EATING DISORDERS AND THE MEDIA

Jessica Anderson

MY OPINION The media doesn’t cause eating

disorders because: It’s a psychological problem There is no single known cause There is plenty of plus size advertising Most have had problems with eating since

childhood

A PSYCHOLOGICAL PROBLEM large gap between how women see

themselves and how they actually look start as a result of their mother’s

opinions

MORE THAN THE MEDIA: CAUSES Culture: Women partially define

themselves of how physically attractive they are

Personal characteristics: helplessness, worthlessness, and poor self-image often accompany an eating disorder

MORE THAN THE MEDIA: CAUSES Other emotional disorders: other

mental problems, like depression or anxiety, occur with eating disorders

Stressful events or life changes: starting a new school or job and traumatic events

MORE THAN THE MEDIA: CAUSES Biology: studies being done to look at

genes, hormones, and chemicals in the brain may have an effect on development and recovery

Eating disorders are like any other addiction

MORE THAN THE MEDIA: CAUSES Families: attitude of parents about

appearance and diet affects their kid’s attitudes

if your mother or sister has bulimia, you’re more likely to have it

AVERAGE SIZE WOMEN “There are plenty of other

representations of ‘beauty’ out there besides the thin, blonde, half-naked type” –www.about-face.org

Sizes 6-10 are normally depicted in plus size campaigns

KIDS AND EATING DISORDERS Many kids are concerned about how

they look and feel self conscious 42% of first to third grade girls want to

be thinner 81% of ten year olds are afraid of being

fat

KIDS AND EATING DISORDERS Most who have eating disorders began

between 11 and 13 Many people who develop eating

disorders have low self-esteem focus on their weight can be an

attempt to gain control of their lives

WHAT IS BEING DONE New regulations have made regarding

a minimum age for models Setting restrictions on how many hours

young models can work

WHAT IS BEING DONE Vogue-editor-in-chief, Anne Wintour,

and fashion designer, Michael Kors, spoke about eating disorder awareness at the annual public forum held at Harvard

WHAT IS BEING DONE Kors also committed to not using

models under 16, “The age of models has to become a priority, we need to give these girls a chance to grow up.”

GLAMOUR Glamour magazine was flooded with

praising letters when they published photos and a plus size ad

OTHER MEDIA INFLUENCES If the media is to blame for eating

disorders, it is also to blame for confidence