Lowder 1

Sierra Lowder
Professor Malcolm Campbell
English 1103
February 14, 2015
Topic Proposal: Fake Body Goals
Introduction/Overview
I will be examining how advertising media has affected eating disorders in girls as well
as the controversies surrounding body image. An eating disorder is defined as any of a range of
psychological disorders characterized by abnormal or disturbed eating habits. People with
negative body images are more likely to suffer from an eating disorder (national eating

Luke Aulbert 2/17/2016 11:07 PM

Comment [1]: give a more precise
definition of an eating disorder

disorders).
A common myth is that eating disorders are the white girl disease as in it only affect
white adolescent girls. Eating disorders can happen to anyone in fact. According to the National
Association for Anorexia Nervosa and Associated disorders, in the United States, up to 30
million people suffer from an eating disorder (20 million females and 10 million males). Eating
disorders affect both genders, but females are 2.5% more likely to acquire a eating disorder. This
is a shocking number because eating disorders also have the highest morality rate of any mental
illness. Anorexia is the highest and has a morality rate 12 times higher than any other cause of
death for woman 15-24 (national institute of mental health).
Media has a way of showing us that if we are slender, it allows us to gain love,
acceptance and respect. A study conducted by the University of Hafia in 2011 found that the

Luke Aulbert 2/17/2016 11:08 PM

Comment [2]: according to your previous
data this may not be a right stat

Lowder 2

more time a teenage girl spent on Facebook the higher the risk of developing an eating disorder
or negative body images. Facebook is supposed to be a site used to keep up to date with family
and friends and even watch a funny video or two, but instead there are young girls leaving the
site feeling even worse about themselves.
Initial Inquiry Question(s)
Do magazine covers depict woman in an unrealistic light for young girls? How does the

Luke Aulbert 2/17/2016 11:13 PM

Comment [3]: you state it affects more
then just white girls and then specifically
use a stat concerning a teenage girl

media and advertising contribute to adolescents' body image? How does body image affect
eating disorders? Do ads show real women?

My Interest in this Topic

I want to learn more about this topic because even I have had struggles with body image.
Body image is a hard thing to be positive about 100% of the time when there are girls posted on
magazines like sports illustrated with perfect bodies. We are expected to look picture perfect
when in reality perfection is unattainable. Even though I have not suffered from an eating
disorder because of my body image I still want to dig deeper in understanding what can make
someone feel so negatively about their body that they have to go to extremes like an eating
disorder to feel good enough.
I already know that eating disorders are highly detrimental to the human body. Eating
disorders cause an onset of problems throughout the body like malnutrition, dental erosion and
can cause multiple stops to the hospital. Eating disorders can also lead to other forms of mental
illness like depression and anxiety and commonly can end in suicide.

Luke Aulbert 2/17/2016 11:20 PM

Comment [4]: you go back and forth
about eating disorders affecting the human
body in all genders and women and body
image.
Try to narrow this down, just a suggestion

Lowder 3

Next Steps
I will be investigating the national eating disorders, the ANAD website for statistics on
whom is affected by a eating disorders. I will also be searching for a wide variety of articles from
websites like USA Today and NPR to find live accounts of girls with histories of eating
disorders. Also go through the database Point of Views in order to find the differing views of
whether media plays a vital role in causing eating disorders. I plan to visit the librarians in order
to find books explaining more about eating disorders and the history behind them.

J. Murrey Atkins Library 5/3/2016 2:47 PM

Comment [5]: Overall, I enjoyed reading
your paper about how you described
eating disorders and body image.
However I feel you are too broad by going
into the eating disorders and statistics
about eating disorders for all genders and
then going on about media and how media
affects body image in girls. Try to be more
concise in your final draft.
Hopefully my comments make sense
This is not J Murrey Atkins nor was this
comment done on 5/3/2016, this document
was converted and this comment was left
out for whatever reason