...Exercise 2: The role of the media in the development of eating disorders Individuals over time have continually been exposed and manipulated to believe in the concept of having a ‘perfect’ or ideal body and appearance. The pressures to meet societies demands to achieving self-satisfaction with one’s body image and physical and emotional wellbeing have influenced the notion of eating disorders. As people are exposed to countless forms of media such as television, radio, magazines and the Internet on a daily basis, media being a mass form of communication has been labelled as the culprit of eating disorders. The role of media heavily contributes to the development of abnormal or disturbed eating habits within an individual, including anorexia, bulimia and even obesity. The role of media in the development of eating disorders can explored via analysing the social context, influence and aetiology of eating disorders. Through further evaluation of this matter the role of the media in the development of eating disorders can be thoroughly explored. Individuals are exposed to the media on a daily basis and many blame the mass media for being the source of eating disorders, however not all people develop eating disorders from the mass media, therefore it is to question what role the media actually plays in the heavily viewed topic of eating disorders (Spettigue & Henderson, 2004). To understand the role of media in the development of eating disorders, the social context, of this century...
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...Anorexia: The Role of Media Hillary Indako University Of Nairobi Eating disorders have a higher mortality rate than any other mental illness. As many as 20 percent of those who suffer from anorexia will die prematurely from complications related to their eating disorder, including suicide and heart problems. While there are many possible causes and triggers for these disorders, the media’s influence on body image cannot be overlooked. The media has been playing a central role on the growth of eating disorders such as anorexia. As adolescents we are convinced with images and messages that tend to further the idea that to be happy and successful we must be slim. Nowadays, It is nearly impossible to open a newspaper or listen to the radio, or turn on a TV without being confronted with the ideas that to be fat is to be undesirable. When adolescents feel as though their breasts, weight or hips don’t match up to those of supermodels and actors, they feel fatally feel secure. This in turn makes to feel insecure about their body image and thus resulting in this eating disorder. Surveys show that there is plenty of evidence demonstrating that the media encourages slimness and weight loss and over-emphasize the importance of beauty and appearances. It appears that beauty and fashion magazines significantly impact the process of identity development in young women, especially with regards to gender-role learning, identity formation, and the development of values and beliefs (Arnett...
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...illness, it’s estimated that 4% of anorexic individuals die from complications of the disease” (Eating Disorder Hope). Is anorexia nervosa an illness caused by negative social conditions or is it a mental illness/mental disorder? After reading “The Slender Trap” written by Trina Piscatelli, I don’t agree with Piscatelli when she states in her reading that negative social conditions are the cause of anorexia nervosa in young women. Anorexia nervosa is a mental illness/mental disorder. According to Mayo Clinic the definition of mental illness is “…disorders that affect your mood, thinking and behavior. Examples of mental illness include depression, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, eating...
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...the increased use of digital enhancement used in media advertising, namely Photoshop. (Purtle, 2012) ("Mirror, mirror", n.d.) Studies have shown that American children receive an estimated 5,260 messages of attractiveness through the media, by adolescence. The United States also has the world’s highest rates of obesity and eating disorders. This statistic crosses a melting pot of backgrounds and cultures which eliminates any genetic reason; instead societal messages from the media should be addressed. (Ross, n.d.) Advertising Photoshopped Women Social problem Eating disorders in the United States has been a social problem for many years, with up to 24 million people of all ages and genders affected. 50 percent of these people also fit the criteria for depression and only 35 percent of these receive treatment. Considered a norm violation type of social problem, many eating disorders are directly and indirectly caused by the media advertising digitally altered body images in their campaigns. ("Eating disorders statistics", n.d.) Thus, the problem can now be considered a system-blame problem, which, blaming the system is only part of the truth behind eating disorders, and proves to absolve the person of responsibility for the disorder. (Long, 2012) Manipulation of images used in advertising through the use of Photoshop or some other digital tool can contribute to unrealistic body image expectations, eating disorders, and other emotional problems. (Diller, n.d.)...
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...The media have brainwashed our minds, with the same body type, causing us to lose confidence in ourselves. These actors and actresses displayed, show bodies which are not realistic of the general population. Self-harm has increased over the years due to body distortion, diagnoses such as depression, suicide, anorexia, substance abuse, and eating disorders...
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...Determining risk factors, consequences, and protective measures of Body Dissatisfaction and Eating Disorders Determining risk factors, consequences, and protective measures of Body Dissatisfaction and Eating Disorders Body image is an individual’s perception of his or her own body in terms of sexual attractiveness. Human society has emphasized on beauty of the human body for a long time. However, an individual’s perception of their own body may differ from society’s standards, thus, causing body dissatisfaction. As a response to body dissatisfaction, every year, millions of people in the world succumb to potentially life threatening eating disorders. Eating disorders are a group of conditions characterized by abnormal eating habits that may involve excessive or insufficient food consumption, thus, affecting an individual’s physical and psychological health. Some common types of eating disorders include bulimia nervosa, anorexia nervosa, binge eating, and obesity. This paper has explored six published articles that conducted research on various factors contributing to body dissatisfaction and eating disorders. The articles have examined the influence of society and media, gender and ethnic differences, development of depression, and some protective measures for body dissatisfaction and the development of eating disorders. ...
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...The Gender Differences in Eating Disorders: An Analysis Abstract This paper will provide a critical analysis of the issue of eating disorders in the two genders. It has provided a history of the eating disorders, and how they came to be known. Furthermore, the paper has focused on the issue of eating disorders through an analysis of a number of studies. The studies have focused on providing vital information regarding what influences the different genders to have eating disorders. The females are most likely to suffer from anorexia nervosa, while the males suffer from bulimia. A brief summary of all the key points has also been provided. Thereafter, some important recommendations regarding research in some key areas involving eating disorders has been provided as well. Keywords: Anorexia, Bulimia, Females, Males, Study, Eating Disorders, Gender, Media Introduction Eating disorders have now become part of the current culture people live in. In fact, the eating disorders tend to affect different people regardless of their genders and socioeconomic classes. There is even an overall prevalence that is estimated to be about five percent among the population. Many people have a desire to become thin since it is an issue that is always being highlighted by the media. Some of the popular sources of media that influence individuals to become thin include movies, television shows, and magazines, among others. It is such a pity that the prevailing culture, and specifically the...
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...not something that is often thought of as negative. However, their portrayal of what is beautiful has become distorted over the years, to the point where achieving this “thin-ideal”, which will be defined later, is nearly impossible for women if done through healthy means. Because of this, many women develop body dissatisfaction, which can lead to serious and dangerous consequences, such as the development of eating disorders, in order to be “beautiful”. While there are many factors that can be linked to eating disorders, research has found that the media’s influence on society’s portrayal of extremely thin females as the ideal body is directly correlated to the increase in body dissatisfaction, eating disorders and other harmful conditions found in women. By analyzing this from a feminist perspective, it can be argued that not only does the media’s influence on the idealization of thinness effect females physical and mental health negatively, but it also acts as reinforcement for the patriarchal culture prevalent in today’s society. There is a wide range of eating disorders, ranging from minor to severe. Body dissatisfaction, which is “a psychiatric condition in which the affected person suffers from a flawed perception that views some part of the body or physical feature to be defective or...
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...that include appearance surveillance, body shame, body anxiety and eating disorders (Slater & Tiggemann 2010). Similarly, according to Holland & Tiggemann, (2016) correlational findings about the relationship between social media usage, body satisfaction, and disordered eating are almost difficult to draw. Also, high social media exposure could influence thin-internalization,...
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...Studies show that the more reality television a young girl watches, the more likely she is to find appearance important (Web 1). The media plays a large role in how women perceive body image and themselves (ie, magazines, internet, television, etc). The results said peers predict the negative outcomes...
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...much information, and opening the door to various unhealthy perceptions of beauty and additions associated with those perceptions. Unrealistic media images that are presented on the internet, in movies, magazines and models make it difficult for the average American woman to follow. Analysis of females, fictional or real, show a bias towards body weight well below the recommended size and weight for people in their age group. As a result, females who are unable to conform to the idea being put forth in the media are taking extreme measure to be more like their role models. Those that fall short of the idea of the “perfect” body shape can be vulnerable to depression, poor self-esteem, and general body dissatisfaction. With the increase in technology, we have more exposure to unrealistic standard for beauty. One example of this downside to technology is that of pro-eating disorder websites which are simply known as pro-ana/pro-mia websites. “Ana” is short for anorexia nervosa. It is a common eating disorder where individuals obsess about weight, what they eat and how much exercise they participate in. “Mia” is the shortened form of bulimia nervosa, which is a very common eating disorder where the person binge eats. They will eat large amounts of food and then find ways to purge the calories, in some unhealthy manner. Both disorders are often diagnosed together, with an individual being preoccupied with their weight and appearance. The “pro” in the pro-ana/mia sites does not...
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...relatively recent advent of social media those pressures are staggering, and this is especially true in one’s body image and the influence of food. People underestimate what social media can do to a person, especially teenagers who are going through puberty and hormonal changes while trying to learn acceptance of their bodies. This is also the age people are the most impressionable and unfortunately many accounts glorify a specific body type on Tumblr, Instagram, and Twitter. These body types are attractive and sexy, yet unattainable for the greater population....
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...these lead to more severe situations, such as eating disorders or even suicide. The idea which has created these issues has developed over time through media and the fashion world. The idea that women are to look a certain way and wear a specific size has caused much turmoil for those living in the Western world. It has been proven through research and studies that show the impact media and advertising has on a woman’s self-esteem as well as her self-image. It has become a cultural idea for women to have thin, curve-free bodies, which cause women who do not fit the image to feel body dissatisfaction along with an importance of the woman’s weight leading her toward depression. Though men can be effected by the stereotypes of body images, it is higher amongst women (Rizon and Fallon, 1988). How Media Portrays the Thin-Ideal The media portrays the thin-ideal through many different aspects. It almost always uses a communicator (the person who is used to relay the message of how thin is the best body image), a message (this is different depending on the type of media used), the channel (which is also different depending on what message the communicator is trying to portray), and finally the audience (who the communicator desires to reach through his or her message using a specific channel). An example of this type of media would be a Weight Watchers commercial. Recently, they have begun to use Jennifer Hudson as a spokesperson, or in social psychology terms, the communicator. She uses...
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...Women have been pressured for years by mass media. They are pressured by the unrealistic and unhealthy body types the women in the media have. They are also being pressured to reach the perfect body or what society believes to be the perfect body so that they can fit. They are pressured by the models they see allover media and in advertisement. The Victoria Secret advertisement for the perfect body from three years ago. The photograph consist of ten women all in different color two piece lingerie. The models range from size four to size six. The caption “THE PERFECT BODY” is posted across the image in big white bold letters. The image creates a realistic but yet unrealistic idea of a women’s body image. It creates realistic idea...
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...develop eating disorders or depression. Teens in this era are at a great risk to the exposure of self-harm and judging themselves all because of the current stereotypes for men and women. Everyone at some point in their lifetime have dealt with body-image issues, some more severe than others. Many people have died from severe cases of disorders like anorexia or mental disorders because they were so obsessed with their bodies or faces being perfect. Many people commonly binge eat then do strenuous exercise to work off all the weight they just gained, but that makes people...
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