Imagine standing in line at the grocery store, sitting at home on the couch, or driving through Chicago. What do these things have in common? When you do each one, you are being exposed to media. Every day, teenagers are exposed to an average of over 7 hours of media. With this much exposure going in and out of our sponge-like brains, we can basically absorb anything we see. While this is great for learning, it is detrimental to our self-esteem. The media has created the image of a “perfect” body. Abercrombie models, Barbie dolls, and Victoria's Secret Angels are what we, as Americans, are supposed to strive to mimic. Thin, rib-bearing bodies are what is “beautiful” to the American eye. So, how do we achieve these bodies when we don't look like that to start? Many people turn to starving themselves or binging, causing serious health problems, even death. Others who can't measure up spiral into depression, which can lead to suicide. The idea of perfection is burning so strong in our heads and it is taking a toll on us, both in self-esteem and health. The problem is so extreme that we are even affected when we don't know it.
Believe it or not, the media has a hold on our brains from the day we come into this world. According to Media Smarts, children as young as three already prefer thinner toys and game pieces as compared to those depicting heavier characters. Girls at age seven can already find imperfections in themselves and can identify things they would like to change. Ninety-nine percent of girls between the ages of three and fourteen own a Barbie, a doll depicting a thin, busty, 5'9”, 110-pound female with a 36-inch bust and an 18” waist. If Barbie were a real girl, she would be considered a severe anorexic and would be extremely unhealthy. Exposing young children to ideas and images like this can impact them for life, and that's exactly what it's doing. As they grow up, kids turn into teenagers: teenagers with body issues.
A Washington University study found that 1 in 100 teen girls suffer from anorexia nervosa, an eating disorder defined as “an emotional disorder characterized by an obsessive desire to lose weight by refusing to eat.” Anorexia is a serious, widespread problem. According to the South Carolina Dept. of Health, 20% of those suffering from anorexia will die prematurely due to complications of the disorder, usually within 18-20 years. How many cases of anorexia nervosa are caused by media influence? It is estimated that 79% of girls who have anorexia read women's health magazines on a regular basis. That's almost 4/5 of all the girls in the U.S with an eating disorder. It is obvious there is a link in media and eating disorders after seeing such a shocking statistic. But there is more to unhealthy practices than just anorexia.
Have you ever heard of the tapeworm diet? A tapeworm is a worm that lives in your digestive system and absorbs nutrients and food from you. Tapeworm dieting is extremely dangerous and can end with serious consequences, even death, but celebrities have been praising it for over 100 years. In fact, there are quite a few dangerous “celebrity diets” out there that people will attempt to lose weight. On top of that, many celebrities endorse diet pills or meal plans that can do just as much damage as a weird diet plan. An eighteen-year-old girl bought a bottle of Botanical Soft Gels, a diet pill popular online, and ended up in emergency surgery five days after starting her bottle. This teen suffered from what they call acute ischaemic colitis, which is sudden swelling of the colon and intestines. The drug is now globally banned, but you can still find suppliers online, and there is a high demand for these pills, how ever dangerous they may be.
Although many citizens don't realize it, the emotional effects of media on body image can be just as bad as the physical ones. Seventy-eight percent of seventeen-year-olds are unhappy with their bodies. Shockingly, teens who viewed themselves as “very” overweight were at twice the risk for suicide than those who thought they were an “average” weight, says a study performed by the Center for Disease Control. The study concludes that body perception has a stronger effect on suicidal thoughts and depression than a teen's actual weight does. This said, it really exposes the distortion and dysfunction the media implants in our brains. In the study, six percent of boys and eleven percent of girls admitted to attempting suicide because of severe discontent with their bodies. A Rhode Island Hospital survey, 75% of those who thought they were overweight believed their lives weren't worth living. Although there are health risks that come with being overweight, it is important to educate our society about normal weights and body perception. If a life is lost to suicide, they never know if they could have lost those last ten pounds if they were overweight to begin with.
Today, America sees “fat” as a disease. If you are healthy, you are fat. If you don't have a thigh gap, or visible hipbones, or a flat stomach, you are fat in this day and age. The honest truth is, you can't be skin and bones and be healthy. We aren't all going to look like Abercrombie models, Barbie dolls, or Victoria's Secret Angels. Television and tabloids have brainwashed our society into thinking thin is in, but sometimes thin is dangerous. We all have different body types, and some of us weren't created to be skinny. Just believing we were can lead to eating disorders, extreme dieting, and death, whether it come by accident or suicide. Low self-esteem is a rising problem in American youth, and we can work to stop it. By educating ourselves about healthy weight, eating habits, and body perception, we could save millions of lives that would otherwise be lost. So, the next time you feel bad about yourself when you see that magazine cover in the grocery store, turn it over. Turn it over, look at yourself and smile, because, no matter what you think, you don't have to give into the diets and fads to be beautiful.
