Too Thin is Trouble

by: Amanda Topper

• DO I LOOK FAT IN THIS DRESS?
• DO I LOOK OK?
• SHOULD I GO ON A DIET?
• DO MY HIPS LOOK FAT TO YOU?
• SHOULD I LOSE SOME WEIGHT?
• TOO MANY CARBS, TOO MUCH SUGAR, DEFINITELY CANNOT EAT THAT!

These are questions said nearly everyday, no matter where you go. There are always girls' comments about their looks or their weight.

- Do you know how many girls suffer for trying to get the "perfect" body?
- If your sister or your friend has an eating disorder, what would you do?
- How do you handle the situation if one threats others about their weight?
- Do you know whom to turn to when he or she is pressured about their weight?

The real question is, "Do you feel comfortable about your weight?" The majority girls had answered that they "feel comfortable their weight" even though "it's not prefect, but it's healthy." Many girls see "thin" is "just being healthy" or "proportionate."

The writer believed this is an important topic for the society due the increasing number of eating disorders in America.

Here is the question that you need to ask yourself.

Many teenage girls suffer from an eating disorder known as Anorexia Nervosa. Eating disorders have increased severely in the past 20 years among young girls and have now become a major problem in the United States. Many experts have tried to find the cause of eating disorders, and one is tied the effect that the media has over young girls.

In the media, super thin models and actresses illustrate the message that happiness and success comes with a thin body. The messages show that to be thin as teen idols and models requires people to achieve a weight that is not healthy. To these young girls, the media's message of thinness contributes to their low self-esteem on body image, which leads to dangerous eating disorders, such as Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa. One "feel sad for the girls who on [eating disorder] and also, girls who are watching and impressionable [by advertisements]."

The media is an important aspect of today's culture. Almost every household in the United States owns a television set and the average American watches 3 to 5 hours of television a day. Television is not the only source of media. There are magazines and newspapers daily, not to mention the new widespread use of the computer and Internet. The media plays a major role in the way our society sets certain standards and forms opinions. No matter where we go, the media is everywhere. The two main sources of media that reach young girls are television and magazines.

The message that the media emphasizes today is that "thin is in". "When was the last time you flipped through a magazine or through the television channels without seeing some type of advertisement promoting a new diet or new product being promoted by a super thin model or actress? Young girls are the main targets for new products. It is common for young girls to be obsessed with what is 'in'" (Media).

The message that young girls are getting from the media is that having bones sticking out is the way to look. "Thin is a healthy weight for person's height and age. It does not mean being able to see another's bones. That's just unhealthy and not attractive." They then become preoccupied with their bodies and self-image. "The exposure to ideal images coincides with a period in their lives where self regard and self efficacy is in decline, where body image is at its most fragile due to physical changes of puberty and where tendency for social comparison is at its peak" (Eating Disorder).

The media present to young girls an "idealized" shape which leads to being beautiful, popular, successful, and loved but which is not realistic to have unless you have the "idealized" shape. Therefore, they believe that their lives will be perfect as long as they are thin and have the "idealized" shape.

When going through magazines, the women who appear in ads are women who have a weight that is below average, and their looks are perfect. Truthfully, most of the women model are sickly underweight and achieve this by using diet products or by having an eating disorder. When a young girl sees a model, it triggers their mind which say "These women are perfect, because they are thin." Young girls in turn receive the message that "the average person is not thin enough to be viewed as a beautiful person in society" (http://web.ask.com). "When a young girl looks through a teen or star magazine, it makes me upset how easily girl can feel or comment about their look, because they don't have the 'look.'"

It is hard for a parent to convince their daughter "to avoid ads or television, especially popular teenage programs such as One Tree Hill, The OC, and Gilmore Girls" (Media). There is no possible way for young girls to not be effected by the messages of body image they portray. "When as a young girl, my parents didn't allow me to have many magazines, because they feared that would go on eating disorder. To be honest, I am glad."

These magazines of superstars are seen everyday and can lead to body image problems.

"For instance the characters on television shows that are popular, have friends, power, and success are the characters that are thin, smart and beautiful. The characters that are overweight are perceived as failures, lonely, and rejected. [It shows that they] are the target of jokes and humiliation" (Ask.com). Young girls between 8 - 15 years old are most likely to pick up an eating disorder by viewing television ads and programs, which make it easier to become a victim of eating disorders.

"There has been studying done that examined over 4,000 television ads. The results showed that on average; one out of every 3.8 ads had an attractive-based message" (Media).

"Another study was produced that illustrated body image leads to eating disorders which occur in stages.

In stage 1, young women absorb the ideal image that is shown to them over and over.

In stage 2, women fantasize themselves as thin, beautiful versions of their present selves.

In stage 3, they become depressed when they realize what their present body looks like compared to this ideal, unrealistic image, and many resort to an eating disorder" (Understanding Statistics on Eating Disorders).

"The effects of the media do not only put pressure on young girls to be thin and beautiful, but the pressure is even higher for models and actresses who are in the spotlight. The standard in Hollywood right now is the thinnest it has ever been" (Health). This becomes very dangerous because these are the women that young girls look up to and idolize. It is difficult for actresses to stay at society's "status" where being the thinnest means being the most successful. Bernie Brillstein, who is one of the entertainment industry's best managers states, "If an actress is thinner than the rest of the cast and successful, the other women are going to feel compelled to diet down to her size, thinking, 'If it works for her, why not?'"(Health). "These young girls think to themselves, 'If these actresses who have the perfect life need to lose weight, then so do I.' They do not see the problems or the things that actresses have to do to obtain their weight, they only see the 'perfect' body" (Too Thin, Too Young?). "Celebrities continue to attract attention for their weight loss rather than their accomplishments, and the greater the future about their size the more attention they receive" (Eating Disorder). Once again this is giving the message to young girls that being thin is the way to be and that eating disorders are the way to achieve it.

Young girls do not see the effects that eating disorders can cause. They just know that they are supposed to look a certain way and they will do anything to attain that goal. Eating disorders are a serious problem and hard to overcome. The two major types of eating disorders that occur in young girls today are Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa. "In fact, at least 50,000 individuals will die in your lifetime due to an eating disorder. Over seven million young girls suffer from these two diseases" (Teen Health). "Anorexia Nervosa is an eating disorder [and] is an excessive amount of weight lost due to the fear of gaining weight and a distorted body image. People that suffer from this disease have a restrictive diet along with an intense workout plan. They become drawn back from family and friends and start to lose interest in things that mean the most to them" (Anorexia Nervosa).

"Bulimia Nervosa is an eating disorder that has a pattern of binge-eating followed by self-induced purging or abuse of laxatives. People with this disease often restrict themselves and then self indulge on food feeling sick shortly after" (Bulimia).

If your sister or your friend has an eating disorder, what would you do? As asked earlier in this article, many suggested talking to the parents or getting a professional help and "would talk to [their friend or sister] about [eating disorder] and support them to recover."

Sources:

"Anorexia Nervosa." The Federal Government Source for Women's Health Information. September 2006. 20 Feb. 2008. http://www.4woman.gov/faq/easyread/anorexiaetr.htm#a.

Bonci, Leslie. "Underweight." Health. 1996. 20 Feb. 2008. http://www.faqs.org/nutrition/Smi-Z/Underweight.html.

"Bulimia Nervosa." The Federal Government Source for Women's Health Information. September 2006. 20 Feb. 2008. http://www.4women.gov/faq/Easyread/bulnervosa-etr.htm#a.

Craven, Heather. "Tyra Banks concerned for young girls as she is blasted about her weight." Parent Dish. 26 Jan. 2007. 20 Feb. 2008. http://www.parentdish.com/2007/01/26/tyra-banks-concerned-for-young-girls-as-she-is-blasted-about-her/.

Duffy, Judith. "Barbie's figure 'gives young girls a desire to have a thinner body." 12 June 2005. 20 Feb. 2008. http://www.frankwbaker.com/barbie_body_image.htm.

"Effects of the Media on Young Girls." 20 Feb. 2008. http://www.personal.psu.edu/jab5021/evaluation.htm.

"Expert: One in 10 young girls are prone to eating disorders - Malaysia Star." Anorexic. June 24, 2007. http://anorexicpictures.org/anorexia/expert-one-in-10-young-girls-are-prone-to-eating-disorders-malaysia-star.html.

Howard, James Michael. "Adolescent and Young Teen Girls in the United States." 2004. Fayetteville, Arkansas, U.S.A. 20 Feb. 2008. http://www.anthropogeny.com/birth%20rate%20secular%20trend.htm.

Jade, Deanne. EATING DISORDERS AND THE MEDIA. The British Medical Association, Eating Disorders Body Image and The Media 2002. 20 Feb. 2008. http://www.eating-disorders.org.uk/docs/media.doc.

Lo, Danica. "TOO YOUNG, TOO THIN?" New York Post. 2007. New York. 20 Feb. 2008. http://www.nypost.com/seven/01102007/entertainment/fashion/too_young__too_thin__fashion_danica_lo.htm?page=0.

Turner, Mandi. "Underweight children might be depressed." Ahwatukee. 6 May 2006. 20 Feb. 2008. http://www.azcentral.com/community/ahwatukee/articles/0506mr-askexpert0506Z14.html.

"Understanding Statistics on Eating Disorders." NEDIC. 2005. 20 Feb. 2008. http://www.nedic.ca/knowthefacts/statistics.shtml.

"What's the Right Weight for my Height?" TeenHealth. 1995-2008 The Nemours Foundation. 20 Feb. 2008. http://kidshealth.org/teen/food_fitness/dieting/weight_height.html.

Image Sources:

(Imaging Herself)
http://www.tipsformoms.net/2007/10/great-anorexia-pic

(Teen)
http://avrilgroupie.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/09/avril-lavigne-seventeen-magazine-04-200701.jpg

(Teen 2)
http://avrilgroupie.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/09/avril-lavigne-seventeen-magazine-04-200701.jpg

(Teen 3)
http://www.phawker.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/07/us-magazine-coverpsd.jpg

(Teen 4)
http://a3.img.v4.skyrock.com/a3f/xemily-osmentx/pics/1246391884_small.jpg