Why does the media promote eating disorders?!

Why does the media promote eating disorders?

Many people will disagree and say they don't, but they do. They obsess about and promote "the skinny idea". They say that skinny is beautiful, and that skinny people are happier. This makes me sick. You see, I am a recovering bulimic, and I know what eating disorders are like. They are terrible dieseases that kill people. And the media causes most of them. They try to prove that they are against eating disorders by constantly putting underweight stars in the spotlight, but then flip the page in the magazine and they show you how to lose weight. The mass importance of this issue is too often overlooked.

3 weeks ago
Thanks to who agree with me. And another thing: I know it is not always caused by media. Mine wasn't. Mine was caused because of a verbally abusive relationship. But the guy had it put into his mind that skinny is beautiful. I am not in any way putting all the blame on the media. But they do contribute.

I agree with the idea that the media contributes to the problems some people have with eating disorders- but to say that the media causes them is both unfair and untrue. Eating disorders are just that, diseases. As such, there are many things that can cause a young woman or man to develop them. There have been cases ( though this is rare) where people who have never had any real exposure to the media went on to develop an eating disorder. I know at least one person who became sick with bulemia because she wanted to be a star equestrian competitor- and her reasons for bingeing and purging were all about trying to get a competitive edge. There are plenty of other reasons why people develop this disease as well- peer pressure is a big one. It's very hard on young teenage girls ( and some boys, as well) to be fat when everyone else around them is thin and fit and is usually involved in sports. Most teens would rather die than be a non-conformist, and this kind of thinking can lead to unhealthy eating habits rather quickly. In the case of boys who have this type of problem, the boys figure out quickly that extra weight is a turn off to both their own gender and to girls and women. They also realize that it's humiliating to have to do something like run laps on the track at school and not be able to keep up or finish because of excess body fat. Having other kids call them names or having their teachers and coaches chastise them because they can't do what other kids do only makes the problem worse. In self defense, a lot of them will either turn to food for comfort, or they will learn to abhorr it and will develop an eating disorder as a result.

Our society is one that places a high value on thinness and fitness, mostly because we now recognize the serious health risks that come with obesity. I have to admit that some of the things I have seen advertised in the media TURN ME OFF. Most of the so-called weight loss drugs and supplements don't even work- but there is a lot of money to be made by advertising them to people who are foolish enough to be lured in by the false promises which these companies make. That's the real reason why we see so much of this trash on TV and in the papers, not to mention in the magazines. As long as people believe that they can sell something, they will continue to promote it- even if it doesn't work or is proven harmful. Just take a look at some of the sweeteners on the market right now as an example. It's been known for the better part of the last couple of decades that saccharin causes cancer in lab rats when they consume large amounts, but because of public pressure, the FDA has left it on the market despite the risk to public health. Saccharin is the sweetener found in Sweet N Low, and in a whole host of other diet products, including many of the most popular sodas on the market. The same thing has happened with other products, like medicines. We have all heard stories about drugs like Vioxx, Thalidomide, Celebrex, Rensulin, Avandia, and even things like Prilosec, where long term use has been shown to be harmful or even deadly in some people. The advertising of thinness and diet related products in the media is like this in a lot of ways. Because some people do benefit from it, they want it kept in the media, regardless of who else might get hurt. What no one stops to consider is what advertisements of that sort can do to someone like you, who actually has suffered from an eating disorder.

On the issue of celebrities who are revered because of their weight, I can only say that like you, I am often appalled at the way the media promotes what these people do as though it were some kind of moral standard that we all need to follow. Thin isn't always beautiful- often times, these people are seriously ill themselves. It's become fashionable in Hollywood these days for women to have children in their 30's and 40's. Has no one ever noticed why? There is so much pressure on these women to stay thin for the sake of their careers that they usually end up putting off having families until it's too late. Most professional models endure the same sort of torture- and some of them end up paying for it with their lives. Having kids is a wonderful thing, but it ruins your figure for modeling or acting, and that's why the top movie and TV studios usually make their actresses sign contracts which prohibit them from getting pregnant while they are working, and which usually also require that they be at a certain weight all the time. If they gain too much weight, they risk being fired- and if this happens, the studios they work for can sue them for breach of contract. This doesn't make any sense in the outside world, I know, but it's the every day reality of life in Hollywood and at most of the major modeling studios. All the glamourous people that one sees on "American Idol" and shows like it have been subjected to this at some point, or if they haven't yet, they will be as soon as they win something and get recognition. Male actors and models fare little better than the women when it comes to this issue- and you are right, it is WAY under publicised. There is also some truth to the idea that the movie and TV studios are hypocritical in their approach to this- we have all seen how they love to promote super thin people, but don't want to talk about the reason why these people got that way and have to stay that way. This is nuts, if you ask me.

Good luck on your recovery program, and I hope that you can find a way to turn off and tune out most of the nonsense that the media puts out.