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Eating disorder and the fashion industry
Eating disorder and the fashion industry
How fashion affects body image
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If you heard “eating disorders affect all races and ethnic groups”( “Eating Disorder Statistics”) would you believe it? I would. An eating disorder is “a serious mental illness, characterized by eating, exercise and body weight or shape becoming an unhealthy preoccupation of someone's life” (What is an Eating Disorder?). While not everyone is directly involved in the fashion industry, but everyone is influenced in some way by this extensive industry. As for some models, eating disorders are formed usually out of fear that they will lose their job if they do not maintain their appearance. However, for consumers who are bombarded with images these days eating disorders can be developed by unrealistic body image set by the media. While, it would not be fair to say that the …show more content…
Even though The fashion industry is made to be exclusive, which is why the use of above-average looking models is crucial to this industry , The fashion industry should use average sized models in campaigns because, it will create a realistic image of what women should look like, make consumers have a more positive attitude towards advertisements and help decrease the number of eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia that develop. First, The fashion industry should use average sized models in campaigns to promote what a realistic women looks like. On average a female model in the industry “weights about 120 pounds”(“Body Image in the Media”); however, “the average American women weighs about 169 pound” ( “Body Image in the Media”). The issue with the use of non-average looking women, is that it causes “women who are average weight to believe that they are abnormally heavy” (“Body Image in the Media”) when that is not the reality. In a two studies, conducted by a college student, Hoori Refieian “[using] Photoshop to create thin, average and plus-size versions of a
From Twiggy to Kate Moss, the fashion industry has been attached to idealizing extreme slenderness, encouraging real women to hate their bodies and at extreme, develop anorexia or bulimia. If these models are exemplars of ideal beauty, then the measure for women is that to be beautiful, starvation level is required. It appears that the media and the fashion industry would have the public believe that ultra thinness symbolizes beauty when in reality, the standard represents infertility, and premature death. The public has to realize that Twiggy is different.
In every magazine and on every page there is another source of depression, another reason to skip a meal or two or a reason to be self-conscious. In present society people are overly focused and determined on the perfect body that both the fashion and advertising industry portray and promote. Through diction, pictures and celebrities presented they are trying to convey a message to their viewers that is “suppose” to be used as a source of motivation and determination. The message they are truly conveying is self-conscious thoughts, depression, and the promotion of eating disorders. It is estimated that millions of people struggle with depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem; concentrated on dissatisfaction with their body image (Ballaro). The advertisement and fashion industry are conveying a message that creates an internal battle for their viewers, though they should be creating a fire in their viewers that provides motivation to be healthier, take better care of themselves and a source of inspiration for style.
The media can impact people’s lives in many ways, whether it’s fashion, movies, literature, or hobbies. One of the impacts is how women view their bodies. Movie stars and models feel pressured to catch attention and to look good in order to have a good career in their respective field. People tend to judge how someone looks based on their body composition. The result of this “judgment” is that Hollywood is getting skinny. Since models and actresses serve as role models for people, people tend to want to look like them. The result of this seemingly harmless model of behavior is in an increase in eating disorders.
Advertisers use women that are abnormally thin, and even airbrush them to make them appear thinner. These advertisers promote a body image that is completely unrealistic and impossible to achieve (Dohnt & Tiggemann, 2006b). It has been instilled in these advertisers’ minds that a thinner model will sell more (Hargreaves & Tiggemann, 2003). Media has a direc...
“The attention-grabbing pictures of various high-flying supermodels and actors on different magazine covers and advertisements go a long way in influencing our choices” (Bagley). The media is highly affective to everyone, although they promote an improper image of living. Research proved says those with low self-esteem are most influenced by media. Media is not the only culprit behind eating disorders. However, that does not mean that they have no part in eating disorders. Media is omnipresent and challenging it can halt the constant pressure on people to be perfect (Bagley). Socio-cultural influences, like the false images of thin women have been researched to distort eating and cause un-satisfaction of an individual’s body. However, it is clear that, although virtually all women are exposed to these socio-cultural influences, only a very small proportion develop clinical eating disorders (Mazzeo and Bulik). Every article believes that socio-culture have an impact on eating disorders. Although, researchers believe that is not the only reason, and the easiest statement to make. Eating disorders are far more complicated than it just being blamed on the media. Bagley, Mazzeo and Bulik all state that media play a role in the development but are not the main reason to developing an eating disorder. In all of the research done thus far media is a part of eating disorders, but not the only culprit.
Eating disorders are described as an illness involving eating habits that are irregular and an extreme concern with body image or weight. Eating disorders tend to appear during teenage years, but can develop at any age. Although more common in women, eating disorders can affect any age, gender or race. In the United States, over 20 million women and 10 million men are personally affected by eating disorders. There are many different causes of eating disorders such as low self esteem, societal pressures, sexual abuse and the victims perception of food. Eating disorders are unique to the sufferer and often, their perception of themselves is so skewed, they may not be aware they have an eating disorder. Media, for quite some time now, has played a significant part in eating disorders. Magazines with headlines ‘Summer Body’, or ‘Drop LB’s Fast!’ attract the attention of girls who may be insecure with themselves. Television productions such as the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show or American’s Next Top Model, show airbrushed and photoshopped women who have body types that may be unachievable. Those who are suffering from eating disorders can suffer dangerous consequences, and it is important to seek help.
The complications that accompany body image have long been an issue in society. Body image is the sense of how an individual views his or her own body as compared to others in society, or what is considered to be the ideal body image. There are many different factors that effect ones body image, but a major influence is the media. The media has long been associated with eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia. Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder where an individual participates in self-starvation, and bulimia is an eating disorder where an individual will eat as much as he or she wishes and then purges the previously eaten food. These are two destructive eating disorders that are associated with a negative body image. This comes to question, does media have an influence on creating a negative body image, which may inherently lead to eating disorders like anorexia nervosa and bulimia? Anorexia nervosa and bulimia affect various age groups but is extremely common in adolescence and emerging adulthood. During this stage in an individual’s lifespan there is a lot going on with ones psychological development as well as body. How an adolescent views his or her body image be highly impacted by how the media portrays what the ideal body image is. According to Berger (2015), “as might be expected from a developmental perspective, healthy eating begins with childhood habits and family routines” (p.415). If proper eating habits are not implemented negative body image and eating disorders that are associated with media becomes further predominant in adolescence and emerging adulthood.
Fashion models don’t need to be thin, they need to be diverse and healthy at whatever weight that is. Not everyone is supposed to be thin, some women are big boned and curvy, others are naturally slim and small boned, some are tall, others are short, some are light skinned and others are darker. So many diverse looks exist in the world today and the fashion industry need to change their perception of perfect. Body image in our society is out of control. We have young men and women comparing themselves to unrealistic models and images in the media and feeling bad about the way their own bodies look because they somehow don’t measure up. (Dunham, 2011) The struggle for models to be thin has led to models becoming anorexic or bulimic, untimely deaths, and inferiority complexes. Even worse is the fact that they influence a whole generation of young women who look up to these models and think “thin” is how they are supposed to be. They influence what we buy, how we eat and what we wear. Why has this specific group captured our attention so much? Why do we seem to be so fascinated in their lives, to the point where we try to look and act just like them? The media is largely to be blamed for this, many people believe the media has forced the notion that everything supermodels do is ideal. Others believe that the society is to be blamed because we have created a fascination with their lives. There are many opinions, and I agree with both of these specific opinions. We allow ourselves to be captivated by these people's lives, and the media portrayal of their lives seem to also enthrall us. (Customessaymeister, 2013) Despite the severe risks of forcing models to become too thin, designers, fashion editors, fashion brands and agencies still ...
Levine, Michael P., and Sarah K. Murnen. "Everybody Knows That Mass Media Are/Are Not [Pick One] A Cause Of Eating Disorders": A Critical Review Of Evidence For A Causal Link Between Media, Negative Body Image, And Disordered Eating In Females." Journal Of Social & Clinical Psychology 28.1 (2009): 9-42. Academic Search Premier. Web. 28 Mar. 2014.
When modeling started to evolve into thinner customs 20 years ago, the average weight of a model was about 8% less than that of an average woman. Currently, that percentage has plummeted into an insidious 23%. In the year 200...
The optimal beauty has been revealed through an assortment of body types; however, Fiona MacCallum notes in her article, “Altered Images: Understanding the Influence of Unrealistic images and Beauty Aspirations”, that the thin ideal has been a “sign of femininity,” stressing women to display a specific body figure (MacCallum 6). This ideal has ended up influencing women to lose weight since the 1800’s, and today, models are much thinner. In 1980, “a fashion model was 8% thinner than the average woman. In 2015, that percentage has risen to 23%” (MacCallum 7). In the current society, agencies are actively seeking out thin
“The promotion of the thin ideal in our culture has created a situation where the majority of girls and women don’t like their bodies”(Hellmich), people will judge themselves harshly, and criticize their own bodies and who they are because they are not like the tiny percentage of people in the world who are models. Girls will constantly believe that they aren’t thin enough to be accepted by society. If the fashion industry can promote to consumers that they are perfect just the way they are, and can disregard the standards set by the industry; then they can encourage personal growth in a person and allow for an increasing growth of confidence. Over time though the “fashion industry has now employed people of different body types and ethnic groups”(Bratskeir), and have shown people all over the world that the fashion industry is at last adapting to new people and are working towards a more diverse community. This new eye-opening concept makes people of the minority feel accepted and make them realize that they aren’t that much different because there are people in the world to represent
Studies have shown that the average American woman is 5'4" tall, and weighs 166 lbs. In comparison, the average model is 5'10" tall and weighs only 107 lbs (Lutz). Also that “only 3 to 5 percent of all American women can achieve the physical appearance of a ‘real’ fashion model” (Lutz). These are what we are comparing ourselves to relating to appearance. This looks like an issue.
Nonetheless, the media has contributed to eating disorders because of the unachievable and impractical criteria for being viewed as
Fashion industry skinny trend seems to poison young women’s attitude towards their appearance. In addition, the startling deaths of the “three very underweight models” (Rosemary 2007) has become the last straw that makes it impossible to accept the eating disorders anymore. These have added to the controversy over the use of extremely thin models in the fashion industry because not only does it reduce the self-esteem of those who do not have ideal bodies but it also naturally forces them to become anorexic to look exactly like catwalk models which has been proven to cause “drastic weight loss and premature ageing” (Cooke 2000, pp. 1). 3) Having a severe condition.