Eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and obesity are nowadays phenomenon among young people. Anorexia and bulimia are psychic diseases which affect more less teenagers, and the majority of people suffer from this illness are young women at the average age of 17. This does not mean that men are out of play. De facto the majority of models, body builders or ice skaters suffer from eating disorder. Obesity, on the other hand is different case, it is not considered as psychic illness. But obesity belongs to one of the most often illness in the USA, to be more concrete children illness. The statistics say that 1 out of 5 children suffer from obesity. The treatments for eating disorders are different and they help individually. It does not mean that after use some medicaments such as antidepressants or such will have the same effect on two different patients.
But the main question in my blog is if media have some effect on eating disorders, and if yes which one, positive or negative? The answer to the first part of my question is yes, yes media have an effect on eating disorders and the answer to the second part is obviously negative. Media present that be fit, slim, good looking means to be happy, with no problems to have a success. This sounds very nice, and the truth is that the majority of celebrities and public persons promote these things; they are promoting “health”. But what kind of health? Is it normal and healthy when adult women let’s say in the age of 25 has 40 or less kilos? Really? If young girls see I on the TV, what should they think? Ohh, she is gorgeous, she looks so pretty, she is so thin and so on. But do they realize that people on TV, like celebrities, are not the real people? I do not think so.
The fact is that even if media play a big role in eating disorder concept, they just promote what people and entire society wants to see. The media did not decide that the new trend going to be as thin as possible and look unhealthy and tinny to death. No, it was decided by fashion industry. To be slim promises a success everywhere. Media only promote it. The thing what should be done by media is to reduce photos and pictures of retouch celebrities and public persons. Media make from the real people unreal, unhealthy, tinny “zombies” and publish it like nothing happened. Those bodies on title pages on renowned magazines are based on fake bodies. No one have exactly same or even similar body to the bodies promote as perfect and ideal ones.
This is the ugly truth. But what shall we do to live in better place? It is nearly impossible to protect adults from this unrealistic world, but we can protect children. Parents can reduce a little bit watching TV, or if children want to see some program, parents should stay with them and explain everything what children could see on TV. Other semi-solution is to teach children how to live a high-quality and full value life without using any kind of diets, just eating normal and healthy. Lead them to sport activities. In this moment it is obvious that the change will come, but the question is when.
Katka, I share the same opinion with you about this issue. I also think that media contributes to developing eating disorders, but it is not the only factor, of course. The problem is that media constantly present skinny and unhealthy looking women as an average and consequently normal women can feel under pressure and they might get a feeling that if they don't look like those women in media they are not attractive and beautiful. In my view, media should rather promote exercise and healthy lifestyle instead of diets.
OdpovědětVymazatKate, I totally agree on your point about media presenting being skinny as being happy; that is a very good remark. Indeed, in media we never see people having mood switching trouble from a harsh diet, or being tired, or having other physiological symptoms of diets. In fact, I think media omits that topics in general.
OdpovědětVymazatActually, Beatrice, I think media do rather promote sport than diets, since we never hear of anyone being on a diet in movies etc., but we do see people jogging, roller-skating, doing yoga, and other kind of sport.
However, it is true that media rarely present characters that are not exactly skinny skinny. So I would conclude that the situation in this matter regarding media is not tragical so far, but there definitely are issues.
Kate you are making the right point when it comes to how media present the way, how should especially young people, in today’s society, looks like. However, I have to disagree with the fact that media are not trying to have a positive impact on people as well. Many companies started with the new type of advertisements based on girls or mostly women with the normal figure or even little bit overweight in the comparison with anorectic, skinny looking girls. I had an opportunity to see such advertising even in Prague presenting one swimming suit company and I found it very smart, interesting and also beautiful and healthy looking. This is not the only company which is trying to change the stereotypes when it comes to the figure of people advertising certain product. We can only hope that in close future more and more companies will star with this kind of new trend.
OdpovědětVymazatHi.
OdpovědětVymazatKate, my first remark is that you should have included compulsive overeating rather than obesity. It is from the same category as bulimia and anorexia.
You know, I do not see adult females in media weighing 40 kg often. Most young females in media are usually not severely underweight, rather with BMI 17-18, which means slightly underweight. Even many popular models are in this “tolerable” range.
However, I see a problem here, and I think that it is a lack of diversity. It does not matter that much if the ideal is a skinny woman, an obese woman or a woman with perfect curves. As far as media (or maybe even society) promote some ideal, it causes pressure to look in that certain way.
Finally I would like to add some information. A while ago I did research about this issue and found that the link between media and eating disorders is not that direct and simple as it seems to be. Development of these diseases depends on many factors including genetics, parental pressure and peer pressure. It is not really clear what the role of media is, but experts do not consider it to be a direct major cause. I know that the idea of a simple link media–anorexia is very popular, but it disregards that eating disorders are complex diseases caused by various factors, while media are likely to reach and affect an individual not directly, but rather through society (especially parents and friends).
Best,
Iva
Katka, yes, there are some negative effecs when it come to the topic of media and health...But I have to agree with Iva, that nowadays it does not matter whether there is skinny person, obese woman or perfetc curves woman, the society and the audience would always follow the "ideal" presented in media...And on the other hand it is better and more effective to present thin person than an obese one, because it can be considered as some effort of media to present the healthy lifestyle...to tell you the truth, seing someone thin is more effective and motivating, then seing someone obese and see the consequences of unhealthy lifestyle. Anyways, there is something right about this, but we have to admit that there are other, maybe more curcial factors which effect the overall lifestyle and health then media...
OdpovědětVymazatIva, I believe that BMI 17-18 is a health problem when you need to see the doctor or at least ask for some help from specialist, it is more than slighly underweight.
Hey
OdpovědětVymazatI totally agree with you that media imposes its opinion about beauty and the body. As I said in my blog unfortunately women absorb any information put in the nowadays media. Sure it is hard not to notice skinny bodies around us, in the Interned, in ads, on banners. And that makes women mad about their weight and that is sad. They are ready to do anything to reach the ideal