Media And Eating Disorders

“Whoever controls the media, controls the mind” ― Jim Morrison

The media is defined as “the main means of mass communication regarded collectively". It is said that the media has a great influence on who we are. "Who we are" is defined by our personal identity, which is the distinct personality of an individual, shown through our gender, race, religion, beliefs, family, education and others. I believe that the media does shape who we are to a large extent. However, there are other influences besides the media that shapes our personal identity for example, our family that has influenced us since birth. I will further develop my view through examining how different mediums of media and familial influences impact our indentity as an individual

As the media is all around us, constant advertising of ‘perfect’ bodies can cause inferiority amongst many people all around the world, especially teenagers, to feel dissatisfied with their body. This can result with them wanting to change the way they look to fit society’s expectations of one’s body size and be socially accepted. Such influence can lead teens to engage in dieting to reach their desired body size. However, excessive dieting can in turn trigger eating disorders such as Anorexia and Bulimia Nervosa. Statistics from The National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders state that “95% of those who have eating disorders are between the ages of 12 and 25.8” and that “Anorexia is the third most common chronic illness among adolescents”. From an early age, we have been exposed to a large amount of messages from the media that reinforces the notion that being fat is undesirable and socially unaccepted. ‘Seventeen Magazine’, one of the most poplutar teen magazines, is a source of media that contributes to the promotion of false body images. Their magazine covers often comes with captions like “look hot in a bikini”,”ways to look pretty” and “get your best body”. These messages are further reiterating the idea that teens can fix their ‘problem areas’. Additionally, the models on the covers are often photoshopped to look thiner and more desirable, which perpetuates unattainable ideals that are accepted by society. Especially as a teenager, entering puberty can be a confusing, stressful, emotional period of time and they will naturally have an increased unease in being socially accepted. These promotions of unattainable body ideals can therefore influence teenagers to change the way they look to fit in