eating disorders

Society, the media, and pop culture play a huge role in the development of an eating disorder. From early life, children are taught by society that their looks matter. From movies to celebrities, there is a huge social demand to be thin and to be “perfect.” Pop culture gives the assumption that to be beautiful one must be a size zero or as close enough to it, as humanly possible. In movies and on television pop culture shows anorexic actresses and models and covers them with make-up to make them look gorgeous. Girls think that they have to look likes these models to be beautiful. Pop culture causes women and young girls especially to want to mimic these thin and attractive yet unrealistic idols the media portrays as real life. A study from the University of Central Florida concluded that girls as young as 3 to 6 already are worried that they are too fat. Being “fat” or even curvy is a bad thing that the media is reflecting on. So much of this has caused many young girls and women to strive for the ideal body shape, making them unhappy with their current body shape. In order to satisfy their craving to change their body, they will do irreversible damage to their bodies and develop eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia nervosa. Anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa are one of the most dangerous consequences of the messages of the media. Bigger is not better in the minds of anorexic and bulimic girls. These eating disorders come from the desire to be thinner by the media. Girls obsess over their weight and by becoming “skinny” they will be and feel pretty. So many young women and girls are easily susceptible to the norm of being thin. Anorexia and bulimia are dangerous disorders, and if the media doesn’t start showing real women, these illnesses will increase. The negative impact of pop culture is giving women body image issues that lead to deadly disorders.