Eating Disorders and the Media

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             Unquestionably, everyone has noticed the magazines while waiting in line at the grocery store. Most of them claim to also have the latest and best diet. What happened to last months diet claims? Without a doubt, dieting has become an insane obsession. In North America, billions of dollars are spent trying to look the way society tells us we need to look (Beating the Odds). People go to extremes from starving themselves to paying for various cosmetic surgeries. .
             It is very unusual to find actors and actresses in Hollywood that are overweight-because it is not accepted in today's society. Many actresses and actors seen on television have endured countless hours of strenuous exercise and have deprived themselves of nutrition in order to maintain a thin figure (Nardo 1991). Television is obviously a big influence on many teens. Thousands of girls are starving themselves this very moment trying to obtain what the fashion industry considers the "ideal" figure. The average model and actress weighs 23% less than the average women (Pipher 1995) yet this is what society is telling us is normal. So who is to blame for our countries obsession with thinness? Fashion industries, Hollywood? Wrong, the American public is the one keeping them in business. The public are the ones buying the magazines, purchasing the diet foods, and are also guilty of paying big bucks for the various cosmetic surgeries. It is a known fact that eating disorders are on the rise, and the statistics are scary (Vollstadt 1999). .
             From a very young age we are lead to believe that the only way to be accepted and fit in, is to be thin. Along with this we are also lead to believe that those who are thin are more successful and happier (Silverstein 1991). It is no wonder that many colleges and universities around the country are reporting an increased prevalence of eating disorders among many female students. One out of four people between the ages of 12-21 have some sort of disordered eating, whether it is anorexia, bulimia, or compulsive over eating (Pipher 1995).