Putting the Problem into Perspective
Media is all around; it is
inescapable, from the cover of a magazine, to billboards, to commercials
broadcasted on television sets around our country. “Today’s advertisers go to
huge lengths to sell products and to convince women that their bodies are never
good enough” (Body Image). Lately, images of women with bony,
boy-like figures have dominated the media’s industry. This appearance has
been sending a dangerous message to women all over the country saying that you
must be thin to achieve happiness.
“A recent study found that seventy percent of sixth grade girls surveyed report that they first became concerned about their weight between the ages of nine and eleven” (U.S. Dept. of Health).
Eating disorders are rapidly rising for pre-pubertal girls and disordered eating and concern on weight are becoming serious issues to girls that are only nine years old (U.S. Dept. of Health).
Not only that but four and five year olds are also expressing the need to diet (Thompson).
Research also shows, “Half of teen girls use unhealthy weight strategies. Fifty percent skip meals, fast, smoke, vomit or take laxatives (“She Almost Died” 254).
The average women model weighs up to twenty-five percent less than the typical woman and maintains a weight of about fifteen to twenty percent below what is considered healthy for her age and height” (“Effects of the Media” 1).
These are outrageous statistics; it just shows how media can shape young minds.
Who is to blame for all this controversy? From the rise of eating disorders to a perfect life with the perfect, flawless body, media has certainly impacted the way America looks at life. America wasn’t always about slim, bone-structured bodies, though. Body shapes have evolved from as far back as the 1890’s.
“Women had a plump body, pale complexion, this represented wealth and abundance of food.
The early 1900’s had an hour- glass look, while the 1950’s represented full-figured
women such as Marilyn Monroe, as well as the gaunt Twiggy look.
Now, the look is waif-like figures such as Kate Moss who are tall, very thin,
and look natural” (“Body Image").
The wave of eating disorder deaths among models has drastically increased and has shocked the world (“She Almost Died” 1). “Super models of all the popular magazines have continued to get thinner and thinner. Modeling agencies have been reported to actively pursue anorexic models. Models today especially, have to practically kill themselves to stay ahead and to actually succeed in the industry, one being a young Brazilian model Ana Carolina Reston who died from anorexia, fall of 2006. Is body image so important to our society that we would actually do this to ourselves?
“A recent study found that seventy percent of sixth grade girls surveyed report that they first became concerned about their weight between the ages of nine and eleven” (U.S. Dept. of Health).
Eating disorders are rapidly rising for pre-pubertal girls and disordered eating and concern on weight are becoming serious issues to girls that are only nine years old (U.S. Dept. of Health).
Not only that but four and five year olds are also expressing the need to diet (Thompson).
Research also shows, “Half of teen girls use unhealthy weight strategies. Fifty percent skip meals, fast, smoke, vomit or take laxatives (“She Almost Died” 254).
The average women model weighs up to twenty-five percent less than the typical woman and maintains a weight of about fifteen to twenty percent below what is considered healthy for her age and height” (“Effects of the Media” 1).
These are outrageous statistics; it just shows how media can shape young minds.
Who is to blame for all this controversy? From the rise of eating disorders to a perfect life with the perfect, flawless body, media has certainly impacted the way America looks at life. America wasn’t always about slim, bone-structured bodies, though. Body shapes have evolved from as far back as the 1890’s.
“Women had a plump body, pale complexion, this represented wealth and abundance of food.
The early 1900’s had an hour- glass look, while the 1950’s represented full-figured
women such as Marilyn Monroe, as well as the gaunt Twiggy look.
Now, the look is waif-like figures such as Kate Moss who are tall, very thin,
and look natural” (“Body Image").
The wave of eating disorder deaths among models has drastically increased and has shocked the world (“She Almost Died” 1). “Super models of all the popular magazines have continued to get thinner and thinner. Modeling agencies have been reported to actively pursue anorexic models. Models today especially, have to practically kill themselves to stay ahead and to actually succeed in the industry, one being a young Brazilian model Ana Carolina Reston who died from anorexia, fall of 2006. Is body image so important to our society that we would actually do this to ourselves?