Eating Disorders and the Media
analytical Essay
1779 words
Eating Disorders and the Media
What if you were surrounded by media messages telling you that, “people will like you more if you have the perfect body” or “being perfect makes people like you” ? How do you think young female teenagers would interpret these messages that the media are portraying? 81% of ten year old girls are afraid of being fat, of being considered ugly. Why do you think ten year olds would ever care about how they look? It’s because of the media implying that being slim is beauty. Due to the media’s brainwashing, poor self-image is one of the main causes of eating disorders in adolescent girls. The media sells products, not opinions nor facts. They will sell you anything, telling you that it will make you slimmer and that being skinny is the way to go. When we see models and celebrities on commercials and in movies, we often wish that that was us in that body, because the media has made everyone so obsessed with their own bodies. The media makes young female teenagers feel guilty if they are slightly overweight. Models are beautiful, skinny, they have the right size thighs, hips, and butt. They are models but they are not role models. They are everything teenagers want to be, because of the television they watch and the magazines that they read. The media are always telling them that being thin is considered beautiful. This sends a wrath between females and their impression of what beauty really is. Some females will go to any length to try to be that perfect body weight person. Such a person doesn’t even exist. For there is no perfect weight for which females should strive to achieve. Although there are many young females who will restrict what they are allowed to eat & when they are allowed to eat it. They will exercise compulsively and self effectuate vomiting. Eating disorders such as anorexia, bulimia, and compulsive overeating are three of the major eating disorders that infatuate young minds. Female teenagers see bingeing, dieting and vomiting, a way out of actually doing a workout and getting into shape. There is a widening gap between girl’s self-image and society’s messages about what girls should be like.
The media uses television, magazines and subliminal messages to attract people. They have playboy models advertising for cars, boats and body lotion. They use a women’s body to advertise for their products. The media doe...
... middle of paper ...
... they need to resolve, like the depression of not being happy with themselves. Of going through many procedures to make them look “thin” or “ordinary” because they can no longer be happy with themselves because of the media’s interference with adolescent girls images. Anorexia and bulimia are one of the main causes along with the media as to why adolescent girls are always slightly underweight and devastating skinny. If the media didn’t interfere with adolescent perceptions, maybe one half of fourth grade girls wouldn’t be on a diet. Intense fear of becoming fat and distorted body images aren’t the kinds of thing we want our adolescents girls to become. To think about their appearance and weight 24/7 isn’t right.
The media should stop publicizing young female bodies and telling them what beauty is perceived to them. They should think of all those adolescents girls that they send into depression or force to become bulimic, just because they wish to make money. The media brainwashes too many of adolescent girls, making them think about their body in relation to models who have unmistakably the “perfect body”. Making them think that you have to be thin in order to be beautiful.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how the media portrays adolescent girls' fear of being fat and ugly. the media sells products, not opinions or facts, and makes them feel guilty about being thin.
- Analyzes how the media promotes thinness as a measure of female beauty. the media brainwashes young female minds, telling them that beauty isn't for everyone.
- Argues that media perception of women in sports is different from the familiar pictures of male athletes in action.
- Explains that in a world where perception is everything, reality isn't much of an importance. anorexics and bulimics are constantly looking at themselves to see the "fat"
- Analyzes how the media bombards adolescent girls with preconceptions of sexuality, such as thinness of the body, lack of confidence, and self-esteem. anorexia and bulimia are the main causes as well.
- Argues that the media should stop publicizing young female bodies and tell them what beauty is perceived to them. they should think of all those adolescents girls that they send into depression or force to become bulimic, just because they wish to make money.
Related
- analytical
- explanatory
- opinion
- Eating Disorders and The Mediaanalytical essayEating Disorders: Affects and Prevention by Media Our society today is heavily influenced by the media and the imagery it shows. Though it may be indirect, the media provides unhealthy messages about ideal body sizes, gender attractiveness, and weight control that make women view themselves in a negative way. Magazines, television, and movies influence teenage girls on what they believe their body image should be. The images they show set the standard of what is considered physically attractive in our society.
In this essay, the author
- Opines that the media influences our society's image of women. the media depicts falsified models and actresses to create a perfected look, which can lead to eating disorders.
- Analyzes how the media affects our society and how it preaches to society that looks matter.
- Analyzes how thin models and actresses influence girls' body perception, especially teenage girls. the overweight characters are bullied, ugly, and unpopular, while the sexy and good-shaped characters, are popular and powerful.
- Argues that the media's use of photoshop contributes as a risk factor for eating disorders among teenage girls.
- Explains that a survey based study analyzed the effects of magazines and television on the thin ideal, body dissatisfaction, and disordered eating in girls between the ages of fourteen and sixteen.
- Explains that media exposure to unattainable thinness and attractiveness is detrimental to teenage girls because they often turn to disordered eating as a solution to their body dissatisfaction.
- Argues that media should promote weight loss as a way to get healthy, not thin, to prevent the risk of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes.
- Explains that media has a large amount of control over how teenage girls view themselves and others. the media can prevent the risk of eating disorders among teenagers by showing anti-eating disorder ads, average size actresses, and stopping photoshop.
- Describes bell, beth t., and helga1 dittmar. "does media type matter? the role of identification in
- Explains haas, cheryl j., et al. an intervention for the negative influence of media on body.
- Analyzes levine, michael p., and sarah k. murnen's article, "everybody knows that mass media are a cause of...
1688 wordsRead More - Media And Eating Disordersexplanatory essayNinety percent of the eating disorder cases occur in women ages twelve to twenty-five and many researchers believe the media is to blame. Though there is no single cause of an eating disorder, multiple studies cause an eating disorders to the media. With being vulnerable to the “thin ideal” in mass media, there is an increased risk of body dissatisfaction and disordered eating. (“Media, Body Image, and Eating Disorders”)
In this essay, the author
- Explains that ninety percent of the eating disorder cases occur in women ages twelve to twenty-five and many researchers believe the media is to blame.
- Explains that anorexics have a form of body dysmorphic disorder; they restrict the amount of food they eat and over-exercise. bulimia nervosa is more difficult to detect.
- Explains that the media shows women that represent beauty, even if these women are not real. teenagers don't understand the difference between real and fake.
- Explains that the average teenage girl is exposed to one hundred eighty minutes of media a day. studies have found that girls think it is important to be thin and look like the women on television of magazines.
- Explains that the media fed values and morals into society before world war two, but in the 1960s, the audience was not a passive receiver of the values.
- Explains that girls are most insecure about their appearances during puberty since they are experiencing the physical changes of puhood. curvaceous models have declined and the emphasis on fitness is not to be healthy, it’s to become more attractive and popular.
- Explains that studies have shown links between watching television and body dissatisfaction, but one study showed no link between hours of television watched and the drive for thinness in adolescent girls.
- Explains that media influences how women and girls view themselves and this is proven in a recent study in fiji.
- Explains that adolescents are vulnerable to the media and are greatly influenced by its messages. many studies have shown media's link to eating disorders.
973 wordsRead More - The Media and Negative Body Imageexplanatory essayPicture the world controlled by the media. Could you imagine how ugly, scarce, and hateful it would be. What would you do if a magazine or a television show told you that your body weight had to be twenty pounds lighter to be all most perfect? Would you actually consider the fact or let ignore it? Teens, mainly girls, will be sucked into these magazines. (National Eating Disorders Info Centre 15) These could be magazines like Seventeen and Cosmo Girl. In addition with many others of course. All though, the media is a bad example at times it is not precisely the main issue for negative body image. (National Eating Disorders Association 1) All though, these constant screaming messages the media produces can progress to something more serious. (National Eating Disorders Association 1) More serious as in an eating disorder.
In this essay, the author
- Opines that the media is a bad example for negative body image.
- Opines that eating disorders can be dangerous and can lead to death. there are ten million females and one million males that fight a life or death battle with an eating disorder.
- Explains that one percent of adolescent girls develop anorexia nervosa, and dangerous conditions where they will literally starve themselves to death.
- Explains that bulimia nervosa is associated with a typical depression.
- Explains that baskino, and white. bulimarexia. 2nd ed. new york: w.w. norton & company inc, 1991.
- States that maloney, michael, and rachel kranz, straight talk about anxiety and depression, new york: dell publishing, 1991.
- Explains that an eating disorder is lonely, confusing, and can make one feel rejected and defeated.
2067 wordsRead More - Anorexia Essayanalytical essayParagraph 1- Girls can become victims of eating disorders because of society's promotion of an ideal thin female body. Models and stars shown in the fashion industry, magazines, movies, and other forms of media often appear very thin. These models are not a true reflection of the average female. Many are unnaturally thin, unhealthy or airbrushed. One former Victoria Secret model was shocked by the waiflike models that were shown on the runway during designer shows. A study referenced in the the article “Do Thin Models Warp Girls Body Image” describes how studies of girls as young as first grade think the culture is telling them to model themselves after celebrities who are svelte and beautiful. The same studies showed girls exposed to fashion magazines were most likely to suffer from poor body images. Psychologist and eating disorder experts agree the fashion industry has gone too far in showing dangerously thin images that women and young girls may try to emulate. The use of super slim models and stars, is sending the wrong message to young impressionable girls. These harsh influences lead us to think that thin is ideal body size. Seeing super thin models in the media plays a role in anorexia. Society’s promotion of a thin female body contributes to eating disorders for females striving to achieve this ideal bod...
In this essay, the author
- Explains that over one million people in just the us are afflicted with anorexia. the influence of society’s promotion of a thin body plays an important role in the development of eating disorders.
- Argues that society's promotion of a thin female body contributes to eating disorders for females striving to achieve this ideal body.
- Explains that some believe the root of eating disorders come from biology and genetic makeup, not from society.
- Argues that society can benefit from the promotion of a healthy physical appearance, which would increase self acceptance for young girls of their body.
- Argues that society's promotion of a thin body image contributed to the development of the eating disorder before the brain research was conducted.
642 wordsRead More - Effects Of Media On Media And Eating Disordersanalytical essayMedia’s Effect on Body Image and Eating Disorders Gautama Buddha once said: “To keep the body in good health is a duty, otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear.” It is an inspirational quote that signifies the importance of good health regarding psychological matters. This quote indirectly compares the strength of being mentally conscious and healthy rather than physically slim and attractive. In fact, the way the word ‘fit’ has been portrayed in media has caused many young people and adolescents to view ‘fit’ as a person who is thin, has a thigh gap, a slim waist, etc.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how media's influence on adolescents' body image and eating disorders is undeniable, but there are solutions to this problem.
- Argues that media's influence on body image and eating disorders on adolescents is irrefutable; however, their desire to be socially accepted is built through stereotypes.
- Explains that countries such as italy, israel, spain, and france have become the latest countries to ban extremely skinny models from modeling in fashion industry.
- Opines that parents must have a control over possessions that impact the thinking and behavior of their child since they are responsible for guiding them.
- Concludes that the media has the power to damage the self-esteem of adolescents, which could lead to eating disorders and other health risks.
1097 wordsRead More - Influence of the Media on Eating Disordersopinion essayThe 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.
In this essay, the author
- Explains how media impacts people's lives in many ways, including how women view their bodies. movie stars and models feel pressured to look good in order to have a good career in their respective fields.
- Explains that an eating disorder consists of extreme emotions, attitudes, and behaviors surrounding weight and food issues. anorexia nervosa is characterized by self-starvation and excessive weight loss.
- Opines that there is no argument as to whether the amount of cases that are reported have been on the rise.
- Reports that the number of children under the age of twelve that were hospitalized for eating disorders increased 112% between 1999 and 2006.
- Explains that while people agree that eating disorders can be influenced by internal struggles, there are factors that point to the media. the problem with american teenage girls is that they look at stars like lady gaga, lindsay lohan, and the olsen twins as their role models.
- Opines that models work hard to maintain their image because it is what makes them their money. the media are to blame for the subliminal message that they send to children.
- Explains that people in the media have dieticians, trainers and gyms in their homes, but people are oblivious to this and see them as setting the standards for our looks.
- Explains that magazines and their editors take their pictures and turn them into perfection. they get rid of blemishes and make them look skinnier. extreme dieting can develop into an eating disorder.
- Explains that men put pressure on women to look good, directly and indirectly, so they can feel more confident about themselves.
- Explains that the media influences what a woman's body should look like. however, most women can't achieve the super-thin body that media favors.
- Explains that research has shown that children as young as five years of age are experiencing body image related anxiety. internet websites are devoted not only to dieting, but support groups for people with eating disorders.
- Evaluates linda's credentials, stating that she teaches women and body image courses at mgh institute of health professions and has received the institute’s nancy watts excellence in teaching award in 2007.
- Explains that the media focuses mainly on an ideal image of the body. adolescents compare their bodies to the images of models that are shown in magazines.
- Explains that pipher states that research shows that women are ashamed of their bodies. it used to be only older women ha body image issues. beauty is an image of a woman "just short of starvation."
- Explains strasburger's argument that the media is to blame by using a study done in fiji.
- Opines that strasburger's report was the most credible source that they could have asked for. it was part of pedeatrics' official report on media and televisions affect on the health of children and young adults.
- Analyzes how smolack uses stice's views to support her argument on eating disorders. the mass media promotes body shapes, styles of clothing, and other images that symbolize themes of gender, race, class beauty, identity, desire, success and self-control in societies.
- Explains that the mass media plays a role in the reinforcement and development of attitudes, goals, and practices that contribute to the spectrum of eating disorders.
- Analyzes smolack's argument that magazines are just one form of media readily available in many homes, libraries, bookstores, and offices.
- Explains that almost every american household has at least one tv. children and adolescents spend more time watching television than any other activity, aside from sleeping.
- Explains that body mage is sensitive to manipulation by images and symbols and that some people are predisposed to comparing their body image to those of other women.
- Analyzes how the information provided by the book developmental...eating disorders helped them analyze how much they thought it would contribute to this paper.
- Explains that many people point to the media as the reason for eating disorders in youths. eating disorders are a complicated issue.
- Explains maslow's hierarchy of needs, which includes health, food, sleep, and other basic needs for survival. patients with eating disorders place belonging and esteem before food.
- Explains dr. john mead's opinion that separation anxiety is the root cause of eating disorder. he has been treating patients with eating disorders for roughly 35 years.
- Opines that there are genetic factors to eating disorders. a study conducted by a professor of psychiatry at the university of pennsylvania supports this.
- Explains that their great-grandmother, who had an eating disorder, was living in poland before world war ii. the fiji experiment shows that the media is to blame.
- Opines that media is not the cause of eating disorders, based on a study done by dr. walter kaye, who found that an area of the brain called the caduate, which is involved in linking actions to outcome and planning, was far more active than those of people who didn't.
- Opines that the media may play a role in enhancing eating disorders or making people prone to them, but it must not be the stem of them; there must be other causes.
- Explains that media images, body dissatisfaction, and disordered eating in adolescent women.
2668 wordsRead More - Eating Disorders Sweeping Americaexplanatory essayLooking in the mirror, only to see a fat, disgusting body day after day. In all reality, the person looking in the mirror is most likely skin and bones, no where near fat, if they have an eating disorder, but what they see when they look in the mirror is a distorted imagine. According to the Mayo Clinic, “Eating disorders are a group of serious conditions in which you’re so preoccupied with food and weight that you can often focus on anything else.” Eating disorders have been previously mentioned throughout history, but did not become common until the 1960’s in the United States. In the past decade, the number of people with eating disorders has increased significantly and appearance has become everything to people (“Fear” par. 2). Eating disorders are alarmingly becoming a larger epidemic in the United States every day, and there are several main reasons that eating disorders exist: how society judges on body images, psychological and emotional problems, and genetics.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that eating disorders are a serious condition in which you're so preoccupied with food and weight that you can often focus on anything else.
- Explains that eating disorders occur in teenagers more frequently than adults. teenage girls are always trying to fit in and get boys to like them.
- Explains that anorexia is the most fatal among all mental health illnesses. binge eating disorder (bed) causes many psychological problems.
- Explains that society today is one of the biggest causes of eating disorders. the media is telling americans that image is everything. robin lawley was recently harassed on the internet because of her size.
- Opines that society is constantly telling people that to be successful and liked, they must be skinny. teenage girls are typically the group of people affected most by eating disorders.
- Explains that low self-esteem is the biggest psychological factor that can drive people to eating disorders. emotional problems in a person's life can also trigger an eating disorder.
- Explains that the number of eating disorders in the united states is growing with each and every day. eating disorders are overlooked and receive inadequate funding for research.
- Cites dryden, jim. alcohol abuse, eating disorders share genetic link. washington university in st. louis.
1322 wordsRead More - The Media's Influence on Body Image Disordersanalytical essayWhat is the perfect body type? Throughout our adolescence ages into the adult hood stage many of young women struggle to answer this question. Our idea of what the perfect body type is ever changing however it is always influenced by the Medias perception of what the perfect body image should look like. We all idolize these images we see on television and in magazines and some of us would do anything to look just like them. This image forces us to have self esteem issues.These advertisements are damaging both our mental and physical state of being Many young girls who take extreme measures to live up to the Medias perception of the perfect body type are more likely to develop one of the many body image disorders. The average age a girl starts to diet is eight ("Media and Eating Disorders" 1). When a girl becomes obsessed with dieting and looking better, they can easily become anorexic or bulimic. 79% of teenage girls who vomit are dedicated readers of woman's magazines ("Media and Eating Disorders" 2). The Medias standard of perfection puts stress and pressure on young girls to become skinner. Eating disorders, excessive exercise, and depression are a result of the Medias influence on their self image. The media have negatively influenced the self image of young girls by forcing their unrealistic perception of what women should look like onto them .
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how the media's perception of the perfect body type affects young girls' self-esteem, causing them to become anorexic or bulimic.
- Describes the three women's opinions on the issue of media pressuring girls to stand up to their standards of beauty.
- Opines that women of all ages are vulnerable to the media and feel pressure to live up to their standards.
- Argues that the media creates an ideal coveted difficult to achieve standard to exploit young girls into feeling inadequate in order to make a quick buck selling their products.
- Argues that television is the most harmful form of media because it portrays the media's unrealistic opinion of how women should look.
1487 wordsRead More - Eating Disorders and the Mediaanalytical essayEating Disorders and the Media American writer Allen Ginsberg once said: "Whoever controls the media-the images-controls the culture. " Nothing could be truer, the media has always influenced fashion and body shape. But what's remarkable now is how much the media affects body image, and how willing and eager people are to mess with Mother Nature. (Underwood, par.2) Although there are other factors that contribute to eating disorders the media can partially be blamed for the millions of people with eating disorders because it promotes and glamorizes being thin to the public.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how the media brainwashes people into believing that thinness is success, beauty, and happiness, while images of overweight people are associated with being unattractive and unsuccessful.
- Analyzes how advertising in women's magazines sends mixed signals to women. eating disorders awareness and prevention incorporated found that all of the articles contained statements highlighting that weight loss would improve appearance.
- Explains that twiggy set a standard that most models couldn't reach, and made models kill themselves with eating disorders. the standards by which agents and clients judge supermodels have escalated in the 1900s and 2000.
- Opines that the media played a big role in their eating disorder. they say that being skinny isn't worth letting their weight control every aspect of their life.
- Concludes that media has had a huge impact on the publics' body image. children are affected by unrealistic body shape and fat hating attitudes, while magazines show that thin is the only way to be.
- Analyzes how the media affects body image and how people are willing to mess with mother nature.
- Opines that the media and public continue to idolize the ultra thin body images.
1278 wordsRead More - Eating Disorders and the Mediaanalytical essayEating Disorders and the Media Today's society is undeniably marked by cultural norms and ideals. The question is, however, does the mass media's depiction of this norm cause harmful behavior in its population? Researchers have shown that there is a bias in the way television targets children in advertising (Ogletree, S., Williams, S., Raffeld, P., Mason, B., Fricke, K., 1990) and that this media influence over people has always been observable (Miles, M., 1995).
In this essay, the author
- Argues that the mass media's depiction of cultural norms and ideals causes harmful behavior in society. researchers have shown that there is a bias in television targeting children in advertising.
- Analyzes how the images projected by the media in commercials, products, wrote ads etc. give today's consumers an idea of what "normal" should look like.
- Analyzes how jirousek explains the evolution of the ideal male figure from slim and "romantic" shape to the "superhuman" image we see in television and the rest of media today.
- Analyzes how miles compares the "media" of a century ago to that of today and points out that women are involved in the same types of self-deprivation as they were then.
- Explains joines and kashubeck's conclusion that eating disorders are caused by the imitation of popularized images — lowered self-esteem isn't a prerequisite for bulimia and anorexia, but depression is the main reason.
- Argues that treatment should be implemented in all identified cases rather than hoping the person will stop on their own.
805 wordsRead More