I need to lose 5 pounds.

If I can just fit into the dress by the end of the

summer, Ill be happy. Im going on a date tonight, so I havent eaten at all today.
These are all common statements to hear in todays world. However, none of these
are healthy ways of thinking. Spreading ideas like this is only causing an increase in
negative body image, which has a very strong correlation to eating disorders.
Additionally, there must be a root to these poisonous ideas, because no one was
born with that mindset. The media is a very influential contributor to thoughts, such
as those aforementioned, and even more vitally, disordered eating. The media
causes eating disorders through providing a thin ideal to women, then pushing
that further through advertisements for unhealthy and unrealistic diet plans.
Initially, the media plants dissatisfaction in womens minds in terms of body
image by glorifying the thin ideal. Since the 1950s, the ideal body for women has
become increasingly smaller to the point where it is now unrealistic to acquire
healthfully. Since technology such as Photoshop and Airbrush have become so
advanced, it is easy for models to look unnaturally thin and perfectly
proportioned. Although there are a plethora of people who partake in viewing the
media regularly, it is proven through the study discussed in What Causes an Eating
Disorder on the website for The Center for Eating Disorders that the media has a
very high impact. This study was recording the reaction that adolescents in Fiji had
to the introduction of media. The article stated, This new media exposure resulted
in significant preoccupations related to shape and weight, purging behavior to
control weight, and negative body image. There was a direct correlation between
the newly-introduced media and a sudden rise in eating disorder symptoms. Not
only do the media provide a thin ideal for women, but it also emphasizes the
importance of it by enforcing the idea that ones body is more relevant than their
intellectual standings. The main topics discussed in magazines are based off of
purely materialistic and shallow ideas. Rarely will you see a magazine discuss what
college a celebrity graduated from; rather, youll see how many pounds that
celebrity lost or gained recently. For example, People magazines January 5, 2015
issue had a front cover announcing How they did it: half their size! This is sending
the idea to the readers that this is an overly-significant issue.
Not only does the medias thin ideal affect people directly, but it also has
an indirect influence. While its being engrained in peoples minds, they become
more aware of other peoples body types. Knowing this, people become more selfconscious, adding to the effect. This also presents an unrealistic expectation of
women for men. With not only the media making women feel pressured to have the
perfect body, but also their potential partners and fellow acquaintances and
friends, it makes it even harder for women to resist this body ideal.
In addition, the media expands upon the thin ideal by advertising for
unhealthy and unrealistic dieting techniques. As confirmed by the Losing Weight
article on the website for Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it is safe to
lose about 1-2 pounds per week. With that in mind, OK magazine provided an article

on July 14, 2014, declaring, Yes, Its Possible! How Celebs Lose 10 Pounds in 10
Days. With such a fast and unnatural weight loss promotion, it becomes difficult for
women to realize that it is possible to lose weight slowly and safely. Although dieting
alone is not going to plummet one into an eating disorder, restrictive and unnatural
ones make women more at risk. After restricting too severely for a prolonged
amount of time, naturally one will binge. This easily develops into a vicious cycle
that becomes harder to break over time; it can even become a sort of addiction. The
Addiction Treatment Elements Drug Rehab Treatment Center even treats and
discusses eating disorders, due to their addictive qualities. Many eating disorders
can be traced back to the medias influence.
Although the media has a strong influence on the rise in eating disorders, it is
not the only attributor. Eating disorders can be traced through genetics, as well as
already low self-esteem. It is also true that only a small percentage of people have
eating disorders, yet a large percentage is well-acquainted with the media.
However, a large percentage of people with eating disorders can trace their initial
symptoms back to the media. The media has the ability to push already at-risk
people over the edge; if a woman already has a negative body image, then gets
bombarded with pictures of underweight models and ideas on how to lose weight
too quickly, she can be exponentially more susceptible to the development of
disordered eating behaviors. With many factors contributing to eating disorders, the
media remains a very powerful and prominent aspect.
Symptoms of eating disorders share a strong correlation with exposure to the
media in todays society. With a body ideal being overemphasized, as well as
unhealthy ways of losing weight being repetitively advertised, many women
develop negative body image or low self-esteem, which can make them more
susceptible to disordered eating. Since the media has become more prevalent in the
world, eating disorders have been on the rise, as well. Although the rise in
disordered eating does not completely force the blame onto the media, it shows a
strong relationship between the two. Between the study done in Fiji, as well as our
everyday lives, it is not hard to see the connection. The media has the capacity to
root ideas in womens minds that eventually can grow into an eating disorder.

Works Cited:
1. "Media, Body Image, and Eating Disorders | National Eating Disorders
Association." Media, Body Image, and Eating Disorders | National Eating
Disorders Association. Web. 18 Nov. 2015.
<https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/media-body-image-and-eatingdisorders>.
2. Jade, Deanne. "National Centre for Eating Disorders - The Media & Eating
Disorders." National Centre for Eating Disorders. 2012. Web. 18 Nov. 2015.
<http://eating-disorders.org.uk/information/the-media-eating-disorders/>.
3. Spettigue, Wendy, and Katherine Henderson. "Eating Disorders and the Role
of the Media." The Canadian Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Review.
Canadian Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Web. 19 Nov. 2015.
<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2533817/>.
4. "What Causes an Eating Disorder?" Underlying Causes. 2015. Web. 19 Nov.
2015.
<http://eatingdisorder.org/eating-disorder-information/underlying-causes/>.
5. "Social Media's Potential Influence on Eating Disorders." Addiction Treatment
Elements Drug
Rehab Treatment Centers. 7 Nov. 2014. Web. 19 Nov. 2015.