ANOREXIA & THE MEDIA








What is Anorexia.

Anorexia Definition: Anorexia Nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by refusal to stay at even the minimum body weight considered normal for the person’s age and height. Other symptoms of the disorder include an intense fear of weight gain and distorted body image. Inadequate eating or excessive exercising results in severe weight loss. An individual who suffers from anorexia is called anorexic.

Barbie?

Barbie-type dolls have often been blamed on playing a role in the development of body-image problems and Eating Disorders. Not only do these dolls have fictionally proportioned, small body sizes, but they lean towards escalating the belief that materialistic possessions, beauty and thinness equate happiness.

Who are the Media.

The Media Definition: Television, radio, magazines and newspapers, as the means of mass communication. The word media comes from the plural of the Latin word medium.

The Relationship.

The Media has a large influence on how young women view themselves.

Particularly television, magazines and movies, are an important force in our culture; and are felt to be part of the reason some people develop eating disorders. We are constantly bombarded by images of thinness, vitality and youth that , for many people, are irresistible, though completely unattainable and unrealistic. This bombardment produces a feeling of dissatisfaction with ourselves and our bodies, and this dissatisfaction is quickly and fervently addressed by the same media - they show us endless ways we can improve ourselves.

Super models in all the popular magazines have continued to get thinner and thinner. Modelling agencies have been reported to actively pursue Anorexic models. The average woman model weighs up to 25% less than the typical woman and maintains a weight at about 15 to 20 percent below what is considered healthy for her age and height. Some models go through plastic surgery, some are taped-up to mold their bodies into more photogenic representations of themselves, and photos are airbrushed before going to print. By far, these body types and images are not the norm and unobtainable to the average individual.