Eating Disorders and the Media

Eating Disorders and the Media It is proven that more than half of a million American teenagers have an eating disorder. Is the media to blame for this large number of eating disorders? These eating disorders have been documented in medical history since the 1800s. The media contributes to what teenagers believe is “thin and beautiful”. Having an eating disorder can cause many negative physical effects to the body. Not only are there many negative physical effects from eating disorders, there are mental and emotional effects too. One opposing argument may be that many people may have is the fact that the media could have a positive affect on eating disorders. Thus, eating disorders can be attributed to the media because the portrayal of thin and beautiful models puts pressure on the average teen. The media contributes to what teenagers believe is “thin and beautiful.” This is why controlling what is in the media is vital to teenagers. Frances O’Connor, the author of Obesity and the Media, explains advertisers bombard viewers with approximately five hundred advertisements everyday, and at least ten percent of these advertisements are directly about beauty. This information shows that there are an overwhelming number of messages from the media about beauty. In addition, O’Connor later goes on to write that, advertisers expose viewers to the idea that being skinny and losing weight will make them happier. However, in the article, “Eating Disorders and the Media,” The Camp Recovery Center Health Group proves that long-term “regimented diet plans do not work”, the more people purchase diet products, the more the diet industry will keep pushing their false advertisements and slogans. According to the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders, “Nearly 70 percent of girls in grades five through 12 said magazine images influence their ideals of a perfect body.” This shows that the media, which can lead to many eating disorders, influences more