Body Image, Eating Disorders and Advertising - 3063 Words

Body Image, Eating Disorders and Advertising Body Image, Eating Disorders and Advertising We have all heard, â€Å"you are what you eat†; however, and maybe more importantly, you want to be what you watch or read. How does today’s advertising impact on your body image? The shaping of our concept of the ideal body image begins at a young age and continues though adulthood. It begins with our toys; that first Barbie you received on your sixth birthday; the one with the long blond flowing hair and the perfect curves that could wear any outfit. Thinking back to that day, I reflect on the times I stared in the mirror, wishing I looked liked my Barbie and knew if I lost weight I would attract my perfect Ken. As I matured and put away my†¦show more content†¦I have to admit that I wondered who is the fit blue eyed blond woman in her twenties gracing Runners World. I am familiar with most elite athletes in the running community; but I don’t recognize the lithe runner gracing the front cover. I wonde red who, is this girl staring back at me. Is she a runner or a professional model? Unlike most athletes that are featured inside the cover, there are no comments about her personal running successes. No stories about the major events she has competed in. No discussion about her training program or her favorite race distances. Images, like excellent writing, possess the power to influence our emotions. They can create desire, incite disgust or inspire us to action. The model on the front cover is blessed with good looks and a naturally athletic physique. She brings both beauty and fitness to the cover of the magazine. Most female competitive athletes don’t have her good looks. It is not who they are. So in spite of their significant accomplishments on the track or the road they will not make the cover of the magazine. Even talented athletes must deal with body image issues. The marketing view that the ideal fit body must be tight and excessively lean finds its genes is in the fashion model industry where many models are unhealthily lean. It is not abnormal to see male and female athletes with eating disorders as they strive to achieve the idealShow MoreRelatedWhy Advertisements Are Killing You Essay1078 Words   |  5 Pagesadvertisements of the perfect body image have been shown, which places a toll on certain teenagers. This exposure contributes drastically the desirable body types, to the use of weight-loss products and health and psychological issues. Society shapes the individual in many ways, more than one realizes. Advertisements highlight what a desirable body is and individuals unknowingly believe it to be true. â€Å"Advertisements emphasize thinness as a standard for female beauty, and the bodies idealized in the mediaRead MoreDoes the Media Influence Young Womens Body Image in Ireland884 Words   |  4 PagesDoes the media influence young women’s body image in Ireland? The department of Health estimates that 200,000 people are affected by eating disorders every year in Ireland of which 80 people die as a result (www.dofc.ie). In a study on Irish girls 27.2% were found to exhibit clinical levels of bulimia, with 71.4% of Irish adolescents feel adversely affected by media portrayal of body weight and shape (www.onlinelibrary.wiley.com). Self-image was the number one factor that affects the mental healthRead MoreEssay on Health of the Female Population Endangered by Media1008 Words   |  5 Pagesfive have expressed fears of getting fat (Tiggemann, 1996). The medias usage of ultra thin and beautiful models are leading to eating disorders and depression and other mental disorders in women. Robin Gerber who is a motivational speaker and author says â€Å"We don’t need Afghan style burquas to disappear as women. We disappear in reverse-by revamping and revealing our bodies to meet externally imposed visions of female beauty†. The media is endangering the health of the female population without evenRead MoreThe Fashion : Unrealistic And Harmful Perceptions Of Beauty1500 Words   |  6 Pagesyou wish you could look like and are stuck comparing yourself to images that are almost too impeccable to be true. 69% of american girls 5th - 12th grade feel that magazines influence their idea of a perfect body imag e. These pressures from fashion magazines cause women to have lower self confidence, an increase in cosmetic surgery, and a drive towards eating disorders. Although companies have made efforts to advertise a healthier image, most were not successful in the long run. Over time, ourRead MoreThe Effects of Modern Body Image1380 Words   |  6 Pagesjudgment, and shame† (Brown, n.d.). Body image, on the other hand, â€Å"is a complicated aspect of the self-concept that concerns an individual’s perceptions and feelings about their body and physical appearance† (Serdar, n.d.). According to Nordqvist, it is divided into two perceptions: positive and negative body images. He states that positive body image is â€Å"based on reality – the individual sees himself/herself as they really are; they accept parts of their body that are not ideal, but are generallyRead MoreThe Media And Its Effects On Society1736 Words   |  7 Pagestoday’s world, the large problem with the way the media advertises the human body is growing every day. From digitally editing magazine ads, to starved models, to plastic people, advertising paints an unrealistic and unhealthy body image to the public. Advertisements that display these pl astic people as the epitome of beauty, cause otherwise normal, healthy people to invest in unhealthy diet plans which can lead to eating disorders, and even premature death. Women desperately trying to compete with plasticRead More The Media and Eating Disorders Essay example1255 Words   |  6 PagesThe Media and Eating Disorders It is funny how so many girls and women today are led to believe that the only way to feel attractive and be beautiful is to have their bodies consist of nothing but skin and bones. Women are dieting more today then they have ever been before. They are striving for an unattainable body figure that is portrayed by the media as being the ideal standard for todays women. It gets worse. Not only are women dieting unlike ever before, but they will ruthlessly harmRead MoreMagazine Advertisements Send Unhealthy Signals to Young Women655 Words   |  3 PagesBritish doctors yesterday called on the media to use female models with more realistically proportioned bodies instead of abnormally thin women who contributed to the rise in the numbers of people suffering from eating disorders. A report by the British Medical Association claimed that the promotion of rake-thin models such as Kate Moss and Jodie Kidd was creating a distorted body image which young women tried to imitate. It suggested that the media can trigger and perpetuate the disease. FemaleRead MoreThe Effects Of Media On Body Image1453 Words   |  6 PagesIt is known today that media and body image are closely related. Particularly, how the body image advertising portrays effects our own body image. It has been documented in adolescents as they are more at risk for developing unhealthy attitudes toward their bodies. They are at a time where they re focused on developing their individual identities, making them susceptible to social pressure and media images. A major reason many people have a negative body image is because of the impact that mediaRead MoreMass Media Effects on Women1721 Words   |  7 Pagesexternal. Internally when women watch ideal or thin images of models in advertisement then they feel very unattractive compare to the models in commercials. They feel lower self-esteem and self-concept in them and it generates anxiety or depression in women. According to article† negative body image is associated with poor self-esteem, anxiety about social evaluation, public self-consciousness, depression, and sexual inhibition† (Choate 2005).†Images of models which have been digitally altered are causing