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India Sierra Muse Instructor: Malcom Campbell English 1102 10-29-13

Thin and Thinner: Never having the right body type in the eyes of the United States Media

In the United States bod image is controlled and rendered onl b the media! "here is al#a s a $er popular celebrit on the %ront o% maga&ines' in a ad$ertising commercial' or e$en the star o% a ne# mo$ie! Man o% them ad$ertise #eight loss and ho# to obtain the (ideal bod !) Your Health "oda sa s that bod image is a mental representation that a person has o% his or her o#n bod ' including' attitudes' thoughts' and emotions! "he thin bod t pe is glamori&ed in social media and most o% the time consumers bu into #hat the ad$ertising industr is selling! *ittle do these companies +no# is that the are a%%ecting our outh in a negati$e #a ! ,oung girls are comparing themsel$es to these celebrities' models' and actresses in hopes o% meeting the standards o% societ ! -hile tr ing to compare themsel$es to models these oung girls are su%%ering %rom lo# sel% esteem and disorderl eating resulting in eating disorders and .nore/ia 0er$osa becoming the number one eating disorder in .merica!

In The Media "he ideal bod image is portra ed in the media on a dail basis! 1irls $ie# these images in mo$ies' the ne#s' internet' "2 sho#s' and maga&ines at an a$erage o% 300-400 times a da !

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5 the time she is 16' she has recei$ed about 270'000 messages re%erring to beaut through the media! "he ideali&ed model is o%ten #hite' tall' thin' and has blonde hair! 8esearch has sho#n that man o% the models sho#n on tele$ision' ad$ertisements' and in other %orms o% popular media are appro/imatel 209 belo# ideal bod #eight! "hese #omen meet the diagnostic criteria %or anore/ia ner$osa and o%ten su%%er %rom bulimia :;ittmar < =o#ard' 2003>! "hese girls accept the %act that the are not as beauti%ul as the #oman on the co$er o% the maga&ine! Societ ma+es them belie$e that thats #hat the need to loo+ li+e! Since the 1970?s the ideal bod image o% the United States has become thinner #ith the gro#th o% %eminism and the #a #omen are portra ed! In the earl 1920?s #omen #ere ad$ertised %ull clothed and sho#ed $er little s+in! @$er time #omen began to sho# more s+in #hich led to the ideal bod o% a thinner #oman!

Dove Commer ials and !o" Self #steem .t a $er oung age #e begin to compare oursel$es to other people! -e become a#are

that #e do not loo+ li+e e$er one else around us! Man o% these oung %emales #ant to be accepted among other children their age! ;o$e has created the (Dove Self #steem $und) in order to let girls +no# that the are beauti%ul the #a the are! "he ha$e produced man %ilms that e/press the $ie#s o% oung teenage girls on the #a the $ie# their o#n bodies! In these %ilms the e/press the #a other classmates $ie# them such as calling them anore/ic' %at' and ugl ! @ne girl that stood out the most #as the girl that #as hospitali&ed a%ter losing so much #eight in the 9th grade! -hen she in the Ath grade she #as larger and o$er the summer she lost #eight due to being pic+ed on! .s a result people started tal+ing to her and #anted to be her %riend! She %elt accepted and #as in%luenced that #hat she #as doing to her bod #as o+a !

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.ccording to Striegal-Moore and Bran+oC #riters o% the International %ournal of #ating Disorders' %emales are more common to e/perience dissatis%action o% their ph sical appearance than males! .t a oung age studies ha$e %ound that nearl hal% o% girls aging 4-A reported #anting to be slimmer! "he remain cautious o% #hat the eat in %ear o% un#anted #eight gain! "his is #hen the oung girls %all into the habits o% cutting do#n %ood inta+e! It is true that both %emales and males can be discouraged o% #hat the loo+ li+e although eating and mental disorders are more common in %emales!

Disordered #ating and #ating Disorders Man oung girls su%%er %rom disordered eating and eating disorders! ;isordered eating is

classi%ied as restricti$e dieting' s+ipping meals' binge eating and purging' la/ati$e abuse' and other eating beha$iors that are unhealth to the bod ! I% continued disordered eating can turn into an eating disorder! .ccording to Your Health "oda & an eating disorder is a chronic illness that Deopardi&es ph sical and mental health in #hich the can be li%e threatening! E/amples o% common eating disorders are anore/ia' binge eating' bulimia! -ith the ne# release o% "he .merican Es chiatric .ssociationFs boo+ o% mental disorders' binge eating has no# been classi%ied as a mental disorder in the same categor as anore/ia and bulimia :Masterson>! 5inge Eating is the act o% obsessi$e eating' eating #hen ouFre not hungr and %eeling disgusted and depressed a%ter#ard!

.nore/ia 0er$osa is the leading eating disorder in the United States o% .merica! .ccording to the 0ational Eating ;isorder .ssociation' .nore/ia 0er$osa is a serious and

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potential li%e threatening eating disorder that is identi%ied b e/cessi$e #eight-loss and sel% star$ation! Eeople that su%%ers %rom .nore/ia 0er$osa are al#a s $er cautious o% their #eight! "he ha$e an e/treme %ear o% being (%at) and do not meet the reGuirements o% #eight %or their age and height! @n a dail basis .nore/ia 0er$osa can be $er detrimental to health! Most begin to count calories and #atch #hat the eat! "he o%ten #ill den hunger and s+ip multiple meals! E/cessi$e e/ercise and e/tracurricular acti$it is a #arning sign o% an eating disorder! "he bod does not recei$e the essential nutrients that it needs due to the lac+ o% %ood in some or all categories! -hen this happens there is a change in muscle mass and bone densit ! "he heart beat become irregular and the blood pressure decreases! "here is an increased %eeling o% #ea+ness' %atigue' and deh dration! "he bod begins to slo# do#n o$er time and the person ma e/perience hair loss and dr s+in! "reatment %or .nore/ia 0er$osa can be nutritional guidance' %amil and personal counseling' and a medical assessment! Bamil support and counseling is important because eating disorders do not onl a%%ect the li%e o% the $ictim but as #ell as the entire %amil ! In Bigure 1' the oung teenager that is standing in the mirror is $ie#ing #hat is called a ;istorted Image! ;istorted Images are a s mptom o% eating disorder and other somatic issues #hich in$ol$es a change in the #a the bod is $ie#ed or (%elt!) Eeople #ho su%%er %rom bod image distortion ma loo+ in the mirror and see themsel$es totall di%%erent than realit ! "he o%ten see themsel$es as o$ersi&ed and enormous #hen in realit the are under #eight! "hese eating disorders are $er common in oung #omen ranging
Bigure 1

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%rom ages 13-27 and come %rom the inner %eelings to#ards ho# the ph sicall loo+' and not #anting to eat! "he act o% not eating and %orcing themsel$es to $omit is ho# the neglect their bodies!

Con lusion In conclusion societies $ie# on bod image decreases the sel% esteem o% oung girls! "he compare themsel$es to the ideali&ed #omen that are seen e$er da nation#ide! "he act o% social media creating and ideali&ing the thin bod t pe' has not onl a%%ected the ph sical bod but also the mental aspect o% oung girls! "his unrealistic bod shape is said to be unachie$able and $er unhealth to the human bod and mind! "his a%%ects the $ictims o% anore/ia ner$osa and other eating disorders because this a%%ects their dail li%e and their mental and health stabilit ! "his also a%%ects the larger culture b creating a burden! Eating disorders and lo# sel% esteem do not onl a%%ect the person #ith the disorder but e$er one around them as #ell! "he disco$er o% eating and mental disorders has brought Guestions to #hat the social media is reall doing to our outh! "hese oung girls then ta+e it upon themsel$es to obtain that #eight or loo+! -e as a nation need to decrease the le$els o% dissatis%action o% these oung girls b creating more campaigns li+e ;o$e! I% the sel% esteem o% these girls rises the percentage o% eating disorders #ill decrease! "he use o% ethnic and models o% all si&es in the media #ould increase sel% esteem in ounger girls! It is Dust a matter o% educating these girls to let them +no# that the are per%ect ho# the are and that e$er bod is di%%erent!

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'or( Cited "eague' Michael *!' Sara *! C! Mac+en&ie' and ;a$id M! 8osenthal! H5od Image!HYour Health Today: )rief! 0e# ,or+' 0,: Mc1ra#-=ill =igher Education' 2009! 149-A4! Erint!

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H1eneral In%ormation I 0ational Eating ;isorders .ssociation!H *eneral Information + National #ating Disorders ,sso iation! 0!p!' n!d! -eb! 23 Sept! 2013! H"he Eating ;isorder Boundation!H The #ating Disorder $oundation! 0!p!' n!d! -eb! 24 Sept! 2013! H;o$e - 8eal Esteem!H YouTube! ,ou"ube' 23 @ct! 2004! -eb! 23 Sept! 2013! H. ;o$e Bilm - 1irlFs Sel%-esteem!H YouTube! ,ou"ube' 09 @ct! 2004! -eb! 22 Sept! 2013! ;ittmar' =!' < =o#ard' S! :2003>! Ero%essional ha&ardsJ "he impact o% modelsF bod si&e on ad$ertising e%%ecti$eness and #omenFs bod -%ocused an/iet in pro%essions that do and do not emphasi&e the cultural ideal o% thinness! 5ritish Kournal o% Social Es cholog ' 33:3>' 366-396!

Masterson' Lathleen! H5inge Eating @%%iciall ;e%ined .s . Mental ;isorder!H 0E8! 0E8' 10 Beb! 2010! -eb! 13 @ct! 2013! Striegel-Moore' 8! =!' < Schreiber' 1! 5! :2000>! Eating disorder s mptoms in a cohort o% 11 to 14- ear-old blac+ and #hite girls: International Kournal o% Eating ;isorders' 26:1>' 39-44!