The Skinny Dilemma

741 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Socioeconomic impact on health

Anorexia Nervosa

"Anorexia nervosa... strike(s) a million Americans every year and... one hundred fifty thousand die annually" (Brumberg 20). This outrageous number of deaths has unfortunately been increasing since the 1970's. This deadly disease focuses its attention on young teenage girls. The media gives out messages to promote their products and, knowingly or unknowingly, sends the message to young girls that they should and can look like the models on T.V. Immense pressure put on young girls to look good and to be thin. The unfortunate consequence is that society's pressures to be thin cause girls to become anorexic.

"The cultural explanation... postulates that anorexia nervosa is generated by a powerful cultural imperative that makes slimness the chief attribute of female beauty" (Brumberg 31). Most females think that if they are not slender, men will not find them attractive.

One of my closest friends was anorexic for a year and a half, and even when she was down to eight percent body fat, she still thought that she was fat. She thought that no guy would like her because she was too obese. In fact, she was so skinny she was ugly. It took a lot of counseling and a lot of friendship to help her realize that she didn't have to be skin and bones to be attractive. Quite the opposite is actually true.
Most men I have talked to think skinny girls are unattractive. They prefer the curvaceousness of the woman's body, the way it was designed. Television, films, magazines, and advertising are the main channels of communication which promote thinness in women.

Many women believe that the models that they see on TV have typical bodies, when in fact "the ideal body type today is unattainable by most women, even if they starve themselves. Only the thinnest 5% of women in a normal weight distribution approximate this ideal, which thus excludes 95% of American women" (Fallon, Katzman, Wooley 396). And yet "more than half of the adult women in the United States are currently dieting, and over three-fourths of normal-weight American women think they are too fat'" (qtd. in Fallon, Katzman, Wooley 396).

Obviously the media are presenting these models in a way that makes the average woman think she is overweight. 86 study showed that nearly 80% of fourth-grade girls in the San Francisco Bay Area were watching their weight" (qtd. in Fallon, Katzman, Wooley 396).

Show More
Related

  • The Slender Trap. Critical Analysis Essay

    568 Words  | 2 Pages

    Anorexia Nervosa has been a problematic disease many women suffer from. The article “The Slender Trap” was composed by Trina Rys who is a stay at home mother with a husband and one daughter. Rys writes the main reasons a woman may develop anorexia from. She states that the psychological pressures, expectations of friends and family and influences of the media all are factors when a woman is inflicted with the disease. I strongly agree with Rys persuading argument that anorexia could be caused by an unknown identity and the overall main focus of the ideal image of a woman. Although, I believe Rys requires a stronger argument on whether food restrictions executed by parents are a major step to developing the harmful illness. She seems to put emphasize on mainly women but does not shine any light on men.

    Read More

  • Anorexia Nervosa Case Study

    743 Words  | 2 Pages

    Anorexia Nervosa may be described directly as an eating disease classified by a deficit in weight, not being able to maintain weight appropriate for one’s height. Anorexia means loss of appetite while Anorexia Nervosa means a lack of appetite from nervous causes. Before the 1970s, most people never heard of Anorexia Nervosa. It was identified and named in the 1870s, before then people lived with this mental illness, not knowing what it was, or that they were even sick. It is a mental disorder, which distorts an individual’s perception of how they look. Looking in the mirror, they may see someone overweight

    Read More

  • Family Dysfunction and Anorexia: Is there a correlation?

    1225 Words  | 3 Pages

    Anorexia nervosa is a psychosociological disease which affects young women. Anorexia is mainly a female's disease which has been evident for centuries-however, in the past twenty years, the incidence of this disorder has risen to horrifying proportions. It is characterized by the refusal to maintain body wight over a minimal normal weight for age and height; intense fear of gaining weight; a distorted body image; and, amenorrhea. (http://www.pgi.edu/hagopian.htm) This disorder becomes a disease when the mind starts to cause problems with one's physical well-being. A connection has been found between sociocultural pressures to achieve, familial characteristics, and individual personality traits.

    Read More

  • Anorexia Nervosa Throughout History

    1123 Words  | 3 Pages

    As defined by the National Eating Disorders Association, “Anorexia Nervosa is a serious, potentially life-threatening eating disorder characterized by self-starvation and excessive weight loss.” (NEDA). The term “Anorexia Nervosa” literally means “neurotic loss of appetite”, and could be more generally defined as the result of a prolonged self-starvation and an unhealthy relationship regarding food and self-image. It is characterized by “resistance to maintaining body weight at or above a minimally normal weight for age and height”, “intense fear of weight gain or being “fat”, even though underweight”, “disturbance in the experience of body weight or shape, undue influence of weight or shape on self-evaluation, or denial of the seriousness of low body weight”, and “loss of menstrual periods in girls and women post-puberty.”(NEDA) Among women on a range of 15 to 24 years old, AN has been proved to have 12 times the annual mortality rate of all death causes, and from premature deaths of anorexic patients, 1 in every 5 is caused by suicide, which gives a rise of 20% for suicide probability. (EDV)

    Read More

  • Anorexia in Teens

    1166 Words  | 3 Pages

    Anorexia is a big deal in the United States, a lot of young people are starting to starve them self just to become skinny. This isn’t only because they want to look like that model, or just want to skinny. Anorexia can come from other places in a person’s life. Anorexia came to be from seeing a few of my friends not eat, just because they wanted to be skinny, also I found a new article on a model who became anorexic just to walk down a runway. “The model name was Isabelle Caro, 28 years old with anorexia.” (Vandoorne)

    Read More

  • Anorexia Nervosa

    1563 Words  | 4 Pages

    Anorexic behavior is complex because it is all about the need for control. Someone suffering from anorexia has a distorted body image of himself or herself. He/she believes to be overweight, even though twenty percent of the time he/she is not (Yancey 59). The image of being overweight causes a low self-esteem. Symptoms of low self-esteem are loneliness, inadequacy in talents, a lack of trust in people and themselves, insecurity, identification with a specific peer group, and sadness. The media displays the ideal human body as thin and beautiful. Anorexic’s lives are full of confusion and lack of control. To the anorexic, to be thin is to be in control. The state of control to the anorexic is the ideal life without confusion and difficulties. In most cases, the anorexic is intelligent; popular among his/her peers, athletic, talented, and viewed as a role model to most people he/she comes in contact with. In reality, the issues in daily living are too difficult for the anorexic resulting in a lack of control in his/her life. The anorexic’s answer to a confusing life is to starve the body. The behavioral symptoms of the anorexia are counting calories, eating little food, baking treats for everyone and giving them away in hope of controlling not only the anorexic’s intake of his/her food, but also others. “Playing” with food at meal times is common behavior of the anorexic. When the meal is complete, the anorexic has disguised food intake by pushing the food around on the plate and hiding food in napkins. To dress in layers to hide the distinct weight loss and to avoid social activities where eating is involved are common behavioral symptoms. Behavioral symptoms of the anorexic can go unnoticed by most people. These symptoms are very secretive and oblivious to outsiders because the behavior is not out of the ordinary. Although the behavioral symptoms of the anore...

    Read More

  • Anorexia and the Media

    576 Words  | 2 Pages

    It is no wonder that many girls are anorexic: it is from the media. The media’s promotion of super-skinny models has lead many young girls to believe that they are nothing. This is not true, and yet the media promotes it. The image of being “thin and beautiful” pushes young women to diet, which, in their attempt to fit into the “mold” of the model, may lead to anorexia. Approximately one to three percent of women in the United States are anorexic (Cha 1). Clothing companies, such as Calvin Klein, are to blame for this growing epidemic.

    Read More

  • Adolescent Eating Disorders

    1663 Words  | 4 Pages

    In 1978, Brunch called anorexia nervosa a 'new disease' and noted that the condition seemed to overtake ?the daughters of the well-to-do, educated and successful families.? Today it is acknowledged and accepted that anorexia affects more than just one gender or socio-economic class; however, much of the current research is focused on the female gender. ?Anorexia nervosa is characterized by extreme dieting, intense fear of gaining weight, and obsessive exercising. The weight loss eventually produces a variety of physical symptoms associated with starvation: sleep disturbance, cessation of menstruation, insensitivity to pain, loss of hair on the head, low blood pressure, a variety of cardiovascular problems and reduced body temperature. Between 10% and 15% of anorexics literally starve themselves to death; others die because of some type of cardiovascular dysfunction (Bee and Boyd, 2001).?

    Read More

  • Unrealistic Body Images

    1147 Words  | 3 Pages

    Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. In our society today, people would rather see what celebrities are up to than what is going on with our health plan. Watching the news makes us aware of the latest trend, new gadget, who’s in rehab, or who has an eating disorder. In the eyes of society, women like Eva Longoria, Kim Kardashian, and Megan Fox are the epitome of perfection. What girl wouldn’t want to look like them? Unfortunately, this includes most of the girls in the US. Through TV shows, commercials, magazines or any form of advertising, the media enforces a certain body type which women emulate. The media has created a puissant social system where everyone must obtain a thin waist and large breasts. As a society, we are so image obsessed with the approval of being thin and disapproval of being overweight, that it is affecting the health of most women. Women much rather try to fit the social acceptance of being thin by focusing on unrealistic body images which causes them to have lower self esteem and are more likely to fall prey to eating disorders, The media has a dangerous influence on the women’s health in the United States.

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay On Body Image

    1622 Words  | 4 Pages

    The media is extremely powerful and can send young boys and girls the wrong message about what is a healthy normal body weight. “Ultra-thin models and actresses appear in ads on television and in movies. Even though media photos of many actresses and actors are airbrushed so they appear younger and thinner, many people see them as having achieved an ideal weight. One study found that the average height and weight for a model in 5’10” and 110lbs., while the average height and weight for a woman is 5’4” and 145lbs. Considering that the average person sees approximately 3,000 ads and commercials daily, it’s no wonder that media have created a distorted ideal body image.” (Brawn 2017)

    Read More

  • Negative Effects of Social Media on Teens

    1037 Words  | 3 Pages

    Anorexia is the third most common chronic illness among teenagers. With 80% of teen females and 15% of teen males being or attempting to be anorexic, it is surprising that it is not higher up on the list. Anorexia is the most common negative view shown on media. On the social media site Tumblr, pro-anorexic blogs have become a popular trend to follow and many show images of models with captions reading "I want to be able to sit down and have my thighs not touch," (My Pro). The truth is, however, that the average model is 23% under their ideal weight. The average US model weighs 117 pounds and is 5'11" while the average US woman weighs 140 pounds and is only 5'4". This causes perspective to see those far too skinny as beautiful and the normal weight to seem more than it is. In a recent study when asked if they were overweight, 75% of the women answered yes and only 25% of them were. (Perfect) Social media has swayed beliefs of the past by making the thin want to be thinner and those who believe themselves to be overweight feel as if reaching their correct BMI is impossible.

    Read More

  • Teenage Girls and Body Image

    1282 Words  | 3 Pages

    The pattern is similar for the portrayal of women on television, magazines, and other parts of the media. The way media represents women are for them to be thin-like models and other women on television to be the high standard of “attractiveness” to others. The advertising involved targets young teenage women and feature these models that are portraying desirable items, and the “norm” is for these women to be slender and beautiful (Vonderen & Kinnally, 2012). Research has been done to prove that media’s pressure on being thin causes women to be depressive and negative feelings about themselves . Women’s view are skewed and perceived incorrectly of what the typical female body should be (Haas, Pawlow, Pettibone & Segrist, 2012).

    Read More

  • Does Skinny Equal Beautiful?

    1142 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...ssion and often times contemplate suicide. As of right now, thin is beautiful and it does not show signs of changing. If more people speak out about eating disorders, the public would know that most thin females, especially celebrities, are not naturally that thin. They are sacrificing their lives to look that way. If a female even speculates that she has a problem, she should seek help immediately. Eating disorders can be treated and, if caught early enough, easily overcome. There are many ways to get help. Talking to a teacher, parent, friend, or doctor is an easy way to get started. From there, there are many rehabilitation facilities located throughout the United States. Even a local hospital can help. If you are suffering from an eating disorder, the first thing you must realize is that you are not alone. Do not be afraid to speak out and get help.

    Read More

  • What Does It Mean To Be Skinny Models

    664 Words  | 2 Pages

    Being skinny is okay, but models are too skinny! Skinny to the point it is a disgusting sight. Models put out this image of being gruesomely skinny is what makes a woman “perfect” and “sexy.” That is a false statement, looking healthy is what makes a woman “sexy” not seeing ribs and little skinny legs. No one wants to look at a woman so ungodly skinny that if they broke a heel they would break their leg as well.

    Read More

  • Free Essay on Eating Disorder - Eating Disorders

    651 Words  | 2 Pages

    It seems like every little girl dreams of becoming a model. They want to be thin and pretty like the models they see on television and in magazines. Often the desire becomes an obsession and young girls see "thinness" as being a needed characteristic. For many girls, the teenage years are spent trying to acquire this look. Females are trying diets and are exercising like it is a competition to see who can lose the most weight the quickest. The obsession of many young girls over their appearance or weight has led to a growing number of people who have developed an eating disorder to try to deal with their lack of self-esteem or other related problems.

    Read More

More about The Skinny Dilemma

Open Document