Media 's Influence On Eating Disorders

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I do believe that the media plays a role in the cause of eating disorders such as Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa. However, I do not believe that the media is solely the cause of all eating disorders. There are many factors that contribute to an individual developing an eating disorder, the media can have an influence, but for the most part it is not the sole cause. Overall, the media emphasizes what makes an individual attractive and teaches individuals about the ideal body, (National Eating Disroders Association [NEDA] ). According to the National Eating Disorders Association about the causes of eating disorders, “…the media does indeed contribute and that exposure to and pressure exerted by media increase body dissatisfaction and disordered eating,” (NEDA). This seems to be very accurate, because individuals turn to eating disorders because they are dissatisfied with their bodies and want to change their appearances in hopes to achieve satisfaction. Many of these individuals strive to look like the men and women in the media and in social media, this alone can lead individuals into wanting to take extreme measures to achieve a certain body type. Therefore, yes I do believe that the media can cause eating disorder, but I do not believe that it alone does so. Advertisements consisting of the “ideal body type”, including women in bikinis and men with abs, can have a huge effect on someone’s self-esteem. Movies also typically only have attractive males and females as the lead roles. It is interesting to think that these things could have a negative effect on an individual’s self-image. Magazines also portraying men and women in certain ways including them working out, eating low-carb or other severe diets, wearing make-up, a... ... middle of paper ... ... women should look and behave. That is why I believe that women experience higher rates of eating disorders. Personally, I believe that a lot of things contribute to the causation of Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia, and other eating disorders. More specifically, societies influence that thin is beautiful and attractive. This leads to many individuals wanting to be perceived as thin and it may cause such individuals into taking extreme measures to be perceived as such. Whether it be the development of an eating disorder or not, an individual’s desire to be thin takes a toll on their mental, physical, social, and emotional states. This extreme desire to obtain this body type has led to the cause of many eating disorders. I believe that the factors I discussed above, have also contributed to the cause of eating disorders and that they fuel that certain individual’s desires.

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