How Does Media Influence Eating Disorders?
Just when you had grown weary of hearing about every female wanting to be thin, it is no secret that mass media plays a huge role in our perception of ourselves and others. Are we good enough? Do we reflect the golden standard that society has put forth? In the United States alone, approximately eight million people suffer from eating disorders every year. The body type portrayed in advertising and editorial contents around the world as the ideal is possessed naturally only by a few females. This clearly indicates that comparing oneself to unrealistic standards set by mass media has a negative impact on self-esteem which further pushes the prevalence of eating disorders. The benefits of mass media help to raise awareness towards the prevalence
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Before the 1980s, there was little information regarding eating disorders and it was often considered as a “white girl’s disease.” Until recently, there has been little attention to eating disorders as well in regards to race, religion, class, and sexuality. As a result, a diverse group of women of color – Asian, African, Native American, Latinas, and so on – have been ignored. In today’s society where media has a tremendous impact on our lives, it is almost impossible to believe that women of color can escape the pressures of western influence and promotion of women’s thinness. The debate of media influence on body image in various demographic regions has led to the development of various theories and studies in order to enhance the understanding of the topic. These disturbances in body image results from internalizing the cultural message of thin meaning good and failing to balance these messages with warnings sent out by a female’s body (EATING DISORDERS). According to the National Eating Disorders Association, about three out of every hundred people in the United States eats in a way disordered enough to signal a need of treatment. A multicultural picture of eating problems also highlights reasons why those historically left out may be especially vulnerable to eating problems not just in the United States, but also around the world. The link between eating problems and socially induced trauma due to media exposure and other conditions should not just be an individual concern. There is a change needed in the critical social conditions that may cause these problems, yet the prevention of eating problems depends on more than just isolating women from mass media. The studies that follow do seem to be somewhat outdated, however by the time these research articles were published, the pervasiveness of mass media had risen to an unprecedented level and would only continue to increase
Before the 1980s, there was little information regarding eating disorders and it was often considered as a “white girl’s disease.” Until recently, there has been little attention to eating disorders as well in regards to race, religion, class, and sexuality. As a result, a diverse group of women of color – Asian, African, Native American, Latinas, and so on – have been ignored. In today’s society where media has a tremendous impact on our lives, it is almost impossible to believe that women of color can escape the pressures of western influence and promotion of women’s thinness. The debate of media influence on body image in various demographic regions has led to the development of various theories and studies in order to enhance the understanding of the topic. These disturbances in body image results from internalizing the cultural message of thin meaning good and failing to balance these messages with warnings sent out by a female’s body (EATING DISORDERS). According to the National Eating Disorders Association, about three out of every hundred people in the United States eats in a way disordered enough to signal a need of treatment. A multicultural picture of eating problems also highlights reasons why those historically left out may be especially vulnerable to eating problems not just in the United States, but also around the world. The link between eating problems and socially induced trauma due to media exposure and other conditions should not just be an individual concern. There is a change needed in the critical social conditions that may cause these problems, yet the prevention of eating problems depends on more than just isolating women from mass media. The studies that follow do seem to be somewhat outdated, however by the time these research articles were published, the pervasiveness of mass media had risen to an unprecedented level and would only continue to increase