“Nearly 4 million teenagers in the United States suffer from eating disorders” (Dematteo and Fisher). The focus of the negative aspects of your weight and controlling your caloric consumption . The most common eating disorders are anorexia nervosa, bulimia, and binge eating.
Eating disorders can affect anyone, however, “young women are most likely to develop an eating disorder, particularly those aged 12 to 20” (The Chronicle). A lowered self esteem as a result of comparing one’s body to others is a predominant behavior that can lead to eating disorders. Most commonly, women compare themselves to thin and photoshopped women on social media, movies, magazine covers, and more. The media must be more inclusive to women of different sizes as the traditional beauty standard and promotion of thin women have influenced young girls to attain an unrealistic physique that can result in eating disorders.
Social media’s unrealistic body expectations are influenced by photo alterations. As an example, photoshop is a widely used application in which one can alter their appearance. Through photoshop, one is able to modify any aspect of their body, such as their weight and figure. A study conducted by the Renfrew Center Foundation found that “nearly three-quarters (70%) of Gen Y/Millennial women edit their pictures before posting them to their social networks” (Business Wire, New York).
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Photo alterations can be extremely damaging to one’s self esteem, as it can go unnoticed, therefore perceived as realistic to the viewer. Additionally, those that edit photos of themselves are proving that they are not happy with the way that they look. A thigh gap, simply a gap between a woman’s thighs when standing up, is an example of one of the slender traits women seek to have. Most women do not naturally have a thigh gap, as it requires a combination of genetic traits such as a specific pelvic structure and a precise muscle length. However, women are often photoshopped to have thigh gaps to attain the unrealistic and “perfect” figure that society perceives it to be.
Researcher Ashley Figeuroa stated that “the thigh gap beauty standard began a few years ago as the brainchild of Photoshop-loving marketers looking to create a virtually unachievable body standard” (Figeuroa). This is just one instance of how an unrealistic beauty standard can affect one’s self-esteem and lead them into unhealthy eating habits. The editing of one’s body can make people, especially teenagers, self conscious of their own body and take action to change it. By changing their own appearance, one may engage in fad-diets, low calorie consumption, and other unhealthy eating habits.
The promotion of weight loss pills, supplements, and other unhealthy detox supplements contribute to body insecurities among young girls. Whether scrolling through social media feed, or flipping through a magazine, one often comes across such advertisements of detox brands. Kim Kardashian, one of the most well-known influencers, promoted a detox shake from “Flat Tummy Co” right after the holidays ended. She received plenty of backlash, with fans saying she is making her 167 millions followers shame their own body. Aimee Victoria Long, loyal user of a detox tea brand, “Bootea”, claims “(she) was constantly nauseous and always on the toilet. (she) became addicted to that feeling. (she) went on to diet pills and other laxatives.
Eventually (she) got admitted into a specialist eating disorders unit.” (Alexander, Martha). With 171 million followers on Instagram, Kylie Jenner promoted the detox brand “Teami”. She claimed, “it is like a magic tea to get rid of tummy bloat”. The main ingredient in the products is senna, which is a laxative inducing agent. Charlotte Kinder, a certified nutrition therapist stated “when taken in excess or chronically, laxatives can damage the gut lining along with causing nutrient depletion, dehydration and malabsorption” (Alexander).
The Food and Drug Administration has tried to shut several detox companies down because of its harmful effects on the body, especially if it is taken in an unhealthy manner. The spokesperson for the eating disorder charity, “Beat”, commented on detox diet culture and stated that “people who suffer from an eating disorder, or are vulnerable to developing one, may find the way these diets are marketed can trigger the symptoms and ill behaviours they already have” (Sibbles). The promotion of products that are harmful to your physical and mental health, such as detox supplements, should not be endorsed by celebrities in the media. Their advocacy for such products contribute to body image issues and can lead to unhealthy and disordered eating habits.
The media’s predominant use of thin women on magazine covers, movies, and social media contribute to the belief that thin women are most desirable. This pattern is harmful to the average woman as it is an unrealistic expectation fulfilled by photoshop. Many people are unaware that the “average model and celebrity (woman) is 23 percent lighter in weight than recommended as the healthy weight of a woman” (Ohlson and Shelton). Additionally, models and celebrities are photoshopped to appear airbrushed and thin. The removal of flaws in advertisements in the media give women the impression that they do not have any imperfections, which majority of the cases is not true.
Therefore, women tend to pick out their own flaws and compare them to model, making an unrealistic assumption that she is the most desirable woman to look like. After consumers criticized companies for photoshopping models, Representative Ilieana Ros-Lehtinen created a “Truth in Advertising Act”, and claims that it has “sparked more awareness of the need to address the unrealistic body image often promulgated by advertisers” (Dewey). This act, along with people who boycott photoshopped images of women, aid in showing inclusivity among women of a variety of sizes. Girls should not look up to their role models solely for the size of their waist, however, in many cases this is what occurs.
There is pressure placed on girls to be skinny that is seen on social media, in magazines, and on the internet. Trending hashtags such as “#thinspiration” are filled with discomforting pictures of starving women and quotes about being thin. A website called “Thinbible” is filled with unsettling quotes such as “a pleasure to the lips adds a pound to the hips” and “don’t be weak, do not eat”. Additionally, some celebrities promote this culture as well. Kate Moss, one of the world’s most well-known models, is known for her motto, “nothing tastes as good as skinny feels” (Morgan).
This pressure from celebrities can influence girls to follow celebrities idealogy. Instead of promoting healthy ways to lose or maintain weight, it promotes strenuous workouts or simply not eating at all. Georgia McGinley, a survivor of anorexia, says that the websites “made (her) feel very safe. (She) knew that if (she) ever had the urge to lose weight quickly, those tips were there” (Flint). This is very harmful to girls as they look up to celebrities as role models. There are more platforms where people struggling with their weight and body image can gain inspiration to stop eating. Two prominent platforms are “Pro-Ana” and “Pro-Mia”, both which promote anorexia and bulimia. In fact, “a Google search for “pro-ana” and it will yield more than 1.3 million Web pages” (Sentinel & Enterprise).
Similar to the “thinspiration” platform, these pages are filled with pictures of thin women and quotes about being skinny. However, users on the “pro-ana” and “pro-mia” sites are run by users who offer a sense of community to others seeking to be skinny. A past user of these sites said that “the girls exchanged phone numbers so they could encourage one another” and “ “stay strong” was a phrase they used often in reference to avoiding food” (University Wire). Platforms that promote unhealthy habits such as these are detrimental to the mental health of teenage girls. They promote unhealthy habits and images that can heighten insecurities in adolescent girls. The media is known to favor thin women and categorize them as beautiful and most desirable.
However, they also make comments on people who do not fit their ideal beauty standard. Fat-shaming, a pop culture trend prevalent in the media, are negative comments regarding someone’s body. An example of this body-shaming is when “Tyra Banks (was) shamed for her body in 2007 while wearing a bathing suit on vacation”, or when “Kourtney Kardashian (was) fat-shamed by her husband for not losing her post-pregnancy baby weight quickly enough” (Targeted News Service). For many girls, they may compare their own bodies to celebrities getting shamed for their appearance. When the media says that these celebrities are “fat” when they are actually healthy, teenage girls may feel more insecure about their body.
Kelly Clarkson expressed grief when talking about the subject and stated, “I think what hurts my feelings for people is that I’ll have a meet-and greet after the show and a girl who’s, like, bigger than me will be in the meet-and-greet and be like, ‘wow, if they think you’re big, I must be so fat to them,’” (Yahr). Fat-shaming celebrities on platforms that are highly advertised is dangerous to girls as they will make unrealistic comparisons between their body and celebrities getting body shamed. Through this comparison, they may feel as if they are also being body shamed for their similar body type, and develop body image issues. As a result of this, they may develop poor eating habits in hopes of losing weight or eating disorders that can affect their mental and physical health.
In conclusion, the media’s portrayal of society’s beauty standard of thin women can contribute to the development of eating disorders in adolescent girls. The promotion of thin women and toxic diet culture can add to individual insecurities about body size and shape. For the betterment of the mental and physical health of girls, the media must be more inclusive about promoting women of different sizes.
Platforms should not promote toxic diet culture or unhealthy eating habits as it can be harmful to one’s mental and physical health. Instead, platforms should promote healthy eating and body positivity that can have a positive impact on mental health. The media must learn to accept women of different sizes, and as a result, will improve the mental and physical health and adolescent girls.
