The Cause and Effects of Eating Disorders

The Cause and Effects of Eating Disorders

The first time 10-year old Mary becomes self conscious about her weight is when she sees her mother looking at a magazine with a cover of a thin woman in a bikini with the bold print declaring, “Is She Fat or Pregnant?” Children are surrounded with the media filling their heads that being thin or muscular is the only way they can be beautiful, resulting in eating disorders. Their bodies have to be society's perfection in order to be accepted and to do so they take dangerous actions. At least 81% of 10 year olds are afraid of becoming fat (Mellin et al.,). Children, just like Mary, have been poisoned to think that having a perfect body is the only way they are going to be happy or loved. With the media's view of perfection being displayed on every magazine or advertisement, people are more likely to suffer through an eating disorder, bringing the problems that come with one right behind it. The physical effects are not the only consequences to an eating disorder; it also brings physiological and life changes effects.

While there has never been a root of cause for eating disorders, there are many factors that cause an eating disorder to occur, such as the Western Culture and photoshop. The National Eating Disorders Association says eating disorders are caused by “a combination of long-standing behavioral, biological, emotional, psychological, interpersonal, and social factors”(NEDA). The media is a huge influence to people who are already self conscious about their weight. As more photos are being photoshopped, the more people will think that is the only type of beauty. Photoshop has become more than retouching a photo; it has become a tool to remake a person’s body into an unattainable...

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... and support people can recover from it.

Work Cited:

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National Eating Disorders Association. "Factors That May Contribute to Eating Disorders" Web. 17 March 2014 .

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Jare, Peter. "Eating Disorders and Depression: How They're Related." WebMD. WebMD, n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2014.