What Is Anorexia Nervosa

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We've all seen it before, that beautiful woman plastered on the cover of a magazine. With her perfect hair, lips, eyes, and body she meets all the marks that the media requires to define a person as beautiful. The only issue is she isn't real. That beauty on the cover is nothing more than an edited, unrealistic version of what she really looks like and she's what young girls grow up to idolize. These standards have led many girls to try anything to compete with the imaginary women that exist only in the media. It has created a snowball effect of bad habits and trends that are extremely unhealthy for anyone to practice. Some of the common issues that have arisen are eating disorders such as bulimia and anorexia, followed up by problems with …show more content…

Bulimia and Anorexia are the two most prominent disorders that affect over 30 million people in the United States alone. They're both stated to have the highest mortality rate against any other mental illness and 95% of those who are affected are between the ages of 12 and 25 (National Association of Anorexia Nervosa & Associated Disorders). Bulimia Nervosa is commonly defined by the act of purging meals after ingesting large amounts of food. These problems stem from feelings of lack of control and low self-esteem related to ones' body image. Other common symptoms are excessive exercise regimens and distancing from friends and family. Stemming from depression, these issues are only left with room to go if left untreated. Anorexia Nervosa shares many of the same traits as bulimia, such as excessive exercise, self-loathing in regards to their figure, and dissocialized behaviors. What sets anorexia apart from bulimia is the amount of food they intake. While those who suffer from bulimia nervosa tend to binge eat then purge themselves of their meals, anorexia is often diagnosed by little to no eating. Anorexic patients are commonly found to closely monitor how many calories they intake, often stressing when they even get close to the "goal" amount they set for themselves. The concern over these women being thin isn't the major problem, the underlying health issues that go along with them …show more content…

This theory comes to a fault when thinking past the companies and to who they are trying to please. Many of these issues take root within the consumers who are so willing to accept this imagery. It's the same reason why women have continued to be objectified in sexual ways in order to cater to an audience: it sells. This practice isn't limited to magazines either, it branches out into all industries. The food industry being one of the major player in this kind of manipulation. How does this have any comparison to beauty standards? It's simple. No matter what type of advertisement you’re seeing, it is a product of what consumers have become drawn to and expect. Any less can make products undesirable and lead shoppers to take their business elsewhere. Take for example cereal companies and their use of the word "natural". If paying close attention, you’ll find that tons of products have it or some variant of the word smacked somewhere on them. It’s all buzzwords to attract customers that have decided to try to live a healthier lifestyle (Federman). The reality is that most of these products aren’t very healthy. They may contain an ingredient that is but otherwise they are no better than something that would considered unhealthy. Knowing that its easy to see how magazine edits could relate to food advertisements. They both use what they viewers want to

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