Media and Eating Disorders

Today’s society seems to have an unhealthy obsession with celebrities, in particular their weight and body shape, which is only perpetuated by the media, maybe it is even caused by the media?

The media certainly is constantly bombarding us with images of extremely thin celebrities. A current topic at the moment, seems to be celebrities having babies. After a celebrity has given birth, it appears to be a race to loose weight, and just weeks after giving birth celebrities emerge looking impossibly skinny. This only adds to pressures to ‘normal’ mums to loose weight.

Having babies aside, celebrities are expected to look nothing less than perfect. This perfect look, is unachievable for most people, and can be a result of women (and men) feelings dissatisfied with their bodies, which can result in them making unhealthy diet choices. Dieting is a contributory factor in eating disorders, the most common two being anorexia nervosa, and bulimia nervosa.

I think celebrities endeavour to look the way they do because of the immense pressure they face from the media to look good, and it is the media that then bombards the general public with images.

So is the media responsible for eating disorders? I don’t think it’s fair to answer this with a definite yes, as it is known that eating discords, can arise from a number of interrelated complex issues. These include psychological issues, family environment, genetic factors, life transitions,and perpetuating circumstances.

However the media certainly has an important role to play in the messages that impressionable young people receive about the cultural idea of physical perfection. The media clearly sends out the wrong message to people, and adds to pressure to be slim.

I think the media's behaviour is unreasonable and immoral, because of the effects it can have on an individuals life. People who read or see something in the media, could potentially end up with an eating disorder from the pressure it presents. To me this is completely unacceptable, people should not be put under such pressure.

http://www.disordered-eating.co.uk/causes-of-eating-disorders/media-and-eating-disorders.html

http://www.ehealthmd.com/library/anorexia/ANO_causes.html

http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/campaigns/changingminds/mentaldisorders/anorexiabulimia.aspx