The Effect of Media Images
It was fashionable to be fat throughout most of history. Obesity was attractive because it was considered to be a sign of wealth. Those who could obtain enough food to keep themselves and their family well fed were people with money. In the past century, however, food has been abundant in most of the developed nations, and thinness has become fashionable. Eating disorders have increased significantly over the past thirty years. The two most common eating disorders include anorexia and bulimia nervosa. Anorexia nervosa is a disease in which women become very self-conscious about their weight and have an intense fear of becoming fat. They go to such extremes as starving themselves in order to keep thin, and some use additional methods such as vomiting, taking excessive amounts of laxatives, or exercising profusely. Bulimia nervosa on the other hand is an eating disorder in which the patient eats large amounts of food in a short period of time, also known as binge eating. Another symptom of bulimia is ridding oneself of food through vomiting, using laxatives, or over-exercising, commonly known as purging. Women with anorexia nervosa or bulimia often experience fatigue and decreased energy, headaches, personality changes, and abdomi
An increase in the number of diet and health articles and advertisements had also risen along with the number of eating disorders. Articles on weight loss can be found in almost every issue of women's magazines, and new "miracle" diet books are constantly being published. Many of these diets are unhealthy, and some are even dangerous. Weight loss advertisements are found in almost every type of media, and women are constantly obssessed with the topic of weight. Many young woman can overlook the stream of thinness and diet propaganda that they encounter, but an increasing number of women are not so lucky. As the media puts more and more emphasis on thinness, more women become dissatisfied with their own bodies. Some may argue that the media has nothing to do with a woman's perception of herself. They believe that women want to look at people more beautiful than themselves, and that thin models inspire people to take better care of their own bodies. But researches suggest that exposure to thin models resulted in lower self-esteem and decreased weight satisfaction. Studies prove that the media does directly relate to and affect a woman's body image and self-esteem, which is directly related to eating disorders. nal pain. If an eating disorder
Some common words found in the essay are:
, eating disorders, thin models, past thirty, weight loss, weight appearance, bulimia nervosa, own bodies, amounts food, woman's body, anorexia nervosa,
Approximate Word count = 843
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
|
