Anorexia Among Super Models

2046 Words5 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Media influence on stereotypes

Ana Carolina Reston was a Brazilian fashion model. She started her modeling career at the age of 13 after she won a local beauty pageant. She was a normal girl who grew up in a middle class family. Her life dramatically took a turn for the worst after her first overseas trip to Guangzhou, China. She went to Guangzhou for a casting call, while she was there she was repeatedly told that she was “too fat”. She believed what they said and starting her downward spiral of anorexia nervosa. Her diet consisted of only apples and tomatoes. She would tell her mother that she was fine and that she didn’t have anything wrong with her. Ana would do anything to avoid talking about why she wasn’t eating. Her body mass index dropped to 13.4. The World Health Organization considers a body mass index of 16 severe thinness, which she was well under. She weighed eighty-eight pounds at the height of 5 feet 8 inches. At the young age of 21 her illness became so severe that it became an infection and led her to her death in November of 2006. Society’s false perception and unrealistic views on how females should look has drastically increased and has caused many models to have eating disorders and go as far to surgically improve their bodies. (Phillips, 2007) Anorexia has always been prevalent in the modeling industry, unfortunately recently it has become even more prevalent. According to The National Institute of Health they estimated that the lifetime prevalence of anorexia and bulimia is 0.6 percent of the U.S. adult population, but among 13 to 18 year olds it is 2.7 percent. The ideal body for a female back in the 50’s and 60’s has drastically changed from the ideal body of a female now and has caused anorexia and eating disorders to become more pre... ... middle of paper ... ...w much she’s suffering to make sure you see the newest fashion trends. Works Cited Amorasak, Marisa. "Plastic surgery in the high fashion world."plasticsurgeryportal. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Apr 2014. Brumburgh, Gary. "Twiggy Biography." IMDB. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Apr 2014. . Levy, Andrew. "Anorexia tragedy of teenage cover girl."MailOnline. N.p., 30 Apr 2012. Web. 12 Apr 2014. Marilyn Monroe. (2014). The Biography.com website. Retrieved 09:56, Apr 12, 2014 Rao, Mallika. "On The Catwalk With 'Plastic Surgery Models." Huffingtonpost. N.p., 12 Sep 2013. Web. 12 Apr 2014. Taylor, Jonah. "Height, Age, and Measurement Requirements of Modeling. ." Modelingwisdom. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Apr 2014. "The Media." Something Fishy. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Apr 2014. Wikipedia. Heroin chic, 22 Sep 2013. Web. 12 Apr 2014.

Show More
Related

  • Media And Social Media, Adolescents, And The Media

    1806 Words  | 4 Pages

    Nowadays, a standard stage of growing up is feeling the stress of one’s body image due to the growing pressure from society and media. In 2012 there was a survey that said “A full 50 percent of children from 8 to 10 years old report being ‘unhappy’ with their bodies” (ProQuest Staff). This is because when girls are growing up they see models/ actresses on TV and magazines that are thin and look beautiful and they think that’s what they are supposed to look like; unfortunately this is unrealistic. In 2006 there was a fashion model named Luise Ramos who died of a heart attack moments after she steps off the runway during fashion week in Montevideo (ProQuest Staff). News accounts later report that Ramos, 22, had been eating only lettuce and diet

    Read More

  • Influence of the Media on Eating Disorders

    2668 Words  | 6 Pages

    The media can impact people’s lives in many ways, whether it’s fashion, movies, literature, or hobbies. One of the impacts is how women view their bodies. Movie stars and models feel pressured to catch attention and to look good in order to have a good career in their respective field. People tend to judge how someone looks based on their body composition. The result of this “judgment” is that Hollywood is getting skinny. Since models and actresses serve as role models for people, people tend to want to look like them. The result of this seemingly harmless model of behavior is in an increase in eating disorders.

    Read More

  • The Obsession with Anorexia

    831 Words  | 2 Pages

    Terry Yarber, a single overweight mother of a sixteen year old and two adolescents, wipes away the salty tears from her pale face so that her daughter does not see the fear inside her. Weighing only ninety one pounds, strapped to a hospital bed with a tube down her throat is a girl named Sherie. Sherie thinks the thought of food is repulsive. For instance, she doesn't bother to count calories, carbohydrates, or watch out for bad fat or good fat. Sherie does not bother to eat at all. The most she has had to eat in the last three days are two baby carrots, one slice of low carbohydrate bread, and one leaf of lettuce. While Ms. Yarber sits next to her daughter, she try's to look in to her deep blue crystal eyes but all she sees is a hallow glaze staring back at her. She tells Sherie the news that was just given to her by the doctor. "Unfortunately, she is isn't letting her body get the kind of nutrients it needs. If she does not start eating she will die a painful death. In fact, she is starving herself" said Dr. Roth. Teenage anorexia is a simple diet that has become an obsession. That person concentrates extraordinary energy on the diet, which can become more important, then anyone or anything else in the world. (Sacker 10)

    Read More

  • Eating Disorders, The Silent Killer

    1788 Words  | 4 Pages

    Eating disorders are one of society’s most debilitating physical and psychological problems faced today. In the 1950s Marilyn Monroe was society’s role model, but would now be considered a plus-sized model and somewhat unattractive in society’s eyes (Steinem 5). Now in 2013, Demi Lovato, a pop singer, plays a huge role as a role model for young people, but has recently told the media that she suffers from anorexia nervosa and embraces it, ultimately showing adolescents that eating disorders are socially acceptable and even often encouraged (Cotliar 80). The psychological effects that eating disorders have on a patient can be very detrimental to themselves and often push the patient farther into the disorder than she could ever have imagined ("Prevalence vs. Funding" 3). The physical effects that an eating disorder can have on the body could be as minor as feeling faint to something as major as an organ shut down, or even resulting in death (“Physical Dangers” 2). Eating disorders affect a wide variety of people, particularly adolescent girls, and may ultimately lead to many destructive physical and psychological results.

    Read More

  • Eating Disorders : Eating Disorder

    1323 Words  | 3 Pages

    Eating disorders are described as an illness involving eating habits that are irregular and an extreme concern with body image or weight. Eating disorders tend to appear during teenage years, but can develop at any age. Although more common in women, eating disorders can affect any age, gender or race. In the United States, over 20 million women and 10 million men are personally affected by eating disorders. There are many different causes of eating disorders such as low self esteem, societal pressures, sexual abuse and the victims perception of food. Eating disorders are unique to the sufferer and often, their perception of themselves is so skewed, they may not be aware they have an eating disorder. Media, for quite some time now, has played a significant part in eating disorders. Magazines with headlines ‘Summer Body’, or ‘Drop LB’s Fast!’ attract the attention of girls who may be insecure with themselves. Television productions such as the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show or American’s Next Top Model, show airbrushed and photoshopped women who have body types that may be unachievable. Those who are suffering from eating disorders can suffer dangerous consequences, and it is important to seek help.

    Read More

  • The Dangers for Models of Being Overly Skinny

    1249 Words  | 3 Pages

    “My lips and fingers were blue because I was so thin that my heart was struggling to pump blood around my body”, said teen model fashion Georgina (Carroll 1). The new skinny has become excessively scrawny. Is it definitely not normal for today’s society models to walk around with blue fingers starving themselves until their organs start failing! As for the model agencies, they couldn’t care less of the pressure and dangerous practices they put the models through in order for them to stay thin for the runway. Even fashion Designers continue to produce the smallest couture sample sizes and scout for the slimiest bodies to wear the designs not aware of the consequences of the pressure they not only put on models, but on the society girls to look like these starving models. And when the models continue to get offers from the most important fashion industries like Prada, it motivates them to keep doing what they are doing to stay in the shape they are in (Carroll 1). But little did the outside world know what this pressure had on the models and what they were doing to their bodies to peruse their modeling careers.

    Read More

  • Female Body Image and the Mass Media

    947 Words  | 2 Pages

    Sullivan, Deborah A. "Tightening the Bonds of Beauty." Cosmetic Surgery: The Cutting Edge of Commercial Medicine in America. N.p.: Rutgers UP, 2001. N. pag. Print.

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay On Plus Size

    1070 Words  | 3 Pages

    Wood, Kate. “14 Female Celebrities That Bash Hollywood's Ideal Body Image.” Lifehack, Lifehack, 19 June 2014, www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/14-female-celebrities-that-

    Read More

  • Eating Disorders: The Skinny on Skinny

    1670 Words  | 4 Pages

    Matthews, Glenna. "Eating Disorders." American Women's History: A Student Companion. N.p.: UP, 2000. N. pag. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 18 Feb. 2014.

    Read More

  • Wasted: A Memoir of Anorexia and Bulimia by Marya Hornbacher

    901 Words  | 2 Pages

    Hornbacher, Marya. Wasted: A Memoir of Anorexia and Bulimia. New York, NY: HarperCollins, 1998. Print.

    Read More

  • Plus Size Models Encouraging Obessity

    1013 Words  | 3 Pages

    Step out into the everyday world as an average American and you will witness an entanglement of varied body size, and shape. Now, enter the world of the media, a world in which you are formally introduced to high fashion, where flashing lights, money, glamour and riches crash around you, satiating every crevice of your being. Here, you will find two unified body types, divided into two categories of shape in women; thin, and thick. Naturally, any woman who wishes to someday strut down the catwalk in Zac Posen, or pose in Marie Claire wearing Dolce and Cabana must have a body that fits one of these required molds, right? It is a well-known reality that many women who cannot reach by healthy means, or do not already have, the desired body type for fashion industries, will develop an eating disorder to starve their way into the position. However, most fail to address the issue of obesity that curdles on the other end of the physical spectrum; the plus size modeling industry. This statement not only boils the blood of millions of American Women, but begs the question: If extremely thin models promote eating disorders, should we prohibit advertisers, especially those in fashion, from using plus size models, as they may promote obesity? To put it simply, no. Plus size models do not promote obesity because they only provide thicker, much larger women, confidence and appreciation for their body without pressuring them to take unhealthy means to shed pounds; they do not encourage overeating and lack of exercise.

    Read More

  • Teenage-Onset Anorexia Nervosa

    2108 Words  | 5 Pages

    Anorexia appears to affect girls in many cultures; however, it is often found in industrialized societies, where being thin corresponds with being attractive (Post). It is not clear as to what directly causes an eating disorder to start, but there are some risk factors than can contribute. Many things can drive a person over the edge and make her turn into something she would ...

    Read More

  • Responsibility of the Fashion Model Industry

    1518 Words  | 4 Pages

    A tall, glamorous runway model is every girl’s dream. Long beautiful legs, lean body, and beautiful shiny hair is what an average young woman views as an ideal image for a female. If you don’t resemble the images of those stunning Victoria Secret models and Fashion Week models, you suddenly become ashamed of your own body. It is a great life to have with the high pay, fame, drinking champagne on a yacht with famous celebrities and even being on the Vogue cover page. Fashion Modeling Industry has been the most influential source in our young women’s lives. Young girls and young women are seen eating as little as they can, even starving themselves at times to resemble those models. What they don’t realize is that they are contributing to the 2.7 percentage of 13- 18 year olds suffering from anorexia and bulimia. Susan Albers, a psychologist at the Cleveland Clinic said exposure to thin models is a great trigger in maintaining an eating disorder. When watching America’s Next Top Model or flipping through a Fashion magazine, these young women don’t apprehend that those models are either naturally slim or they are suffering from an eating disorder themselves, in other words, hostages in the dark hell hid behind those runway curtains. The growing number of young anorexia and bulimia patients, and the number of websites such as thinspiration, where girls put up pictures of their thin bodies clearly suggest that the fashion modeling industry do not at all bear any responsibility in providing healthy, realistic physical role models for young women.

    Read More

  • The Unfortunate Prevalence of Cosmetic Surgery

    1968 Words  | 4 Pages

    Flipping through the pages of Vogue's latest edition, 23 year-old Susan seems quite upset. She struggles with the thought of lacking the perfect body and delicate features in order to be considered attractive. Surprisingly, Susan is not alone in this kind of an internal struggle. In contemporary society, every other woman aspires to have the lips of Angelina Jolie and the perfect jaw line of Keira Knightley. Society today looks down upon individuals that do not fit in, whether in terms of body shape or facial attractiveness. This forces them to consider the option of 'ordering beauty.' Since cosmetic surgery is no longer a social taboo in America given its widespread popularity, more people are promoting it which ultimately affects the rest of the world due to the unwavering influence of American culture. Cosmetic surgery should be deterred in the US because it promotes the idea of valuing appearance over ability, gives rise to unrealistic expectations, and brings with it high cost to society.

    Read More

  • Free Essay on Eating Disorder - Eating Disorders

    651 Words  | 2 Pages

    It seems like every little girl dreams of becoming a model. They want to be thin and pretty like the models they see on television and in magazines. Often the desire becomes an obsession and young girls see "thinness" as being a needed characteristic. For many girls, the teenage years are spent trying to acquire this look. Females are trying diets and are exercising like it is a competition to see who can lose the most weight the quickest. The obsession of many young girls over their appearance or weight has led to a growing number of people who have developed an eating disorder to try to deal with their lack of self-esteem or other related problems.

    Read More

More about Anorexia Among Super Models

Open Document