Thursday, September 18, 2008

Thin is the word. Indeed. It is funny how so many women and youths are led to believe that the only way to feel attractive and beautiful is to have their bodies consist of nothing but skin and bones. The social pressure to be thin seems to affect the youths to some extent. The media inundates them with messages on television, in the movies, in magazines, on billboards, and on the internet, that thinness brings beauty, success, and happiness. Youths are striving for an unattainable body figure that is portrayed by the media as being the ideal standard for today’s youth. Television and media influence youths in a way that can cause ruthless harm towards their bodies by aiming for impossible weight achieving goals. This ruthless harm that haunts so many youths today just so happens to be what we call eating disorders. Anorexia and bulimia are the primary diseases that go in the category of eating disorders. Who is to blame for this daunting occurrence? In most cases, the media is either some or all to blame for the eating disorder and standards placed for youths.

Commercials, billboards, youth's magazine advertisements (Seventeen, Cleo, etc) are all forms of the media that portray negative images of youths. When the youth in today’s society sees what is being advertised, it is not so shocking that many of them strive for these impossible body images. It is when the want and desire becomes so strong that these youths drive themselves to starvation and other forms of eating disorders. For example, United States is a fat-phobic society and from early age, youths are taught to believe that thin is better. Many of them associate fat with ugliness and failure. Therefore, many healthy children of normal weight are conscious of their weight and are afraid of becoming too fat.



Advertisements of the worlds’ famous fashion doll icon, Barbie also make youths hate themselves even more. Being compared to her body shape is an utter embarrassment. Barbie's larger-than-life breasts and microscopic waist which make her look like a cartoon doesn’t seem to stop youths from the urge of getting thinner. They idolized her looks and strive for the same perfectionism. Barbie actually doesn't look like a woman. Her form is perhaps best described as ‘woman-like’. But, many youths misinterpret this fact and force themselves to be like her, hoping to be as thin and famous as her.

ANOREXIA

Anorexia is a state where the anorexic patients starve, driving themselves to exhaustion or eat so little food that is not fit for a healthy individual. They have the habit of calculating calories, go on with ridiculous diets, exercise excessively, and have the inclination to hide food; fear of going to parties with huge amount of food and the list goes on. They have lost too much weight in a short period of time but still have the assumption that they are as fat as ever.

BULIMIA
Bulimia is a state where the bulimic patients binge after they eat a huge amount of food. This is due to the guilt of over-eating. They have no control over the amount of food they consume. Therefore, they practice compulsive vomiting (visiting of toilet right after meal) and use laxatives to wash away what have been eaten. Bulimic patients have the feeling of guilt and hatred towards themselves and self-control is absent in their cases.

In conclusion, what we are trying to arise here is how far media and television influence eating disorders among youths? Will youths stop their obsession of being thin once the media and television stop portraying advertisements with super skinny models? Would that action put a stop to eating disorders among youths? Probably not, but it would be a step in the right direction. Youths should feel that it is okay to be different and that not everybody is obligated to live up to these false advertised standards. Labeling of ‘plus size’ should be stopped. Therefore, if the society wants to change what youths are doing to themselves every day, then, it is up to the media to start showing youths today that it is okay to be who you are, big or small. Just be yourself before you lose yourself.

RESOURCES:
Anorexia and Bulimia
Barbie, Body Image and Eating Disorders
Television and Media Advertising Cause Eating Disorders

Labels: anorexia and bulimia, youths