The Media Plays a Hand in Anorexia Essay - 1181 Words

What causes anorexia nervosa, a terrible mental disease which leads victims to starve themselves, sometimes to death? The message to be thin is transmitted to adolescents at an early age. The media is a strong supporter of this image, the thought that thin is desirable is shown through the advertisements that consumers are exposed to everyday. People constantly hear that thin is desirable and are shown this very fact through advertisements and videos. The media may not be the sole cause of anorexia but the effect that the media has on children can not be over looked. There are multiple factors that can contribute to the desire to be thin; the media is one factor in the equation that can not be so easily overlooked. Anorexia and Bulimia†¦show more content†¦Women were, and still are willing, to sacrifice comfort and endure a large amount of pain in order to obtain this ideal image. During the 19th century women with tiny waist and large bustles became highly desired. In order to obtain this ideal image many women had a rib removed in order to decrease their waist size. By doing this there was an extreme chance that they could become sick, in many cases it could lead to a shortness of breath and lead to pneumonia. The beginning of the 20th century sparked the trend of women cutting their hair short and taking up boyish actions. It was seen as fashionable to be angular, thin, and boyish looking (Derenne, Jennifer). This image quickly grew due to the constant advertisement of the flapper. The image of the flappers grew rapidly through the 1920’s. Current Media Influence Women are faced with unrealistic expectations almost every time they are presented with a form of advertisement. This idea is expressed through advertisements that feature a naked woman’s body tempting viewers to buy an electronic organizer, partially exposed woman’s breast being used to sell fishing line, or a woman’s rear being used to pitch a new running shoe (Heldman, 2008, p.1). These advertisements all show lean and curvy figures that are supposed to be seen as desirable. Research has shown that regular readers of fashion and beauty magazines in early adolescence are more likely to suffer from distortedShow MoreRelatedMedia’s Blow on Anorexia1054 Words   |  5 PagesMedia’s Blow on Anorexia About one in 200 persons in the United States will develop anorexia nervosa at some time. Ninety Percent are women (Anorexia Nervosa—Part 1 1). Anorexia is defined as an emotional disorder characterized by refusing to diet or eat. This is targeting young girls all across the world! This calamity is struck by something every person loves, social media. The media realm needs to be ceased from the websites that support dieting, celebrities displaying perfectionist bodiesRead MoreMedias Role in Anorexia796 Words   |  3 PagesMedia’s Role in Anorexia Many individual’s today would argue that most health problems develop from media. For example, the Modeling Industry is mainly nothing but tall and very slender women. Most would agree that adolescent females see the size of most models and assume that is what is considered beauty. Media does not promote anorexia to distort women’s body images. Most women that starve themselves do not do it because of television, movies, or magazines, etc. They starve themselves to makeRead MoreTaking a Look at Teenagers and Anorexia Essay1078 Words   |  5 PagesAnorexia Teenagers across America have a number of problems that they have to deal with everyday, whether it is bullying, stress, friends, school, or body image. Body image is something that is especially sensitive to adolescents and is a growing issue in the modern day. Teens, especially girls, are the most self-conscious group of people so it is not surprising that eating disorders are most likely to develop when a girl or boy becomes a teenager. Anorexia is the most common eating disorderRead MoreA World Riddled By Social Expectations And Beauty Ideals1304 Words   |  6 PagesEven when knowing the biological etiology of mental disorders, the culture and environment is still important in regards to the presentation as well as the commonality of these illnesses. In a world riddled by social expectations and beauty ideals, anorexia nervosa (AN) is a prime example of how culture must be examined in conjunction with the prior biological knowledge. Several factors of this single disorder can appreciably vary among different cultures which has implications on the etiology withRead More Eating Disorders Essay1010 Words   |  5 Pagesthese are; Anorexia nervosa, Binge eating and Bulimia nervosa. However this disorder affects individuals of various age groups; it has become more popular among teenagers these days. For the purpose of this research plan the writer will focus on age group of ages 15 to 19 because teenagers most vulnerable to eating disorders fall into this age group. Moreover, in doing so it will also be possible to determine the significance of this research and apply it to today’s lifestyle. Anorexia is a medicalRead MoreSociology Essay: â€Å"How Far Would Sociologists Agree That the Media Causes Eating Disorders in Women?898 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"How far would sociologists agree that the media causes eating disorders in women? In this essay I will discuss how far sociologists would agree that the media causes eating disorders in women. Eating disorders refer to a group of conditions characterized by abnormal eating habits that may involve either insufficient or excessive food intake to the damage of an individuals physical and emotional health. Eating disorders include: bulimia, anorexia and obesity. First Marxists would argue allRead MoreEating Disorders and Western Culture845 Words   |  3 Pagesscoffed earlier. Two of the most common eating disorders are anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. The regular description of a patient with either disease would be a youthful white female, with an upper social standing in a predictably socially competitive environment. At present, these eating disorders have an effect on roughly 25 million Americans, of which almost 25% are of the male gender. Out of all the psychological disorders, anorexia has the highest mortality rate. The whys and wherefores includeRead MoreAnorexia Nervosa (Phychology)1084 Words   |  5 Pagesas a mental disorder is Anorexia Nervosa. The main characteristics of this disorder are weight loss. It is less than 85% of what it should be for the person’s age, height and build. The person is always anxious about getting fat, even if they are underweight. They have a distorted body image- always feeling fat when they are thin. Absence of menstrual periods in female sufferers depending on ages can indicate anorexia. Several causes have been suggested for anorexia. The biological approachRead MoreDiagnostic And Statistical Manual Of Mental Disorders1631 Words   |  7 PagesIntroduction The fifth edition of the Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (2013) or DSM-5 outlines the four feeding and eating disorders as, Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, Binge-Eating Disorder, and Other Specified Feeding and Eating Disorder (OSFED). These are complex and highly devastating disorders that cause health, emotional, and relationship problems (NEDA, 2016). These conditions should not be taken lightly due to their potential to cause long term emotional and physicalRead MoreTeen s Body Image And Eating Disorders996 Words   |  4 PagesSince they grow up in a world filled with mass media such as television, films, magazines, movies, music, newspaper and the Internet, it is very easy to come across this ideal body image (Morris Katzman, 2003). As teen girls associate with this ideal thinness they tend to be dissatisfied with their own body image, which can put them at risk for serious eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa (Kerr 2010). D epression also plays a part in the dissatisfied body image of adolescent