dying to be thin
In today's society an increasing number of girls experience blows to their self-esteem and even develop eating disorders due to the media's influence. The main source of these self-esteem blows are fashion magazines, as well as TV characters. The age of girls being influenced by the media is getting younger and younger. Studies have shown that pre-pubescent girls as young as four or five are concerned with their body weight. This concern is often as extreme as feelings of guilt, shame and complete distortion of body image. Studies show, that these self-destructive feelings are often due to the media's influence. Destructive and negative feelings about one's body can lead to eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia . Some characteristics of one who suffers from anorexia include: losing a significant amount of weight, fearing weight gain, continuing to diet although thin, feeling overweight even after significant weight loss, losing monthly menstruation, preferring to di!et in isolation, binging and purging and preoccupation with food, calories and nutrition. Danger sings of bulimia include "Binging or eating uncontrollably, and abusing laxatives or diuretics" ("Effects" pg.2-3). By parading very thin wom
round and talk about their ideal body, and hit on Pamela Anderson look-alikes, in reality they want a girls with a personality, not just a show-room body. They look for things like a sense of humor and compassion, just like girls do. So it doesn't really matter what we look like in the long run, rather it's what's inside that counts. For all my lecturing, I hope I can practice what I preach, because as easy as it is to say that what I look like doesn't matter, the reality of summer bikinis looms just a few short months in the distance. I guess that's why they made cover-ups (thank God!). "The Barbie Body." AdiosBarbie.com. http://www.alphalink.com.au/~pfs/Body.htm. ularity allows her to be super influential with young impressionable girls. And what young girl didn't want Ken as her boyfriend; I can just imagine some sweet little 11 year old girl thinking, "well if I were skinny and blond and pretty like Barbie, then I would have a boyfriend like Ken to." All these things compiled is a dangerous mix, and can have a very negative effect on a young girls body image.
Some common words found in the essay are:
Dying Thin, Barbie Body, People Mag, Coyote Ugly, Hardly Wait, Pamela Anderson, Fit Thin, Kim Alexis, Similar Fashion, Josie Pussycats, eating disorders, fashion magazines, inch waist, body image, barbie body, barbie real, 5 foot, anorexia bulimia, teenage girls, body type, barbie body pg2, pounds 39 inch, 5 foot 6, lead eating disorders, due media's influence,
Approximate Word count = 2020
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)
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