Woman and Eating Disorders

Jean E. Kilbourne states in her essay, "Beauty...And the Beast of Advertising." that women and young girls are being influenced by media icons to be overly concerned with their weight and that the girls affected by this are becoming younger and younger. Kilbourne tells us of a Glamour magazine survey which showed that 75% of it's readers felt overweight. This survey however, was conducted in 1984, a fact which I feel skews Kilbourne's point. While the media surely has some influence over us, I don't believe that women's body issues stem solely from what they see in magazines and on runways. I also believe that the ideal body of a woman has significantly changed since 1984.

Once in a psychology class, as I studied the eating disorders, I found myself to be the perfect candidate for anorexia, which raised the question, “How did I manage to break the mold?” Many young girls and women suffer from eating disorders and have distorted images of themselves, but is the media totally to blame? I do agree with Kilbourne to an extent that the media plays a role in these disorders, but I feel that there is much more behind it. A person’s psychological health and stability plays an enormous role, as does the environment and parenting style in which they were reared, and their daily exposure to the media and their peers.

In support of Kilbourne’s ideas I have to recognize the constant media exposure which promoted a waif-type body to be the ideal. We are constantly reminded to pay attention to weight, whether our own or that of others. We have shows such as The Biggest Loser which show us obese people struggling to lose weight; and while loser refers to losing weight it also subconsciously bears a negative connotation. On the other end of the spectrum we have shows such as America’s Next Top Model and Make Me a Supermodel in which aspiring models compete for highly desirable modeling positions. Weight gain and loss is carefully monitored and criticized. Another issue is that it is impossible to go to a store and not find the cover of at least one magazine shouting to the world that some celebrity has gained weight or was photographed with cellulite and criticizing them. One could argue that this provides an inappropriate mold for girls (and in some cases boys) to try to fit.

I can personally say that I have struggled with body image issues and I have seen friends battling eating disorders. I feel that peers influenced my low self esteem and self worth, as well as my negative body image at the time. I can also say with almost certainty that those people I know who have struggled with the same issues felt the same pressures. I believe age is another important factor, for example, a girl in middle school will most likely compare herself to her peers, while a teenage girl is more likely to compare herself to peers as well as role models in the media. Teasing and name calling at a young age as well as environments which make these children susceptible to criticism, I feel, can negatively impact their psyche and their body image. In my own experience, I was very thin as a child, but in my pre-pubescent years, I , like many other girls my age, gained what was affectionately called “baby fat”. While many of my peers began to melt away into womanly figures, I hid in my clothes and tried to figure out why I didn’t look like them. I had been an avid swimmer up to that point, but as name-calling and criticism began, I slowly discontinued my favorite sport. To add insult to injury, I also got braces and glasses around the same time.

When high school came, I decided to try to reinvent my image since many didn’t know me, I couldn’t do anything about my weight, but changed my style and avoided my glasses as much as possible. I never could achieve the perfect hair, perfect clothes, perfect everything that many people seemed to possess, but I worked around it. My weight still bothered me since I would buy clothes that I loved and then feel awkward and fat if my stomach showed, I hated one piece bathing suits, but hated how I looked in a bikini. I finally had enough the day my own mother called me fat. I started swimming on a team 6 days a week for a year and lost some weight, but in my mind still not enough. Since then I have changed my diet, since somehow I avoided the clutches of eating disorders that claimed some of my friends.

Earlier this year I was given an enormous boost of confidence, when I was scouted for a modeling agency. Somehow this was a seal of approval from a group of people who didn’t owe me anything, but an honest opinion. Since then I have felt more confident in myself and more motivated to actively take care of myself and my weight. And if I put on a few pounds, I try to change my diet and work it off, instead of hating myself. It could be argued that modeling increases societal pressure, but I believe it depends on the environment.

In the 80’s and 90’s models were encouraged to be waifs. Shapeless, curve-less, incredibly thin women were the ideal and I feel that this created extreme pressure on women everywhere. If we look at the career of Kate Moss, one of the most influential models of the 90's, we see this ultra thin woman as being the ideal. She was featured on the cover of Vogue numerous times and has been featured on a total of 300 magazine covers. At the peak of her career she may have inspired some girls and perhaps even caused a few self image problems. Thankfully, the newer generations of models are curvier and more realistic. While still thin, supermodels such as Heidi Klum and Gisele Bündchen are the new ideal and many agencies are promoting this image. While many celebrities are still being criticized for weight gain, many of them now are being criticized for too much weight loss. In working with my modeling agency I have seen how much more supportive the business is now than it ever was before. All talent, models, actors, singers, and dancers are encouraged to eat well and exercise moderately and to live healthy lifestyles. While our progress is monitored, we aren’t criticized to lose weight, and anyone who seems to be losing too much weight or seems to have a problem is pulled aside and can be pulled from the agency for unhealthy behaviors. They also make sure that education is a priority and anyone who is failing in school and putting too much emphasis on modeling, can be suspended. They promote a healthy environment which shows that health and education are first, and modeling comes later.

I strongly believe that if trends such as these continue that young women and men could begin to overcome eating disorders and start to live healthier lifestyles. We often joke that women always hate something about themselves, but it’s no laughing matter. Supportive environments and less criticism of public figures, celebrities, and role models can help people start to accept and improve themselves in healthy ways. It is unrealistic to assume we can completely eliminate eating disorders, but lowering the number of cases is attainable and crucial to saving lives and helping future generations.