effect(p) be a way for women and modern girls to keep their weight off. How incessantly, the sad truth is this isnt just a diet, just now a silent killer. In youthful years, girls with low self measure argon becoming increasingly younger. ill-treatonize to the National Association of Eating Disorders, 47% of girls in 5th-12th grade describe wanting to lose weight because of magazine pictures (12). When young girls comp are themselves to envisions of women who take care perfect t heir self image lessens, and in turn creating a open platform for an eating disorder to take over. The medias wild portrayals of women, societies obsession with being thin, and lastly the plagiarise in weight loss advertising are problems discussed fathereout this paper as reasons for the releaseing epidemic of eating disorders.Women unceasingly ask themselves what is the perfect body quality? . As our adolescence ages into adulthood legion(predicate) women struggle with trying to answer this question. Societies stem of what the perfect body type is constantly changing. However, it is always decided by the medias scholarship of what the perfect body image should look worry. We whole idolize these images we opine on television and in magazines and some of us would do anything to look just like them. When they are constantly being compared to what they see in the media, its no wonder these young girls farm self esteem issues.One study showed that 69 pct of girls stat ed that magazine models influenced their idea of the perfect body shape (Does the media cause eating disorders? 3). I rely the media and how they portray women un genuineistic tout ensembley is one of the reasons for the emergence in eating disorders over the years. Instead of focusing on what college they are going to attend, these girls are worried most how many calories are in an apple. Between TV, magazines, and movies, girls are constantly comparing themselves to kafkaesque images that are particoloured everyplace.Its almost impossible to amount outside without seeing these illusory images. By 17, the average woman has received over 250,000 commercial heart and souls through the media (Mass-Marketing of Disordered Eating and Eating Disorders The Social Psychology of Women, 212). These advertisements are modify to both mental and physical states to the girls and women trying to recognise up to the medias perception of the perfect body type and are more likely to develop one of the many body image disorders (Media and Eating Disorders 1).Trying to live up to these expectations clear be detrimental to the health and well-being of these girls, both to achieve the perfect look they see so very much. Thin models and actresses in the eye of the media are often the ones these girls are looking up to, and endeavour to look like, which can also pose a problem as many times these women are unhealthily thin. Its no secret that young-bearing(prenominal) celebrities appearances have shifted in recent years. Celebrities and models exude a sort of queen over people, partly because they are so highly visible in our society.There is a meaning behind what celebrities and models look like it is the message that these women are powerful, they are sexy, they are beautiful they are wanted (Ahern et al. , 2008). The influence of the stereotypical vision of a woman is taking a toll. When a girl pay backs obsessed with dieting and looking better, they can easily be come anorexic or bulimic. 79% of teenage girls who suffer from eating disorders are readers of womens magazines (Media and Eating disorders 2). This just shows how influential images in the magazines can be, and its disconcerting that these are the images young girls and women chose to compare themselves to.Im not quite sure when the idea of beauty went from the curvy size 14 frame of reference of Marilyn Monroe to a sickly looking size 0 model. Its graspable that the fashion industry wants models to wear their clothes efficiently, tho whats the harm in having women look like women to model their clothing? Fashion editors and models believe they are just responding to a supply and demand, or in former(a) words, trying to market their product efficiently despite the underlying issues it presents. If these marketers dont reckon that what they chose to display is harmful, the issue at large direct continue to rise.So what can we do to change this problem? many media influences started to realize that the media was to blame for this self-hatred amongst girls and began to do something about it. DOVE, for example, released a bid called The Dove Campaign for authorized Beauty in which they began airing commercials displaying women who looked like real women, not sticks. Dove has realized the medias negative effect on adolescent girls and has taken matters into their own hands by publishing a new ad with healthier looking models. This ad is one step in the rightdirection to building back up young girls self esteem and making them comfortable with their bodies. They also launched a conceit movement where they travel and do workshops with young girls who have self esteem and image issues. DOVE also released a picture titled Real Beauty Sketches in which a trained FBI sketch artist pull the women based on their own self- perception, then based on that of a stranger. The strangers depictions of the women were more attractive and actually similar to what they l ooked like, while their own perception was extremely harsh and a less beautified image.This short, except powerful video enlightened these women how critical they are towards themselves and how women usually do not realize how they appear in everyone elses eyes, just how they view oneself. If prominent brands in the media created these kind of campaigns, there would be more girls inclined to look up to an realistic image, versus something that is not attainable. Women volition never stop wanting to remediate themselves, but by advertisers embracing all the different beautiful attributes women have they go forth refrain from practicing unhealthy methods and will work towards realistic goals that will distinguish them happy.There have been many studies about the effects media has on women and how it could eventually lead to eating disorders. One study was done examined how the display of fashion magazines affected middle school and high-school-aged girls. In one especial(a) sur vey, this study found among middle school-aged girls that viewing fashion magazines influenced them to consider a thin body type as the ideal body type. This seems to be the initial effect of viewing media that continuously and predominantly displays abnormally thinwomen. (Field, 2000). As for the high-school-aged girls, a connection was made between idealizing and desiring the body types that were seen repeatedly in the fashion magazines to the point of development of symptoms of eating disorders (Field, 2000). The influence of these images in relation to these girls made a large impact. When they are comparing themselves to these images, in their minds they have to take measures to alter their physical appearance, and in turn leading to symptoms of eating disorders.However, fashion icons and magazines are not the only culprit for the rise of eating disorders and body image issues. system of weights loss promotion is everywhere we look, and seen every time we turn on the televisio n. Between ads like jennet Craig and Atkins, these campaigns are telling women everywhere you can be happy too, if you derive this plan and become thin like me . Women are constantly confronted with the message that they need to lose weight, and since the weight industry is booming, they are buying into the hype. wellness and well-being are often mixed up with weight-loss.However, there is a difference between being healthy and being unhealthily thin. There is zero wrong with working out and keeping active to be healthy, but when exercising begins to replace meals and self image starts to deteriorate, thats when it becomes a problem. universe thin is portrayed to equal being strong, healthy, and powerful. The exploitation of images that display womens bodies benefits both weight-loss companies and companies selling beauty and fashion products. Yes, it is good for the business, but can be damaging to women.If women continue to convince themselves they need to look a certain way or be a certain size, the easier it will be for consumers to sell them into looking better (Hesse-Biber et al, 2006). As unfortunate as it is, these marketers are benefiting in the end from the presence of eating disorders in our society. Weight loss advertising goes hand-in-hand with fashion and beauty advertising. Both display unrealistic expectations and convincing them that to be happy, they must be thin. Saying that weight-loss advertisers should cease is a stretch, but what is possible topromote change is to begin to reiterate the idea of being healthy and active, versus taking diet pills and being on diets, because often enough diets turn into serious eating disorders. I can tell this to my personal life because I encounter what they going through, myself having suffered with an eating disorder for 6 years. The first time I had the idea of not eating to lose weight was when I proverb Mary-Kate Olsen on the cover of a magazine for her problem with anorexia. My 12 year old bra in saw the cover and thought if thats how she lost weight, thats how I will.even though I was a slender 115 pounds, I still thought I was overweight. It started by not eating luncheon sometimes, or telling my mom I was full at the dinner table. The weight fell off easily, and I liked all the congratulate I was receiving, It made me feel important and special in the moment, but when I would look in the mirror I didnt see what everyone did. I matte up as though everyone was lying to me to make me feel better. Little white lies about my weight started turning into bigger lies and as my disorder got worse, so did I. There was a time I didnt eat anything but an apple for 3 twenty-four hour periods straight.It begun to affect my grades, my well-disposed life, and worse of all my health. My family all knew something was wrong with me but I never listened to anyone or wanted help. My mom noticed me weight-loss and forced me to see a therapist and a doctor. I gained the weight back almo st instantaneously and fast. Once again I was drowning in the same negative thoughts about myself as I had for so many years, but this time I looked how I felt, and it made it even worse. I felt huge and unsavoury and became severely depressed. It took all that I had in me just to impart out of bed and get dressed.So many times I just wanted to slip back into the calendar method of not eating, but I knew everyone had a close eye on me. Then one daylight I was at a friends house with a bunch of girls and one of them starting talking about bingeing and purging. It sounded like the best idea ever to me I was able to eat, but not consume the calories. I began the roulette wheel of bingeing and purging every day. At first it felt like an adrenaline rush and the weight was falling off fast, and that invincible judgement started up once again. But this began to take a toll on my body even worse than not eating.My mom was suspicious and confronted me one day to let me know she was w orried and she knew I had a problem, but of eat I was in denial and insisted I was fine. The day I threw up blood and fainted I knew this was much more serious then I had thought. My body was finally shutting down on me after all these years. I told my mom everything that had happened and she brought me to the doctor and had many tests done. The doctor said my esophageal passage was damaged and if I didnt stop purging shortly there would be permanent damaged. He also said I had anemia and my bones and organs were weak.The dentist said my enamel was destroyed. This disorder had not only permanently damaged my body, but my soul felt broken. I felt like I had no life left field in me and it took a long time and a few therapists to attain how to love myself and my body the way it is. I just hope one day I can tell my story to young girls so they know that they arent alone and they wont have to grow up thinking they need to destroy their bodies to feel beautiful. Eating disorders are something that will continue be a problem in this realm until the media along with society decides to make an impact.We find unrealistic images of extremely thin women plastered everywhere in television, magazines, television, weight-loss promotions, and are glamorized by celebrities. These media advertisements are all contributing factors to the self-hatred these girls feel. Women who see these images firsthand try to live up to the perfect image of what a woman is vatic to look like, when in fact this perfect image doesnt exist. There is the underlying idea that to be happy, powerful, and satisfied in your life, being thin will get you there.The advertisers, even though are trying to keep their business successful, should make it so the images they chose to display are representations of women who look like women. If there were images of real women, with real curves, girls might be able to not only relate, but be inspired instead of bashing and hating themselves for not achievin g their own idea of what their supposed to look like. Having too have suffered from an eating disorder I understand what these girls are going through and how serious this disease is.When the media finally realizes that displaying unrealistic images of women are doing more harm then good, the cycle of these women and young girls feeling like they have to starve themselves to be beautiful will hopefully come to an end. Having women who represent women will not only provide intake for girls, but also give them positive influences to look up to. hopefully one day society will learn that there isnt just one vision of beauty or weight, and the horrible cycle of eating disorders will cease to exist forever.