Eating Disorders Article Analysis

Introduction When reading a blog about a woman who suffered from anorexia, writer Audra Metzler makes three statements that are extremely relevant to this research: “I would analyze the perfect models in every ad I saw, wondering why I couldn’t look like them”, “I compared myself to the models in the magazines I felt that I had a long way to go if I wanted to look like they did” and “women are held to such a high standard of perfection in the media and how that contributes to eating disorders”.

For centuries, men and women have used food to control their physique. Many believe that achieving the prefect body will mean complete happiness. However, in the past decade there has been a major change in thinking of the origins of eating disorders.

Eating disorders can pose many health problems including malnutrition, heart failure, electrolyte imbalances and seizures.

It has been found that Eating disorders are more common in adolescents and more common in adolescent girls. During adolescence, the body is changing and maturing and an individual; witnesses these changes daily. (Abraham, Boyd, Lal, Luscombe, & Taylor, 2009) Girls generally tend to gain weight and many girls are distraught by this occurrence.

The exact cause of eating disorders is not known however it is known that eating disorders are not caused by one specific factor, they are caused by many contributing aspects such as having a poor self-image of their appearance or body, poor relationships, eating and exercise habits, or high expectations of themselves. These also include genetics, psychological factors, trauma, coping skill mechanisms, dieting, professional pressure and socio-cultural influences. (Nasser et al, 2000). Eating disorders therefore have a complex

Women who already suffer from anorexia are already prone to reading more fashion magazines to compare themselves to and are more likely to keep comparing themselves to the tiny models seen in the magazines. The value placed on women’s thinness is now much higher, and more easily accessible due to the media, which in turn contributes to more females experiencing body dissatisfaction.

A worrying factor is the toys that we expose our young children to when they are at a very impressionable age. Almost every little girl has her own Barbie doll of which she can change its clothes, and brush its hair. She is the young girls role model, and the young girl aspires to be exactly like her Barbie doll when she grows up. (Natenshon, 2015). However if Barbie were alive, she would have the most un-normal body shape: a tiny waist of 18 inches contrasted with a bust of 40 inches. However media has made Barbie the ideal beauty queen- one to which many young girls aspire to be