More handpicked essays just for you.
Social media impacts on body image and
Do you think the media plays a role in the development of eating disorders
Causes of eating disorders essay
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Social media impacts on body image and
About fifteen percent of Americans suffer from some type of eating disorder. Media and Bullying are two causes of eating disorders. Different types include Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa. Although it is clear that eating disorders can sometimes improve appearance for some people, these disorders are also life threatening and have negative effects such as depression and fatigue. Television If teens are constantly being exposed to television displaying images of beautiful and skinny people, they might think that they must sculpt themselves into fitting that image. According to author K Harrison exposure to fat character television produced dissatisfaction in the bodies of young teens (Harrison, 119-143). When teens become unsatisfied with their looks they may try to resort to unhealthy eating habits to meet their needs. The more exposure a child gets through television media the more vulnerable they are to eating disorders as a result of the weight related topics displayed. The National Institution on Media and Family states that “the commercials aimed at female viewers that ran during the television shows most often watched by icon girls also frequently used beautify as a product appeal (56 percent)”(National Institute on Media and Family,” Media, Body Image, and Eating Disorders”). Examples of these are Revlon makeup and spray tan commercials. Both of these are examples of unnatural beauty promotions which lead to teens striving to look like someone of the ideal image. Magazines Magazines are another piece of media contributing to eating disorders in teens by promoting skinny figures. One study found that constant articles such as “28 Flat Bely Tricks!” and “Sli... ... middle of paper ... ...rder.” This depression could eventually lead to more health problems in the body. What Bulimia Is Many teens carry out acts that fit the characteristic of someone that has Bulimia Nervosa. Bulimia is an eating disorder common to many older teens, especially women, who want to lose weight for a skinnier image. Web MD categorizes bulimia as a common eating disorder in which the person does something called purging, or getting rid of their food by vomiting.(WebMD, ”Bulimia Nervosa Health Care”). Teens force themselves to regurgitate their food to keep them from gaining the weight. Another aspect of Bulimia includes constant binge eating. WebMD acquires that binge eating is the consumption of large amounts of food in a short amount of time. The binge eating results in a bundle of guilt and shame which eventually leads to the purging (Bulimia Nervosa Health Care).