Fitness Magazines: The Cause Of Eating Disorders

Clinical psychologist, Mary Pipher says, “Girls developed eating disorders when our culture developed a standard of beauty that they couldn’t obtain by being healthy. When unnatural thinness became attractive, girls did unnatural things to become thin.” Eating disorders are an alarming issue in today’s society. According to the ANAD, the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders, there are multiple types of eating disorders. A few examples are Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, Binge Eating Disorders, Pica, and Rumination Disorder (ANAD). AS the media increases, eating disorders increase. They are increasing because media increased. Magazines, social media, and television are one of the leading causes of eating disorders

Magazines are also contributing to the growing amount of people developing eating disorders. “They found that those practicing unhealthy weight-control practices were significantly more likely to be frequent readers of woman’s health and fitness magazines” (Fillon 1). If women are significantly more likely to practice these horrific habits, fitness magazines need to change what they put in their magazines. Understanding the risk factors in subscribing to these magazines are important. If people bring attention to this, magazines companies will change what they are putting in there magazines. Fitness magazines are not the only magazines causing people to change their perception of body image. All types of magazines are doing this. “According to the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders, nearly 70 percent of girls in grades five through 12 said magazine images influence their ideals of a perfect body” (Pearson). Magazines are setting unfair body standards that are impossible to meet. Magazines are influencing how young girls view their bodies. These magazines are putting out unrealistic body standards and teens are trying to meet. Then problems such as eating disorders start to arise. Magazines are corrupting the way people view

Social media plays a tremendous role in the corruption of society. All social media platforms are doing this. “Websites and online communities dedicated to a pro-anorexia or pro-bulimia lifestyle have existed since the earliest days of the Internet, according to USA Today, and their messages haven’t gone away. In fact, these groups have bled into social media websites like Facebook and Instagram, trying to recruit new believers into the cult of thin that so often leads to troubles with food” (Netsanity). On social media, there are people who are supporting these life-threating diseases and there are consequences. Consequences that men and woman all over are facing. These consequences are developing an eating disorder and/or corrupting how people view themselves. These people are preaching that becoming thin will answer everything. In result, people are doing anything to become thin. While some people use conventional methods to lose weight others do not. The people who do not use healthy methods might develop an eating disorder. “Adolescents specifically are still experiencing brain development and emotional regulation development during this time in their lives, meaning that they are more likely to give into peer pressure and begin changing their eating behaviors to mimic the looks of those like Jenner to gain attention” (Addiction & Mental Health Resource). A lot of celebrity fame