Media Influence upon Teen Eating Disorders Essay

Media Influence upon Teen Eating Disorders - Essay Example Thesis Eating disorders in teens are caused by false body images popularized by media and propagated by media advertising. Teenagers copy and borrow their identities from the media trying to look like their favorite film stars or glamorous men and women splashed all over billboards. While others procedure in trimming down their bodies are having strict diets and even go to gyms in order to be physically fit. But several people especially those who suffer obesity are trying to take medicines-which might lead their lives at risk because of the content of the medicines-which will burn out their unnecessary fats. According to statistical results, "up to 10 million teens develop eating disorders, abnormal attitudes and behaviors with foods, which include anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa" (Eating Disorders 2005). If a teenager does not meet certain standards she/he can be "excluded" from social interaction. Media popularizes slim bodies depicting that a slim body can make teens happier and even luckier. The problem is that, in most cases teens change their appearance in order to meet social identity but no t because of absolute necessity. These health problems had already been known for quite some time and yet, though young girls are in focus as being most affected (Eating Disorders Starting to Bite 25). Recent studies show that the psychological disease of eating disorder is quickly spreading beyond young girls and even to young men. As western pop culture is shipped abroad to sell western commodities, the problem goes as well like unwanted freebies that are stuck and taped around a product. Black, Asian, and Hispanic girls are plagued by unhealthy eating habits because they simply wish to achieve the same physical attributes of celebrities they idolized (Gauntlett 36). Society's response to social identity and sets limits on the behavior and beliefs that can be tolerated in society, slim bodies, ideal body shape and a thin waistline. "Super models in all the popular magazines have continued to get thinner and thinner. Modeling agencies have been reported to actively pursue Anorexic models" (The Media 2007). Differences in social identity can motivate teens to acts of extreme violence against those whom they classify as 'other'. To avoid these stereotypes teens are forced to change their appearance in order to meet criteria of an ideal body. Social identity plays a crucial role in contemporary society determining certain standards of body image and beauty. "Community of culture and unity of meaning depicted by different media are the main sources that allow the construction and experience of social identity" (Hamburg 75). This search is also evident at the individual level through the need to belong to a community. In the current era, the ideal body represents one of these standards: social identify is its product. Films, magazines and popular TV shows depict the differences between an ugly and ideal body which can be achieved by diet. "On television, in magazines and newspapers, we are continually exposed to the notion that losing weight will make us happier and it will be through "THIS diet plan" (The Media 2007). Critics admit that the young audience is easily affected by popular images and media idols. In many cases, media forces teens to change their a