The deadly cycle. One that consumes 90% of a young female’s mind daily, controlling every thought; “should I just spit this into my napkin? And how many miles will I need to run after this snack?”. However only a smile appears on her face, as she easily convinces her family she is healthy and happy, and isn’t torturing herself with the voice in her head. The inner voice is only ignited because we live in a media-driven society that promotes false expectations of happiness being achieved through thinness.  This causes many young women to feel that they must improve their appearance to be beautiful and happy. Women are too often judged by their looks, resulting in many women, especially young girls, having low self-esteem based on what the media has concluded is the ideal modern woman. Having self-esteem is confidence in one’s own worth, and if a person lacks this, it can cause major damage to their ability to function normally and perform even the simplest of tasks. Unfortunately, as the media and advertising have increasingly portrayed celebrities and products on overly-thin women, the prevalence of low self-esteem and body dissatisfaction has risen overwhelmingly. Everyone should feel beautiful in their own skin and also unafraid to seek help when they experience negative emotions towards food and their weight, for the young women in America today are suffering from this un-addressed problem.

The past two decades has seen a devastating increase in eating disorders.  Current statistics are that 7 million girls in America have one, and of that 7 million, 90% of them are between ages 12-25.  An eating disorder can be defined as extreme emotions, attitudes and behaviors surrounding weight and food issues, and can result in unhealthy efforts to reduce one’s food intake. Having an eating disorder can lead to several health problems, like organ damage, mental instability and sometimes even death. Every 62 minutes someone dies from an eating disorder (Hope). When young women view distorted images portrayed by the media, many wish they could obtain the celebrities’ or models’ looks, so they begin trying to change themselves into what society constructs as beautiful. 

The media portrays images of what they feel a beautiful woman should look like, causing many young girls to view their body image negatively, leading to body dissatisfaction. Women are too often judged by their looks, resulting in many women, especially young girls, having low self-esteem based on what the media has concluded as the ideal modern woman. Having self-esteem is confidence in one’s own worth, and if a person lacks this, it can cause major damage to their ability to function normally and perform even the simplest of tasks. Unfortunately, as the media and advertising have increasingly portrayed celebrities and products on overly-thin women, the prevalence of low self-esteem and body dissatisfaction has risen overwhelmingly. Trying to achieve what the media shows as true beauty is an unrealistic goal that leads many into developing an eating disorder. The media portrays images of what they feel a beautiful woman should look like, causing many young girls to view their body image negatively, leading to body dissatisfaction. With the recent increase in eating disorders among young girls in America, the media and celebrities should portray more realistic body images, while changing the attitude of “happiness is driven through thinness,” to lower the prevalence of eating disorders. Everyone should feel beautiful in their own skin and also unafraid to seek help when they experience negative emotions towards food and their weight, for the young women in America today are suffering from this un-addressed problem.

When advertising and media first began, it was evident the power it had on creating appearance trends that people would follow. Even before the internet and social media, print advertising showed that women are lured into following tips for dieting and beauty, trying to obtain the look society idealized as beautiful. As described in the Huffington Post: It’s Amazing How Much The ‘Perfect Body’ Has Changed in 100 Years by Nina Bahadur, “models and movie stars are getting smaller than the average American woman at unprecedented rates.” As history shows, not too many years ago, it was a sign of wealth to be overweight, and if one was overly-thin it was a sign of poverty. Eventually, as industrialization took place and various forms of media became more easily accessible, the first ideal body image was in the 1900’s as “Gibson Girl.” Bahadur describes the “Gibson Girl” as having bigger hips, and bust, with a very small waist that, “came to epitomize the ideal feminine beauty.” Later, appearance began to mirror events in society, as “The Flapper” look reflected women rebelling against social norms as the roar of wealth, prosperity and festivities captivated big cities. Women began to be seen merely as sex symbols and prized solely for their bodies.  In the 1950’s, the ideal woman was portrayed short-haired with a fuller, curvier body, like Marilyn Monroe, which was a look highly flaunted by men (Bahadur). As other women observed the special treatment these women were receiving from men, they began to idolize and follow these media-driven trends. The attention women with status obtain from men, is why women will follow their diets and trends to get the same appreciation and notice. 

Although the phenomenon of following appearance guidelines promoted by celebrities has continued, the ideal figure soon changed in 1966 when Twiggy emerged as the first ultra-thin model.  This set the stage for the present-day standard for the modeling industry and ideal body figure for young women. Women admire everything the media promotes as how a woman should look, as they seek to get the same attention shown to ultra-thin women. In a live interview of Twiggy, she claimed, “I was a very, very skinny model in the 60’s, but naturally.” However, despite her claim that she was just being herself, many people blamed her for the start of an overly-thin model industry that continues to become thinner. Twiggy claims that she never engaged in unhealthy eating habits, like models today may claim, but this did not stop the public from continuing to accuse her to be the start of the thinness trend. In the 2000’s, the ideal look for Victoria Secret models began to evolve into what Adriana Lima characterizes as “big breasts, flowing hair, and toned, extremely thin bodies” (Bahadur). As time continues, the ideal body figure is always evolving from what a famous model or celebrity demonstrates, and unfortunately the present day figure continues to be an increase in thinness. 

Throughout history, advertisers have staged their products on perfect-skinned, ultra-thin women, in hopes that viewers will believe their products will make them look perfect as well. Women thus become obsessed with trying to look like these women, disregarding the product itself. In Ronald Bishop’s, The Pursuit of Perfection: A Narrative Analysis of How Women's Magazines Cover Eating Disorders, Bishop claims that producers for the media use their power to make girls believe they must diet and workout to look like a happy model, instead of using their power to show the damaging effects of eating disorders. Rather than using their power to uplift women, magazines still devote their pages to ways to improve one’s body; “Since 1980, when eating disorders pushed their way into the public’s eye, women’s magazines have published 47 feature articles on eating disorders- a small percentage of the feature articles run in these magazines in the last two decades” (Bishop). As it is portrayed in the media, everyone should follow the societal norms, by always dieting and setting unrealistic body goals. This can be unhealthy, as women will engage in many harmful practices to attempt to obtain the impractical goals. Bishop claims that, if a producer runs a story on a woman who has suffered from an eating disorder they, “paint the girl as selfish, and the problem was self-inflicted,” rather than showcasing multiple attributes she had that evolved into the eating disorder (Bishop). This treatment by the media on women having eating disorders as being abnormal just exacerbates the problem even more as these women feel they are not what they should be. They then may try even harder to not be seen as having a disorder, and have society view them as effortlessly beautiful, like the media portrays women in advertisements, thus compounding the problem. The media should understand their power, and focus their advertisements on a more positive and realistic goal for young women, to help their self-esteem and views on body imaging, rather than always promoting ways to change oneself. 

Agreeing with the notion presented by Bishop, Courtney Howard describes in, “Does Social Media Cause Eating Disorders in Children?”, that the media is the contributing factor for the increase in eating disorders, and that social media and pro-eating disorder websites are the biggest contributors to the increase. With the rise in social media consumption, such as Instagram and Facebook, women are able to view in even greater detail the glamorized and unrealistic lifestyles of models and celebrities. Although social media was created as a way for people to connect with friends, the power behind constantly seeing “pop up” advertisements, and celebrities with the ideal body who seem to do it effortlessly, can create physical dissatisfaction in young women. In a study from the University of Haifa, “young women from the ages of 12 to 19 were found that more exposure to social media contributed to higher rates of eating disorders and related concerns” (Howard). The media uses tracking and targeted advertising power to promote their sponsors’ products, which often present distorted images of women, tricking their costumers into thinking their products will make them look like the model. 

In the digital age that we live in, almost everyone has unlimited easy access to the internet and are able to browse the web 24/7 constantly exposed to, or may unintentionally run across, targeted advertisements or a  pro-eating disorder websites. Pro-eating disorder websites are known for showing photos of very thin women and labelling them as “thinspiration”, tricking their young woman readers into thinking they have gained weight and that they should look like the women in the pictures (Howard). These websites promote and encourage women to treat their eating disorder, as a “lifestyle” instead of a problem. The rise of technology, and the constant urge to always be connected, makes for targeted advertisements and pro-eating disorder websites to be a part of a woman’s daily life. 

The pro-eating disorder websites have been constantly brought to the mainstream media’s attention, due mostly to the efforts to have them terminated.  However, more websites have sprung up to replace the ones shut down. These pro-eating disorder websites promote unhealthy tips, diets and exercise routines, and post photos of models to “inspire” others. Some of these websites are set up as “blogs,” disguising their message as if it were personal accounts from ordinary people. This can have a powerful effect on readers who do suffer from an eating disorder by making them feel like they are not a part of the bloggers community.  Reading what appears to be a blog from another average girl, who suffers from low self-esteem, and practices unhealthy dieting tips, makes for the viewer to feel they should engage as well.  Although Howard claims that, “most of these sites claim to not promote eating disorders or encourage related behaviors,” it is understood that they are using their power to set standards women should look like, and makes the illness seem like a trend rather than an issue. Women often feel a sense of happiness and acceptance when they are with other women who think and feel as they do, and have the same ideas and trends. Feeling alone, and vulnerable is one of the main signs of an eating disorder, and feeling they are not what society considers normal is another. This helps explain why pro-eating disorder websites are so popular, as they provide a sense of community and a place where you can read about other people like yourself, with similar problems and complaints. This is why the websites should be brought to mainstream media’s attention and regulated more than they are, to try and change the layout of the website to one that promotes a community for recovery. 

The sense of community is a main reason the Pro-eating disorder websites are popular, 

although they can promote unhealthy behaviors and encourage women to feel their illness is a glamorized trend and not a serious problem that requires attention. In Emese Csipke’s, Pro-Eating Disorder Websites: Users' Opinions, Csipke propose that pro-eating disorder websites are a good thing for those with the illness. Explaining that the removal of them would cause greater harm than good, because women with eating disorders need to communicate with others and not feel alone. Csipke believes that these websites do not promote eating disorders, because the users who read these blogs already have the condition. However, while that may be true in some cases, it can also be understood that women may stumble upon these websites, or be encouraged by friends to view them, when they do not initially have the disorder. Csipkes claims that these websites create a community for those with an eating disorder, and the removal of them would leave the user feeling vulnerable and friendless, causing the problem to get worse. One can certainly understand the argument that talking with other women suffering the same issues can be a positive; however, the argument that these websites need to be modified to ensure women are not lured into thinking this disorder is a lifestyle is prominent. Instead of removing the websites completely, internet-service providers should turn them around and use them as an access point to resources geared to recovery. 

Time has shown, that the social mediated world and websites, like Pro-eating disorder ones, continues to grow and is showing no signs of declining. As Csipke wrote this article in 2007, he stated that he believed by not touching the websites would result in them eventually disappearing on their own. This can be proven wrong, as the prevalence of pro-eating disorder websites have seen a drastic increase throughout the years, despite constant efforts to end them. Csipke claims, “most of the pro-eating disorder websites have labels saying ‘Do not enter if you do not have an eating disorder ‘prevents those without the illness from straying away” however this could be argued that it in fact provokes ones curiosity. If a young woman stumbles across a website, they may feel curious and want to see what this separate community of young women are also feeling. Although agreeing with Csipke that the complete disappearance of the pro-eating disorder websites will leave women feeling alone and vulnerable, there still should be rules and regulations implemented for them to act as a recovery community. These websites could be of great use to help stop the spread and severity of eating disorders, as they can be used as a safe place for women to chat about new positive behaviors instead. Pro-eating disorder websites continue to gain popularity. That is why it is so vital for internet servers to regulate them, and turn them into a positive somehow, for the slow disappearance of them is unlikely. 

 Pro-eating disorder websites provide insights that not all women are as happy and self-content as they may express to others, by the blog posts from anonymous accounts. This is especially true for celebrities and people who have publicity, as they may sometimes hide their true emotions to the world, especially if they know it will give them negative attention. Celebrities have always been followed by the media and paparazzi, however celebrities today may never know when their photos will be displayed in the magazine of the week, or online instantly. Although many celebrities are able to employ personal trainers and nutritionists to help balance their health, they are still under enormous pressure to always look a certain way in the media. This pressure to always look like they have an effortlessly perfect body image, has driven some into developing anxiety issues that result in an eating disorder, that most try to hide from the public. 

Actress and singer, Demi Lovato, is just one example of a  high-profile celebrity, who has become very public about her struggles dealing with an eating disorder. Lovato claims during a live interview with ABC News, that she never felt low self-esteem until she entered the media industry, and constantly reminded that she does not look like other women in the industry. Lovato explains that her eating disorder began to get so out of control, and her depression so profound, that she was eventually checked into the hospital and then later sent to rehab. In her live interview, Lovato explains that she felt alone, and not good enough compared to the models and other famous women, “for not being a size 0” (Lovato). This is just one example of how the pressure to look a certain way, even though not everyone is built the same, can drive someone into unhealthy behaviors like bulimia and anorexia. In Lovato’s song “Skyscraper”, she is open about her recovery and explains she is, “rising from the ground, like a skyscraper” hoping that her fans will hear the message and do the same (Lovato). Lovato has also lashed out at other celebrities who also suffer from eating disorders, but who try to glamorize their problem and make it seem acceptable to behave as they do. Most recently, Lovato spoke about Lada Gaga, who told the public that she sometimes has unhealthy habits like purging and regurgitating, and goes on to state that this behavior is acceptable. Lada Gaga explained that with the busy career she has, she has no time to work out, but that the media will “obliterate” her if she is seen with the “slightest flaw” (Gaga). This is a prime example of how the media pushes for celebrities into engaging in unhealthy behaviors, and even helping to glamorize the behaviors, by promoting that its normal. In Lovato’s song “Skyscraper”, she is open about her recovery and explains she is, “rising from the ground, like a skyscraper” hoping that her fans will hear the message and do the same (Lovato). The media should thus change the way they promote what society idolizes as beautiful, to help change the unreasonable pressures that celebrates feel, in hopes that they won’t engage in unhealthy dieting. 

Feeling the same pressures as celebrities, or even more, models in present day fashion industries are, according to the National Eating Disorders Association, 5”11’ and weigh 117 pounds. While the average women is 5”4’ and weighs 140 pounds (Smolak L).  Furthering that notion, most fashion models are also thinner than 98% of American women (Smolak L). The fashion industry has become increasingly competitive, and models are asked to be as thin as possible. According to the Model Alliance: Giving a Voice to the Faces of the Fashion Industry, an anonymous survey was sent out and discovered that 64.1% of models have been asked to lose weight by their modeling agency. This startling news can help explain why models engage in eating disorder behaviors, and unhealthy dieting practices.  

The competition of models to look unrealistically perfect, explains why some feel the need to go to extremes to obtain this look, or extremes to get out of the industry. Looking at a case of a former model, Sammi Kearsey, who committed suicide after struggling with an ongoing eating disorder can help demonstrate the extremes one will take if they feel they cannot rise to the standards set. Robin Jenkins’ interviewed Kearsey’s friends and family members in his article, “Beauty Queen and Model Found Hanged in Park After Battling Eating Disorder and Depression.” Jenkins reveals the thoughts and attitudes from Sammi Kearsey’s family, as they could see their loved one, “wither away after she decided to join the modeling industry” (Jenkins). Being body-shamed, and forced to compete for an ideal thinness within the modeling world, is how Kearsey’s family described the present day modeling industry (Jenkins).  As the media pushes people in the industry to look an unrealistic way, models turn to unhealthy ways to achieve this figure. 

The alarming part of this story is that these models are presented to the public as healthy and happy, and problem-free, which makes women who are not a part of the industry believe they must look like them as well. Sammi Kearsey is one example of many, of someone in a media-driven industry feeling they do not possess enough self-worth and cannot achieve this socially-constructed body the media has created. More often than not, women of average size, who try to enter the fashion world, are shamed and driven out because of their looks. Instead of being respected for their other qualities they are only ridiculed for their appearance. Lovato was able to recover from her eating disorder, and has used her celebrity status to try to raise awareness of the issue; however, unfortunately, too many young women are like Sammi Kearsey and end tragically. The pressures the media puts on people in the celebrity and fashion industries are worsening. For this issue needs to be addressed more effectively so more young women don’t end up like Sammi Kearsey and many others. 

Although the media can be blamed for socially constructing an unrealistic body image, it does however provide society with a valuable service, the distribution of information and news.  Mass communication can bring cohesion to the world, and  makes our world seem that much smaller and more connected, which has been very beneficial. However, even though media has many valuable attributes, it can also cause problems.  People can certainly use the media’s power and reap personal benefits from it. Monitoring the media is difficult, as we are unable to track all its users, and this can unfortunately cause extreme and possibly unintended consequences to its viewers. Media producers however should be cautious as to what they are promoting, for they can never be too sure as to how the audience will react to it.

Learning the views from media producers and overseers of media, as they fully believe they are not responsible for the increase in eating disorders. Trevor Jackson is a journalist and movie producer who expresses his thoughts, and the thoughts of other interviewed journalists in his, “Press: Under Cover” about the issue of media and its influence on eating disorders. He believes that if this were a huge problem, people would take more notice. Claiming that journalists would make this issue a news headline, because it would be something that would be of great importance, and that society would have an interest in. Agenda-setting is a term used by big media companies to describe the notion that if society feels something is an issue, then the media will talk about it more and use it to make a profit. Jackson and his fellow journalists claim they rarely see or hear of eating disorder activists, and if they did, they would be the first to uncover the truth of the disease (Jackson). While this may be true for some journalists, it cannot be assumed that every media outlet has the same experience. The media producers and journalists agree that people who suffer from eating disorders are mostly suffering from some other mental instability, and that these issues are not caused or promoted by their media outlet (Jackson). While it can be argued that an eating disorder has a psychological rooting, it can also be said that the media plays on the victim’s brain, thus resulting in a worsening of the condition. Media producers should understand how much their ideas influence their viewers and take into consideration what and how they promote ideas.

The counter-argument that mainstream media producers use to bolster their side is that there are many cases of individuals who do not engage in a lot of media, but who suffer from an eating disorder. As this may be true in some cases, it is also proven through experiments, that engaging in a lot of media, can cause lower self-esteem and body dissatisfaction, and these are factors that contribute to the onset and perpetuation of eating disorder behaviors. However, as Jackson claims, that he feels there are more tragic cases of young women who have suffered from an eating disorder as a result of a different reason, that isn’t associated with the media.  In particular, there are many cases where an eating disorder can be traced to mental, physical and sexual abuse. He also asserts that showing women images of “how they should look” has no significant effect on hardly anyone. Jackson also claims that even the “How to Guides” in magazines, are written with, “a good laugh” as mainstream media produces believe that most women don’t really take these articles all that seriously; since they know they are modified and aren’t the actual celebrities’ true dietary plans. Coming from a male’s point of view, one can understand why Jackson undermines what women truly believe, as he may not quite understand the pressures felt by young females when viewing very thin models in bathing suits. Women are confronted with very different pressures than men, and are also commonly judged by their looks initially. Which is possibly why Jackson can’t quite grasp that women might view magazine articles of highlighted beautiful women seriously, and not just as “jokes” or make-believe stories. If Jackson, and other alike producers, could understand how women truly feel, then maybe the new trend in media would be for one to have positive psychological state of mind, instead of a physical, unrealistic goal. A goal that achieves no positive attitudes, or inner thoughts for young women, but instead is a burden in which they are constantly thinking about.

The inner voice that overwhelms a young teenage girls mind daily, controlling even the smallest aspect, like counting the calories she will need to burn after eating a meal with friends. Unable to enjoy an activity, and even a night’s rest without unbearably thinking about her weight. Knowing she has a problem, but is unable to fix it because she wants to be seen as beautiful, like the women society idolizes. Unable to free her mind, and truly live a life with happiness. Depression rates are rising in young women, as well as the deaths associated with the disorder, people need to take action and address the problem, to try to end the suffering among our young women. Recall, every 62 minutes someone dies from an eating disorder; we are losing the strong and intelligent young women of America who should be judged by their qualities, not their appearance. With the increase in eating disorders in recent years, and the severe impact they have on our young women, the problem should be addressed more than it is currently. Eating disorders can often go unnoticed until it is too late.  It is critical that the media distorting photos and promoting what is socially-constructed as today’s ideal of female beauty, realize the impact they have. If this phenomenon continues to increase, it can cause many problems, as more families are losing their loved ones because they feel they are not good enough for what society considers normal and attractive. Once again, every 62 minutes someone dies from an eating disorder; we are losing the strong and intelligent young women of America who should be judged by their qualities, not their appearance. If media can begin promoting various body figures, and focusing on a positive psychological state of mind for women, instead of always focusing on being thin, then perhaps we will be able to end these tragic cases. In hopes that the media can somehow realize that discussing eating disorders is news-worthy, then women will begin to seek help without feeling like an outsider. Then as a society we can answer and help the victims, and together we can end this cycle of devastating eating disorders among young women. 
