Media and Its Effects on Body Image
...attractive models their flashing around on the TV and in magazines. And now people or going into and eating disorder meltdown. “Advertisers often emphasize sexuality and the importance of physical attractiveness in the attempt to sell products” (Harvesting Minds). This places pressure on men and women to focus on their appearances. It causes most women and also some men to fear being unattractive or becoming old. The majority of teenagers with eating disorders are girls, but experts believe the number of boys affected is increasing and that many cases may not be reported, since males are reluctant to acknowledge any illness primarily one that is associated with females (Wax). The number of people affected by eating disorders has significantly increased since the 1970’s. Ten to fifteen percent of all adolescent and young women in the United States will develop an eating disorder. Women compare their bodies to others they see around them. Researchers have found that most exposure to the idealistic body type lowers a women’s happiness with their own body (Dittrich). Studies found that women and girls who had seen magazines of super-thin models had a lower self esteem than those who had seen average oversized models. Girls reported in a “Body Image Survey” that “very thin” models made them feel insecure about themselves (Body Image). “Many health professionals are also concerned by the amount of distorted body image among women, which may be fostered by their constant self-comparison to extremely thin figures promoted in the media” (Lavoie). Many women that are of “normal” weight think that they are overweight and many over estimate their own body size (Lavioe). Dissatisfaction with their bodies causes many women and girls to strive for the thin ideal. “The number one wish for girls ages 11 to 17 is to be thinner, and girls as young as five have expressed fears of getting fat. Eighty percent of ten year old girls have dieted, and at any one time fifty percent of women are currently dieting. Some researchers suggest de...