Eating Disorders: How To Steal Jennifer Lopez's Body

“How to Steal Jennifer Lopez’s Body! Read All About It On page 103!” Are the types of headlines seen on a daily basis. Teenage girls look up to many celebrities for inspiration in all aspects. Anorexia and peer pressure are nothing new to society, but when combined together, they can become deadly factors. In today’s society, many young females suffer from anorexia, brought on by peer pressure. Although anorexia can’t be contagious and spread like the flu, it somehow finds its way in a teenage girl’s life; through peer pressure. This eating disorder affects many girls that one may associate with on a daily basis. “As many as 10 million females are fighting a life and death battle with an eating disorder such as bulimia or anorexia” (Schuldner).

A teenage girl suffering from anorexia will believe that she is heavier, or “bigger” than she may actually be. “Some of the behavioral signs can be obsessive exercise, calorie and fat gram counting, starvation and restriction of food, self-induced vomiting, the use of diet pills, laxatives or diuretics to attempt controlling weight, and a persistent concern with body image” (Ibrahim). Girls suffering from anorexia believe that in order for others to accept them and to be truly happy they have to be the smallest size ever created. Not only are they successful in fooling themselves, but also in fooling others. Many girls try to fake the physical and behavioral symptoms and have a meal with their peers, but shortly rush to the bathroom to force themselves to throw up what they previously consumed. They constantly worry about their calorie intake, and only become more and more concerned with their

With their irregular dieting, the victim’s body begins to lose shape and goes through unexpected changes. Not only are drastic changes occurring to their diets and habits, but their bodies too, “Excessive facial and body hair because of inadequate protein diet” (anad). The victim’s flesh begins to look dry and flaky. Their bodies lose shape, only leaving the bones to attempt to even create an outline of what is left of the body. A skeletal outline covered with skin is the only thing that remains after this eating disorder takes full control of a girl’s