Eating disorders stem from a long chain of causes. The media causes society to form ideas of what beauty is. This causes girls to feel insecure about their own bodies if they do not meet the set model of beauty. They then feel pressured to meet these standards and go as far as hurting themselves to try to make their bodies “beautiful”.
The media plays a large factor in shaping a woman’s idea about what she should look like. Today in Hollywood, thin is in. Actresses, singers, and models set a high standard for what beautiful women should look like. With the TV being on for 7 hours and 40 minutes per day in the average household, girls and young women are constantly being reminded that skinny equals pretty (Facts). You rarely see a movie, commercial, or music video that does not feature women with thin bodies and flat stomachs. Girls look through a fashion or clothing magazine and seldom see a girl that is average weight, let alone overweight.
Models are supposed to be the ones girls look up to and “model” themselves after. In reality, most girls’ bodies just are not made to be like these women’s. Many girls dream of being models because they want to be thought of as beautiful. From the time girls are young, this desire to be beautiful is fostered by Barbie. What little girl does not want to be Barbie? She has the perfect body and can do anything imaginable. From ballerina to gymnast to ice skater, she is cable able of being anything. When many of these girls get older, they realize that becoming Barbie is an unrealistic dream, and they decide to strive to be the next best thing: a model. For the majority of girls’ body types, it is impractical to set their standards to those of models.
On average, these models weight is 23% less than the average, healthy girl (Miller). “Most fashion models are thinner than 98% of American women” (Dieting). Some girls do not have the long legs and non-existent hips. Girls with curves were not meant to look like the tall, slender models. Some girls were just built to have wider shoulders. It is very impractical and unhealthy for these girls to set their standards to an impossible level. Each girl was given her own unique body that can not be made into something it is not.
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