...your vision gets blurry and you have to grab hold of something while your head is pounding. Just imagine not being able to go to the beach with your friends because even in 80 degree weather you get goose bumps. This is the true life for many women and some men around the world with eating disorders; it takes over your whole life. Today the idea of being beautiful has contributed too many young women forming preposterous body image expectations leading to eating disorders. Eating disorders do not only have one cause. Eating disorders are complex conditions that arise from combination of long-standing behavioral, biological, emotional, psychological, interpersonal and social factors. Scientists and researchers are still learning about underlining causes of these emotionally and physically damaging conditions. According to NEDA (National Eating Disorder Association) some of the general issues that contribute to the development of eating disorders have been generalized. Some may argue that the media is not to be blamed for antagonizing eating disorders, but the influence of the media cannot be overseen. Young women in today’s society deal with numerous body image problems, only to find that the media contributes overstate that to look good you must have the perfect body. All that is seen on the billboards are thin models; young women immediately see these pictures and seek to be unbelievably thin like...
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...Abstract The main purpose of this extended project dissertation is as following: to explore the causes of eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa, in particular the biological, psychological and societal causes. Eating disorders are becoming increasingly common in today’s society and the causes of theses disorders are not completely known. This essay explores the symptoms of anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa, the risks and consequences of suffering from such disorders. The essay also concentrates upon how eating disorders are gradually affecting more and more men and children – something that was not often seen before. The main focus of this project is to discover whether the causes of anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa stem from pre-dispositions which are linked with the body and mind or rather stemmed from society. The main biological reasons which the essay focuses on are; damaged hypothalamuses and genetic hereditariness. The main environmental causes of anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa that I have studied are media influences and undesirable conditions for raising children. In writing this project I believe that I have developed valuable skills that I will need in my subjects which include; being able to extract key information from large pieces of text, researching, speedy note taking and the ability to weigh up two sides of an argument fairly and without bias. I am also aware that the skills I am developing while writing this dissertation...
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...Eating disorders are a huge problem many people face on a daily basis. The National eating disorder associations states that eating disorders are conditions that arise from factors including physical, psychological, interpersonal and social issues. Most eating disorders tend to occur in people between the ages 12 and 18 but are possible at any age. Eating disorders are serious problems that can lead to many health issues and possibly death. Eating disorders are hard to avoid and harder to overcome, for some people it seems impossible, its a way of life not a choice (source 1). According to Anorexia Nervosa and Related Eating Disorders, Inc., without treatment, up to 20% of people with serious eating disorders die. With treatment, 2 – 3% of people with anorexia die. Statistics on anorexia show that mortality rates from anorexia are the highest of any psychological disorder. Anorexia statistics show that with treatment, only 60% make a full recovery. About 20% make a partial recovery, meaning that they may be able to hold a job and maintain some superficial relationships but remain very focused on food and weight. They may continue to abuse laxatives or diet pills. They remain underweight. The final 20% stay dangerously underweight. They are seen frequently in emergency rooms, mental health clinics, inpatient hospital units, and eating disorder treatment programs. Statistics on anorexia show that between 1 – 5% of all female adolescents and young women are anorexic. Statistics...
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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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...struggle with self-worth as well as depression. Many of 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...
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...adults have suffered from eating disorders like anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating. Eating disorders cannot be controlled when it has reached a certain point and could be fatal to the human body. People always blame the media and models for these disorders because the actresses are always so skinny. What people do not know is that eating disorders can be caused by other things rather than the media and models. When people hear that someone suffering from anorexia they automatically think it is because they want to be a model or an actress, when in reality it could be because of emotional reasons. People need to realize that the media is not always the main cause to an eating disorder, they are dangerous to the body, and there are ways to prevent the disorder. Parents of the teens can be a big help to prevent teenagers to obtain such a disorder. Eating disorders are abnormal behaviors dealing with foods which mostly effect high school and college students. These disorders are divided into three categories: anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating which they all are the most difficult mental illness to diagnose or cure. There are a variety of reasons doctors cannot cure or diagnose people with these conditions for the simple fact of people being in denial that they have an eating problem. Studies have shown that depression and eating disorders have a connection so doctors often give patients antidepressants for the use of treating the disorders. About eighteen million...
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...Body Fat and Eating Disorders Derrick Murphy SCI/241 Clayton Wilson 0ctober 25, 2012 Body Fat and Eating Disorders Describe body composition and the risks associated with excess body fat. Body composition is the body’s relative amount of fat to fat-free mass. People with optimal body composition are typically healthier, move more easily and efficiently, and in general, feel better than those with less-than-ideal body composition. Body composition is divided into two separate types of mass: fat-free mass which is comprised of all of the body’s non-fat tissues and body fat. Fat –free mass includes bone, water, muscle, and tissues. Body fat is literally fat located within the body. Some fat is necessary overall health: it helps protect internal organs, provides energy and regulates in body regulates hormones that perform various functions in body regulation. Excess fat has been linked to numerous health problems such as increased risk for diseases such as cancer, diabetes and heart disease. Having excess fat, specifically surrounding the internal organs, can damage your health and contribute to serious medical conditions such as liver disease. Assess factors that influence the obesity epidemic? Body Fat and Eating Disorders A main influence in the obesity epidemic is the media. The media is constantly advertising restaurants and fast food. Numerous studies have proven that personal food choices, lack of exercise...
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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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...magazines, and the media all contribute to girls not being comfortable in their bodies because of airbrushing the models or making the actors excessively workout or diet to get to a specific size. Famous people are supposed to be role models to teen girls, but the way the famous people are portrayed actually makes young girls not love their bodies and themselves. As girls reach a certain age, they begin to look at their bodies differently and want to see a change. These girls will try anything like dieting, diet pills, or even starving themselves to see this change, but the emotional and physical effects are never thought of when trying to lose weight a certain way. Average sized people should be portrayed more in the media because of the medias impact on body image perception of young women. Anorexia is a disease that involves unusual eating habits and self-starvation. The people who are affected are mostly young women, but people of either gender can become anorexic at any age. The most common cases of anorexia are found in young females, athletes, and people portrayed in the media. There are many physical effects that an anorexic person will experience. Weak bones are a common negative effect which really hurts an athlete. Hair loss and skin discoloration are other effects that effect both men and women. Other diseases can result from anorexia such as anemia or heart disease. All eating disorders have physical effects that are not portrayed from the media. There are also...
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...Eating disorders Stephanie Collard BEH/225 9/10/14 University of phoenix Eating disorders What is hunger? Hunger is the motivation that tells us when we need nutrients for our body. Hunger is a basic biological need that our body experiences. When we “feel hungry” our body's drive us to find sustenance. However, not all hunger drives are based on nutritional needs, there are certain biological and psychological factors that motivate our hunger. Biologically, our hunger drive comes from the hypothalamus, a gland that when given the appropriate stimulation excretes a hormone that tells your body when to be hungry and when to be sated. Biologically, this gland is motivated by homeostasis, or body equilibrium. This means that this gland is generally stimulated by specific conditions in your body, such as blood sugar, chemicals in the blood stream, or body temperature. Once the optimal conditions for your body are reached, the hypothalamus will send out a hormone that tells your body it is full, and to stop eating. Non biological factors are when we are motivated to eat even when our hypothalamus is not sending any cues. Factors such as stress, boredom, certain smells, or just having food in front of you can cause a motivation to eat. Alternatively, developing an aversion to foods is quite easy, if you associate certain foods with nausea or illness, or if you ate a lot of a specific food during childhood due to poverty or other unhappy circumstances...
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...MEDIA INFLUENCES ON EATING DISORDER ABSTRACT: The media as well as the eating disorders are commonly at odds because much frequently than never, we view various photographs of anorexic masses that are somehow galmourised as well as depicted the ideal beauty. The question now arises that whether does the media have an influence over eating disorders? What is it the most about the media is that it makes female fatally overwhelmed to the unrealistic and serious pressure towards slenderness? The affect of the media on the development of the eating disorders like Anorexia, Bulimia or Compulsive Overeating can’t be disproved.Since from the very early age the people are pelted with the images along with the messages that reinforce the idea to be pleased and successful that the individual must be lean. Now, as seen in daily day to day life that it is notified as a message that fat is bad, whether it is a television, a magazine, or a newspaper, or listening to the radio, or whether shopping in the mall. The most fearsome part is that the destructive message it conveys is somehow reaching towards children. Adolescents sometimes really feel like fatally blemished if their hips, weight etc. doesn’t match up I comparison to those of famous models and actors. Today even the children of the elementary school aged are also obsessed in respect to their weight. Even if the contention is also made that the media’s depiction of women is just only a mirror of the society and not as an...
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...Anorexia Nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by excessive food restriction and fear, fear of gaining weight, and a distorted body self-perception. Anorexia is one of results caused by social and media pressure. That’s because everyone today wants to look like models or trying to appear more attractively. First, Anorexia is the worse way to lose weight. It’s harmful to the body and can cause psychological and gynecological problems. Anorexia affects mostly females between their teens or young adult women age period, it is harming our society greatly. For w person suffering from Anorexia , social problems form like isolation and depression, too. Also, anorexia is a socially transmitted disorder, environmental factors, such as acceptance in certain athletic and social groups, which can contribute to the effects of an eating disorder. Studies provide information about the environmental issues that influence Anorexia. Some studies say that three-thousand participants from across Europe provide evidence that peer pressure is a major source of an eating disorder. The idea that public opinion and peer pressure causes Anorexia Nervosa has been considered as a possible cause for a while. A lot of people say that low body weight is equated with beauty and success. While overweight or obese individuals, are equated with ugliness, a lack of success, and an implied lack of self control. The conflict between actual and desired body appearance is thought to trigger Anorexia in...
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...The speech was given by a woman named Megan Coral from the renfrew center which is a treatment facility that specializes in anorexia, bulimia, and many other eating disorders. She has been pioneering in the fight against eating disorder since 1985. The nature or reason this event is being held here at suny orange is because of the effects that social media have on eating disorders.A summary of the speech is that more and more teens are doing everything in their power to become thinner through guilt and shame. These social media platforms such as twitter,facebook,instagram,tv, etc.. are giving teens the idea that no matter how hard they work at becoming skinnier it will never be good enough, and this forces them to develop horrible eating disorders. The audience I believe they were trying...
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...How the media affects body image of females in America It is said that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. What happens when those eyes are the shallow, blind eyes of the media? Beauty is no longer valued as personality or kindness, but as how many bones stick out of one’s skin. There are many factors in today’s society that contribute to the idea of beauty such as appearance. The main poison affecting how society views beauty is the media. Female adolescents and adult women in the United States are more interested in beauty and obsessed with body image now than ever before. The twenty-first century is obsessed with the media and what it delivers to the public. What the media emphasizes is what the women of the world desire. If the media advertises skinny as beautiful, that is what women aim to achieve. Magazine advertisements, television, and runway models all have one thing in common: distortion of body image. When opening the monthly issue of Allure or Vogue, many of the women are extremely thin. The clothes worn in these ads are tiny an very revealing. It appears that the fashion industry is trying to say that the skinnier one is, the better the clothes will look on the body. When a female turns on the television to watch Gossip Girl or Victorious, the girls are gauntly skinny. The media has a negative impact on body image for females of all ages in the United States, leading to eating disorders and plastic surgery. Body image is crucial to females in America, 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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