Self-Image Research Paper

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Self-Image Research Paper

Imagine a world where everyone is perfect. Now try to recreate how they got there. It is literally impossible to meet everyone’s standards of perfection, especially society’s, because everyone views it differently. Being perfect could consist of a great personality or a good looking body. Because of the growing use of technology, the mass media have projected a certain way to look, eat, dress, and or behave. Many teenagers in today’s world are affected by society’s projection of self-image. They go through extreme measures just to look like these “perfect” people and in result; harm themselves in the process.

There are many different ways teenagers will try to achieve the image the media gives off. Many go to eating disorders, to lose or gain weight. These can be very dangerous, not only are adolescents harming their health, but they’re killing themselves over someone else’s opinion. Plastic surgery is also gaining popularity in teenagers because it is a quick and easy way to get the image they want. When teenagers go through all of this, some succeed in their original goal, but others end up failing and begin to experience depression which can ultimately lead to suicide.

One of the eating disorders many resort to is bulimia. Bulimia nervosa is the act of binging and purging to compensate weight gain via laxative or self-induced vomiting (www.nationaleatingdisorders.org). Because bulimia is typically practiced with self-induced vomiting, there are many negative effects. These can be anywhere from popped blood vessels in the eyes, to esophageal/bowel rupture and tooth decay. Bulimia affects about one to two percent of young adults today, and 80% of sufferers are female. To coincide with the binging ...

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Works Cited:

“Bulimia Nervosa”. National Eating Disorders Association. Web. 26 May 2014. http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/bulimia-nervosa

“Anorexia Nervosa”. Help Guide. Web. 26 May 2014. http://helpguide.org/mental/anorexia_signs_symptoms_causes_treatment.htm

“Binge Eating Disorder”. National Eating Disorders Association. Web. 26 May 2014. http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/binge-eating-disorder

“Plastic Surgery Statistics”. American Society of Plastic Surgeons. Web. 26 May 2014. http://www.plasticsurgery.org/

Krucik , George. "What Do You Want To Know About Depression?." Web. www.healthline.com, 16 Dec. 2013. Web. 26 May 2014. http://www.healthline.com/health/depression

“Teen Depression Statistics”. Teen Help. Web. 26 May 2014. http://www.teenhelp.com/teen-depression/depression-statistics.html

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