The Media Causes Eating Disorders Essay - 1334 Words

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). A particularly disturbing fact is that research has demonstrated that children as young as five years of age are experiencing body image related anxiety. At the same time there has been a major increase in Internet websites that are devoted not only to†¦show more content†¦Magazines that are targeted toward adolescent girls focus on the importance of being viewed as sexy by men and focusing on the way your body looks. Studies have shown that adolescents who frequently read fashion magazines are two to thre e times more likely to diet based on the articles in the magazine. Pipher states that research shows that women are ashamed of their bodies. Young girls starting at age ten are embarrassed of their bodies. It used to be only older women ha body image issues. Beauty, according to American society is an image of a woman â€Å"just short of starvation† (Mary Pipher, People Magazine, 6/3/96). Strasburger supports her argument that the media is to blame by using a study that was done in Fiji. A natural field experiment in Fiji revealed that the eating disorder rate increased dramatically after American television shows, which show excessively thin female lead characters, were introduced. There are also now over 100 pro-anorexia Web sites on the Internet that not only encourage disordered eating but also offer specific advice on purging, severely restricting caloric intake, and exercising excessively (Strasburger). Recent studies have shown that adolescent girls describe the â€Å"ideal girl† as being 5’7†, 100 pounds, size 5, with long blonde hair and blue eyes (Developmental†¦Eating Disorders, Section 2, Chapter 10, Pg. 235). Girls related this â€Å"ideal girl† look to beingShow MoreRelatedEssay The Media Causes Eating Disorders2171 Words   |  9 PagesDuring your lifetime 250,000 people will die due to an eating disorder. Is this really the type of society we want to be a part of? One which causes people to die needlessly due to media influences which cause the augmentation of a detrimental body image? In the eyes of society emaciated celebrities are the embodiment of perfection. This media ideal of thinness presents society with an unrealistic body image and is projected through the means of television, commercials and magazines, causing womenRead MorePeer Pressure And Media Cause Eating Disorders1743 Words   |  7 PagesPeer Pressure and Media Cause Eating Disorders A USA Today article reported, â€Å"According to a 2011 study in Archives of General Psychiatry about 6% of youths suffer from eating disorders. The report went on to say the 55% of high school girls and 30% of boys had eating disorder symptoms. They used diet pills, vomiting, laxatives, fasting and binge-eating to help them lose weight (Healy). 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Going along with the previous statistic, TheRead MoreEating Disorders Have Multiple Complex Causes; The Media is not to Blame 1568 Words   |  7 PagesWhen the topic of eating disorders (ED), anorexia, bulimia, starving, purging, or any other form of self harm is brought into an everyday conversation, it is simply looked at as nothing out of them norm and is just brushed off as if the topic was concerning what the President had for lunch that day. At first glance, the average person would probably conclude that the main reason eating disorders are so noted in young women today is simply due to the fact that the media puts so much pressure on theseRead MoreSociology Essay: â€Å"How Far Would Sociologists Agree That the Media Causes Eating Disorders in Women?898 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"How far would sociologists agree that the media causes eating disorders in women? In this essay I will discuss how far sociologists would agree that the media causes eating disorders in women. Eating disorders refer to a group of conditions characterized by abnormal eating habits that may involve either insufficient or excessive food intake to the damage of an individuals physical and emotional health. Eating disorders include: bulimia, anorexia and obesity. First Marxists would argue allRead MoreInfluence of American Mass Media Ideals on Body Image and Eating Disorders in the U.S1243 Words   |  5 PagesMass media have an enormous impact on society and how people act, especially in developed countries. How do mass media influence views of body image and the development of eating disorders? People living in countries influenced by Western culture show concern for their appearance or dietary habits daily. This paper will analyze the effect of mass media on the issues of body image and eating disorders in the United States. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-IV-TRRead MoreEssay about Socio-Cultural Influences on Eating Disorders 1073 Words   |  5 Pagesdifferent magazine covers and advertisements go a long way in influencing our choices† (Bagley). The media is highly affective to everyone, although they promote an improper image of living. Research proved says those with low self-esteem are most influenced by media. Media is not the only culprit behind eating disorders. However, that does not mean that they have no part in eating disorders. Media is omnipresent and challenging it can halt the constant pressure on people to be perfect (Bagley). Socio-culturalRead MoreNegative Body Image Essay1679 Words   |  7 Pagesskinny?† â€Å"I really need to stop eating so much†, and so on. The girl has never really thought about her body in these ways; she has felt neutral about it until now. She looks down, cautiously grabbing at her stomach in the same way that the other girls are. Later, when she goes on social media, she begins noticing how flawless celebrities are and how perfect their bodies seem in comparison to hers. Her mind begins swirling with thoughts. Body image, eating disorders, and their effects plague AmericaRead MoreCauses of Eating Disorders Eating disorders are several types of severe eating illnesses that700 Words   |  3 PagesCauses of Eating Disorders Eating disorders are several types of severe eating illnesses that cause people to maintain focus on only their diet and weight. Some prime examples of eating disorders are anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge-eating. Anorexia nervosa is a type of eating disorder where people are so focused on their weight that they refuse to eat or eat as little as possible, bulimia nervosa is similar to anorexia except instead of eating so little people binge eat and then forceRead MoreMedias Effect on Eating Disorders1164 Words   |  5 PagesMedia’s Effect On Eating Disorders Symbolic Interactionism is a theory focusing on the approach that has evolved from social behaviorism and that stresses the symbolic nature of human interaction (p. 46). In society, there are norms and expectations that people are expected to follow and live by and trying to achieve this ideal self-image, people sometime behave in a self-destructing behavior. Because the media creates an image that we are suppose to fit, people will go to the extreme measures