dying to be thin essays

dying to be thin essays In todays society an increasing number of girls experience blows to their self-esteem and even develop eating disorders due to the medias influence. The main source of these self-esteem blows are fashion magazines, as well as TV characters. The age of girls being influenced by the media is getting younger and younger. Studies have shown that pre-pubescent girls as young as four or five are concerned with their body weight. This concern is often as extreme as feelings of guilt, shame and complete distortion of body image. Studies show, that these self-destructive feelings are often due to the medias influence. Destructive and negative feelings about ones body can lead to eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia . Some characteristics of one who suffers from anorexia include: losing a significant amount of weight, fearing weight gain, continuing to diet although thin, feeling overweight even after significant weight loss, losing monthly menstruation, preferring to di! et in isolation, binging and purging and preoccupation with food, calories and nutrition. Danger sings of bulimia include Binging or eating uncontrollably, and abusing laxatives or diuretics (Effects pg.2-3). By parading very thin women in sexy clothing with boys falling at their feet, the media is sending the message to young impressionable girls that boys will like you if you have a good body. This type of message then can lead to eating disorders in girls as young as nine or ten. With so many different types of fashion magazines to choose from, young girls and women alike find themselves consulting magazines to discover what beauty is; what these woman often find is pages of impossibly thin models. These magazines claim to define beauty and then proceed to do so using a single, specific body type. Though fashion magazines and teen magazines are aimed at teenagers and woman, the age group that reads ...