The content that is seen regarding celebrity culture has become a very influential aspect of many young people’s lives as social media rapidly gains popularity. The constant exposure to this culture has set unrealistic standards regarding people’s bodies and has increased the expectations that one would have over their own body. Low self-esteem and increased body awareness that result from social media have led to a major influx in eating disorders. According to the Center of Eating Disorders, “It is estimated that over 10 million people in the United States suffer from eating disorders such as anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating disorder, and the statistics are growing.”  To fit the ideals of main stream society regarding the new demanding definition of beauty, young people, especially women, have begun forcing their bodies to adapt through unhealthy dietary patterns. This has been seen not only in the average person, but especially in people of fame who receive lots of media attention as well. The standards that are being set by society and endorsed by celebrities have become a major issue as it encourages mental disorders including a multitude of eating disorders.

Eating disorders are known to effect people very differently; “a person with bulimia nervosa can carry on bingeing and purging while otherwise maintaining a high level of functionality. The same goes of those with anorexia nervosa, binge eating disorder, and purging disorder” (Hughes). Although many people are able to keep their disorder from interrupting their daily lives, there are a large majority of people that have eating disorders and are unable to go about their normal lives. For many, these disorders leave devastating effects on their lives. Often people with these disorders are unable to keep a job as it also has negative effects on their relationships and social lives. It is not necessarily the disorder itself that causes these issues but the other mental instabilities that coincide with these other disorders. There is a high association between eating disorders and other mental disorders such as low self-esteem, depression and lack of self-confidence. 

It has started to become more widely known that the media has a strong influence on people, especially adolescents since they are the most frequent users. A specific influence that it is rapidly becoming more well-known is body dissatisfaction; this is due to the constant portrayal of very small, thin body types. “A recent study by Ogden and Mundray (1996) observed that an acute exposure to such images increased the body image dissatisfaction of adult subjects, whilst exposure to images of overweight individuals ameliorated dissatisfaction” (Champion). Although this study that was conducted isn’t timely, it is still relevant. This study has continued and “the present study attempted to investigate this effect in adolescent girls” (Champion). Unfortunately, these results were inconclusive. It was impossible to prove that social media was the cause of body dissatisfaction since there are so many potential factors. Although social media could be one of the most influential, it was not technically proven. Even though it was inconclusive, the scientists still recognize that media itself certainly does play a role even though they were unable to make the claim it is the sole cause.  

Amy Winehouse is a celebrity who is very well known for her lifelong struggles of abuse and addiction. She was widely known for her deep expressive voice and petite body. Many people blamed her extremely small stature on her well-known drug and alcohol addiction; although it did affect her appearance, a major contributor to her tiny physique was her struggle with bulimia. At a very young age, “Amy Winehouse learned [the] ugly rules of womanhood” (Hughes). Winehouse had not always had the small figure she was known for, in her youth she had the body that would resemble a much more average sized woman. Kayleigh Hughes, writer and contributor for the Pitchfork, notes that this “petiteness” was not normal; it was fought for. A gut-wrenching part of Winehouse’s story is that, “she would openly eat then vomit and considered it her way of staying thin” (Hughes). Many close friend and family members would wait on Winehouse as she spent forty-five minutes in the bathroom vomiting after eating a meal. It was evident that Winehouse was struggling with bulimia but the unfortunate truth is that people weren’t concerned about this habit; it was overlooked and therefore considered acceptable and normal. People considered this disorder as something that was permanent and unchangeable therefore choosing to allow her to continue with this unhealthy routine.  

Living a life under extreme scrutiny of the public, Amy Winehouse would openly eat then vomit and consider it her way of staying attractive. As a celebrity, she and many others are required to stay thin by all means possible. Unfortunately, “disordered eating is so normalized in our culture, especially in celebrity culture, that few people even acknowledge that it’s not healthy, and very potentially fatal” (Hughes). Although it is highly suspicious when a celebrity gains a beautiful figure in a very short amount of time, society manages to overlook how it was done and justify it with the celebrities need to be physically attractive to the public eye. 

Along with the pressure from the public to maintain a highly unrealistic figure, there are a series of environmental and genetic factors that can play a role in certain eating disorders. According to a study that was conducted by “The Center for Eating Disorders”, eating disorders can be hereditary and an individual born with certain genotypes is more at risk of developing a disorder. Additionally, “individuals who have had a family member with an eating disorder are 7-12 times more likely to develop one themselves” (Center). In the past, eating disorders were not considered a mental illness so it was never deliberated that they could be passed from generation to generation. Since eating disorders are not being categorized as mental illness, it is being proven that they can be passed down generations much like any other mental illness. 

Genetics can strongly influence the probability of developing an eating disorders but there are also high number of environmental factors that can also contribute. Social media plays a major role as an environmental factor. It is evident that people with thin bodies are highly praised and therefore become what is desirable by many people. Individuals begin to turn to social media and society for acceptance regarding their own body image. Without the certain body that is considered desirable, these people then begin to have a negative body image and consciousness about themselves. The lack of this culturally glorified figure then influences people to develop unhealthy habits, such as an eating disorder, to gain the confidence and praise from society. Additionally, if an individual finds his or herself surrounded by others who are constantly scrutinizing their own bodies, it is more likely that the individual will start to dislike their own body. 

As a public figure, Amy Winehouse had a lot of environmental pressures from media and society to keep an unrealistically thin body. She created a correlation between public admiration and the way her body looked. Author Kaitlyn Hughes says: 

The environmental and genetic factors at play in Winehouse’s childhood and adolescence put her at extremely high risk for developing an eating disorder, and the lack of early intervention, education, and stable guidance meant that the disease was able to firmly take root and flourish as she was put in higher- and higher-stress situations. 

Due to the absence of concern for Winehouse’s eating habits, this disorder took over and controlled much of her life. The failure to address this illness from the beginning allowed for Winehouse to adapt these morbid habits and conclusively led to her death when she was only twenty-seven years old.

The unfortunate fact of the matter is that it is not only females or celebrities who are having to pick up these terribly unhealthy habits. There are also men who have confessed to having eating disorders. A recent example of this is Penn State football player Joey Julius. Julius confessed to ESPN that he had been struggling for eleven years with a very severe binge-eating disorder (Plaschke). He admitted to eating so much that he would feel sick and couldn’t move so he would have to lay there. He would eat well past just being full to the point that his body physically could not handle any more food. Like most people, Julius was embarrassed and ashamed of his binge-eating disorder and therefore kept it to himself. Not only did it lead to unhealthy dietary patterns but also a series of other mental issues such as low self-esteem, depression and anxiety. Many people do not expect to see this type of behavior in men, especially one who is as strong, tough and as athletically inclined as Julius. 

After confessing to ESPN about his disorder, Julius made the public announcement regarding the issues that he was dealing with. He reached out to all viewers in hoping of helping others who deal with these same personal issues. The goal of his confession was to help create empathy for those struggling and a better understanding that it is possible for men to struggle in the same ways women do. When considering eating disorders, men are often disregarded. It is not typically acknowledged that men can suffer from eating disorders in the same way that women can; however, by having Joey Julius step forward and confess to the public that he has an eating disorder, he is served as a crucial reminder that men are subject to such disorders as well. It can be hoped that by reading articles like such in the media, there is the chance that men won’t feel emasculated for seeking help for an eating disorder. 

Due to the higher rates of awareness, there are increasing possibilities of treatments for eating disorders. According to a new review of previous studies, “people with recurring episodes of binge-eating disorder can be helped with talk therapy or medication” (Disorder). By attending therapy sessions and talking about the insecurities that led to the disorders, it is possible to help the person with the disorder to overcome it. Although rarely prescribed, it’s also possible to get medication for certain disorders. The most important part about the treatment is allowing for people to understand they don’t have to suffer through their disorder alone. There has recently been a raise in awareness and acknowledgement of eating disorders as mental diseases which has ultimately resulted in a call to action. There is more of a drive today to seek help for those who are effected since it is becoming evident the detrimental toll these disorders can have on a person having been left untreated.  

Compared to ten years ago, there are huge amounts of progress that are being made, both politically and socially, regarding eating disorders. Socially, it is becoming more widely known that these disorders are actual mental illnesses; the acceptance that the disorders are mental illnesses has begun to encourage those struggling to seek help. Now that the negative connotations that surround eating disorders are starting to dissolve, it has granted a new opportunity to allow people to admit to their disorders and not fear the judgement. Since eating disorders are taken more seriously, people have more motivation to seek help for themselves and for others as well. Hopefully, society continues to adapt and people no longer admire the unrealistically thin bodies they see on social media but rather find ways to help those people. 

There are also many changes that are underway that are encouraging political change. Within Israel, there is legislation that is being made intending to minimize the effect that media will have on youths (Hildesheimer). Not only does it target media, but more specifically models and the modeling world itself. There are very well known health repercussions that are expected when considering the modeling world.  The Israeli government is acting to try and set standards for models through legislation. The goal is to act against “cultural beauty demands” and to try and change the unreasonable expectation set upon these women. The law that was passed restricts photo shopping of the models within ads and commercials. The goal behind doing this is to limit societal expectations. If people can no longer compare themselves to such unrealistic standards, which aren’t even real to begin with, then their self-esteem and confidence will be higher. If there are higher rates of people who accept the way their bodies are then hopefully there will be fewer amounts of people who feel the need to either starve themselves or thrown up after every meal. Certain propaganda is meant to draw attention to the bodies of women. Advertisements, movies and TV shows all assist with increasing the standards that now exist on the bodies of women. Models that are seen in these advertisements suffer from extreme eating disorders and assist this stereotype. Through political change, there is hope that models will no longer have to be unhealthy to have a career but can still be successful without having to develop an eating disorder.

This combination of social acceptance and political legislation will hopefully help lessen the number of people who are currently struggling but will also prevent people from feeling the need to pick up these terrible eating habits in the future. Society and social media are two of the biggest influencers that will either encourage or deter people from falling into these negative patterns. Celebrities, such as Amy Winehouse, are forced into picking up these unhealthy habits in order to look attractive in the public’s eye. These celebrities then serve as motivation for their fans to do similar things in order to look like the celebrities they admire. Thankfully there is now a greater acceptance and urge to minimize eating disorders. By raising awareness and changing the stereotypes that surround eating disorders, there is a greater chance at preventing these tragic disorders from effecting generations to come. Although eating disorders are no knew discovery, there is a newfound promise that there will be action taken to limit the impact of social media which will ultimately prevent these disorders from taking hold of future youths. 