Fashion and beauty in the United States media portrays constant icons of unattainable female figures that crowd magazines, films, and television commercials that alter the way women view themselves.  By simply listening to and watching things on the internet, women consciously notice a negative body image, deteriorating self-esteem, and unhealthy eating patterns.  In addition, the stick-thin models with incredible bodies conveyed in the media have recently led to a huge leap in the number of eating disorders among young women, with rates almost tripling in the last decade.  Research also found that those who surrounded themselves in the media are much less content with their body shape than those who were not exposed to any appearance-related media.  Those who are unhappy with their physical appearance are likely to have lower confidence and experience frequent signs of depression and anxiety.  The deplorable truth of modern society focuses on one’s physical attributes like body size, makeup, hair style, and muscle mass, rather than internal characteristics such as intelligence and personality.  The mass majority of women in the United States are exposed to magazines, tv shows, movies, and fashion shows where they witness first-hand what the “ideal woman” is expected to look like.  Unfortunately, the media for the past decade has the strength to corrupt the minds of young women across the country  The harmful relationship between body image and the media serves as an important topic for discussion due to its serious repercussions; disordered eating habits like anorexia, binge eating, and bulimia have the potential to end in extreme body harm and death.  It is extremely pertinent to become aware of these dangerous repercussions because each year close to 350,000 people die from an eating disorder just in the United States. This number has close to doubled in the past 5 years due to the increased access to the media.  The recurring appearance of unhealthy and gaunt models in the media has led to a dramatic increase in the number of bulimic and anorexic women in the United States.

Body image refers to an abstract representation of one’s own physical appearance created by self-observation and outside influence.  The majority of the people reading articles similar to Cussins’ and Rices’ are interested in women’s depiction in the media, body image, or have battled an eating disorder themselves.  This research is extremely pertinent to the world today because of the major uproar it has struck between media producers and the rest of the world.  Most people are completely unaware of what an eating disorder is and how it impacts one's’ life.  Health manager specializing in eating disorders and body image related issues, Joana Costa, describes an eating disorder as “one of the most life-threatening psychopathological conditions” (Costa 315).  Adding to the large list of eating disorders, Costa defines anorexia as an obsession to be thin, a fear of gaining weight, and a loss of control over eating.  Similarly, Vanessa Rancano, professional health consultant, wrote “Is it Time to Set Weight Minimums for the Fashion Industry?” in response to the increased number of women suffering from anorexia and bulimia.  The malnutrition of models has been the focus of popular conversation for decades, yet we still experience issues to this day.  The majority of today’s models have a body mass index of under 16, which is professionally labelled as a level of starvation.  Rancano includes, “Seventy percent of girls ages 10 to 18 report that they define perfect body image based on what they see in magazines” (Rancano).  While companies are mainly focused on the overall perfection of their models, they also take into consideration the model’s influence on women.  Rancano’s article shows no sign of bias and therefore, it comes across as credible and serves as a trustworthy source of information.  In order to lower the number of eating disorder victims, the media must focus on solely hiring women with a healthy body mass index and visible appearance.

Young women are gaining a sense of insecurity and are also undergoing unhealthy eating syndromes due to the modernization of fashion in the media.  Canadian consultant and author on women’s body issues, Carla Rice, responds to the recent outbreak of eating disorders among teenage girls by mentioning a few statistics to highlight the importance of this modern issue in the United States.  Rice mentions that over 40% of women feel that they are too fat and 80% are unhappy about the way their body looks in comparison to others.  She includes, “A key medium of self-making, many girls and women also experience their body as a significant obstacle and source of distress.  Studies conducted in wealthy nations show how girls as young as six already express dissatisfaction with their bodies” (Rice 3).  Across the country, millions of women are given an unrealistic idea of how the perfect woman should look, and therefore it becomes a personal goal to look exactly like the models they see in tv-commercials and fashion shows.  For example, “…women are identified socially with our bodies.  How the culture values or devalues our physical features, sizes, and capacities has a significant impact on our sense of body and self” (Rice 6).  America’s fashion culture encourages women to evolve into a mirror image of those conveyed in the media.  For instance, magazine covers are plastered with “10 Ways to a Flatter Stomach” and “5 Ways to Look Just Like Her”; these forms of media support women in hopes of them attempting to be just like the women in the entertainment industry.  In addition to the insecurity brought about from the media, the majority of women admit to the fact that men view women as “objects” and often times, their emotions and strengths are overshadowed by their flaws.  Rice states that a recent advertisement concluded that “Women are to be looked at, and men do the looking” (Rice 47).  All of the information Rice includes in the text is relevant and verified by outside research; she writes from multiple viewpoints to bring multiple opinions to the table.  The context is supported by previously composed medical and psychological articles written in 2014, a year when fashion and media’s portrayal of women had a major effect on women’s health.  The modernized form of fashion depicted in the media has created a negative impact on teenage girls, eventually leading to self-deprivation and various forms of eating disorders.  

Anne Marie Cussins, psychoanalytic therapist, works with varied emotional difficulties among female patients who suffer from depression, anxiety, and eating disorders.  In her article titled, “The Role of Body Image in Women’s Mental Health”, she confidently states that the paper-thin models strutting down runways are fueling the broadening the gap between healthy and unsound women.  As shown in the text, “The BMA had previously produced a report saying that waif-like models are fueling an epidemic of illnesses such as anorexia and bulimia and criticized the widening gap between the shapes of real women and size six or eight models” (Cussins 105).  Cussins confirms that all her written information is reliable by including data from medical research and psychiatric therapy published around 2001.  Cussins utilizes her novel to draw reader’s attention towards the destructive impacts that ensue from the constant parade of visually unhealthy models in the media. 

Cherry Norton, social affairs editor of Independent magazine, argues that the media should start portraying women with more realistic body shapes in order to put a stop to the rise of eating disorder cases.  Norton constructed her article, “Eating Disorders, Body Image and the Media”, to enlighten readers on the destructive influence that women in the media have had on the rest of the world’s population.  Norton includes information from the British Medical Association to support her idea: “the position has reached an unacceptable level with every family doctor in the country treating two patients suffering from anorexia and 18 with bulimia nervosa” (Norton).  In addition to the shocking number of young girls undergoing an eating disorder, anorexia and bulimia currently rank as one of the highest death rates among teenage girls, standing at 34%.  Norton ensures readers that all of the data presented is accurate by confirming it with outside sources that are informative, without bias.  The article was published in 2000, acting as the commencement year of the increased rates of eating disorders brought about from the media.  In example, Norton includes: 

“Doctors called for the media to show "more realistic body shapes" to reduce the number of deaths caused by eating disorders.  The research shows that the gap between the perceived ideal body shape and reality is widening, as women are generally getting larger while models, actresses and women who appear on television are getting smaller” (Norton).  

For the average woman, gaining weight is inevitable and can only be stopped by a change in diet or an increase in exercise.  Even with an active lifestyle, it is important for young women to keep up a healthy diet, which sounds fairly simple, yet this is where some go wrong.  Those suffering from an eating disorder either eat nothing at all, or binge eat everything in sight, neither showing signs of a beneficial diet.  As mentioned in Norton’s article, “It is a psychiatric illness with a high death rate. Those who don't die suffer from long- term health problems, such as teenage girls suffering from early onset of osteoporosis, brittle bone disease” (Norton).  Not eating properly ultimately leads to health issues, such as osteoporosis and heart failure.  Not only is the media promoting the obsession with eating disorders, but also encouraging unsound eating habits that may eventually lead to death.

From the 1800’s through the late 1900’s, the ideal female structure was strongly built with a filled out figure; unfortunately, this icon quickly switched to an obsession with being thin and bony with large hips.   Recent research has shown that over 92% of women are unhappy with their body and seek to resemble women portrayed through the media.  In reality, only 5% of the entire world naturally looks like these ideal women.  Lauren Berninger, founder and director of a non-profit organization, Finding the Fabulous, argues that the world shouldn’t be blaming the media for recent increase in eating disorders, but instead blame those around.  Berninger opens her article with the following words: “...from the #aeriereal models campaign to obese Barbie and magazines airbrushing skinny models to look fatter, the body image debate has captured our attention for years...and for good reason” (Berninger).  Berninger guarantees that her provided context is 100% conclusive and reliable by including accurate statistics that support her argument well.  In addition, the context of Berninger’s article is derived from previous researched and medical articles that provide readers with an aura of contentment.  Berninger utilizes “Stop Blaming the Media for Our Body Image Issues” to stand up for the modern media and strongly confess her opinion on the recent increase in body image issues in women across the globe.  In example, she mentions: 

“Yes, there are hundreds of reports that prove what a major influence media has on shaping perceptions; I’m not trying to dispute the massive effect media has and could use for good instead of evil.  But can we continue to blame the media for every negative thought girls have about themselves?” (Berninger). 

Much of her audience is made up of women in their teenage years and above who are interested in eating disorders and the media’s impact on the issue.  A single viewpoint is illustrated throughout the text and is supported by outside research and statistical evidence.  Berninger presents that instead of blaming every body image issue on media’s portrayal of women, we should be looking towards family members, community influences, and school teachings to help close the gap between reality and perfection.  

The fashion industry is an immediate target when body image issues come to the table.  Most people are willing to stand behind the fact that businesses have done close to nothing to get rid of this degrading reference of being the encouragement behind such unhealthy eating behavior.  Recent national laws and strict rules have been passed in response to the sudden deaths of two famous models, 22-year-old Luisel Ramos and 21-year-old Ana Carolina Reston.  Author, Summer Oakes, talks about growing up with two active parents and how her childhood evolves into her current standpoint regarding the unhealthy weights of models across the country.  She includes: “As the daughter of a health-obsessed, grow-your-own-food family (my mother was an aerobics, tap, jazz and ballet instructor; my dad was a dock worker most of his life; both are avid gardeners), it was impossible not to pick up their healthy habits” (Oakes).  Oakes’ article comes from a more personal stance, making the text a bit bias towards the issue.  Oakes’ article varies from the other sources in the way that it comes from a writer with a personal history with eating disorders, which adds truth to her article.  Fashion companies from the UK, France, and the US have yet to pass any laws concerning the BMI’s of their models.  Instead, they focus on a more casual approach including educational campaigns, pledges to raising healthier looking girls, and nonbinding agreements.

The unfavorable influence on self-image and self-worth in America’s women has become a topic of everyday discussion, which ultimately fuels a woman’s wish to have a perfect figure.  Actor, Lillian Bustle, performs her TEDx talk to encourage teenage girls to focus on the positive aspects of their bodies, rather than dwell on their flaws.  The entire TEDx talk is credible and accurate because it is a personal story with a few data points and figures thrown in.  Every year, thousands of women struggle with the acceptance of their bodies and strive to be skinnier, doing anything possible to obtain their ideal body.  The TEDx talk is an exciting addition to the research paper because it is wildly different than all the other utilized sources, and it will bring an entirely new aspect to this argument.

The four main aspects of body image include: the way you see yourself, the way you feel about the way you look, the thoughts and beliefs you have about your body, and the things you do in relation to the way you look.  Body dissatisfaction tends to occur when a person has doubts or negative feelings about their body image, and this is where the media comes into play.  But why is body image so important in modern society?  Those with a positive body image will often have better health and mental capacity.  For example, a positive body image impacts self-esteem levels, self-acceptance, and healthy outlook and behaviors.  As Justin Healey mentioned in his novel, Positive Body Image: “There is no right or wrong when it comes to body shape or appearance.  Learning to accept your body shape is a crucial step towards feeling positive about your weight, shape, size, and appearance” (Healey 2).  Author, Justin Healey, admits that there should not be a direct image of the perfect woman.  Instead of worrying about how to fulfill the image of ideality, women should instead focus on becoming their best self.  It is important to the world today to help maintain a constant, overall high level of body image satisfaction in order to keep the world’s young women healthy and successful.    

Thanks to the abnormally thin models in the media, the average woman experiences poor body image, which can be linked to depression, eating disorders, drug abuse, and anxiety.  Taken from statistics, the majority of young women rank their body weight as their number one concern.  As previously mentioned, today’s popular media represents a consequential social and cultural aspect that poorly alters the development of one’s self-perception and body image.  These glorified people in the media have no true reflection on the common teenage girl’s body shape.  Because of the contribution of impractical perceptions regarding physical appearance in the media, many viewers have succumbed to “body dissatisfaction” and various eating disorders.  Despite flourishing concern about the use of intensely underweight models, there is no sign of future regulation pertaining to the depiction of body image in the media.  There needs to be a call to action and the number of women suffering needs to be lowered immediately.  However, any forthcoming improvement of national industry standards would lead to a decrease in eating disorders among women and would be a step in the right direction towards efficient body image portrayal in the media. 
