My+Thoughts+on+Body+Image

__ Body Image and Eating Disorders  __ // By Dong An, Class 8-2  // Over the years, the ideal body image has changed. The ideal body image nowadays is usually thin, tall, and muscular. These images are portrayed everywhere in the media. This has had a serious impact on eating disorders. In this essay, I will talk about how body image affects eating disorders. The ideal body image is seen as skinny, thin waists and large chests for women and broad shoulders and muscular bodies for men. These images are often exaggerated by the media and impossible to obtain. Why do we try to obtain it then, because that’s what we see everyday in the media and that’s what our society thinks is ideal and beautiful. People think that if they look good, they will be desirable and liked by others. Two industries that are booming right now are cosmetic surgery and cosmetics/toiletries. They are succeeding because everyone wants to obtain that perfect body image. Eating disorders are when people starve themselves or use other unhealthy methods to get skinny. Eating disorders include: Anorexia Nervosa, when you starve yourselves; and Bulimia Nervosa, which is when you throw up after eating. These two methods are both unhealthy and could result in dry skin, hair loss, and fatigue. Eating disorders are dangerous since they can come back later on in your life. 95% of cases of eating disorders are women because looking good usually appeals to females more. The cases of eating disorders have risen in both women and men in the past years. This is because the pressures of the media have increased over the years and people have a higher demand of body image. When people, especially females, see pictures of beautiful people everyday, it makes them want to look like that also. And since they can’t usually obtain these images in a healthy fashion, they resort to starving themselves. Over time, this becomes an eating disorder that is hard to stop. When you starve yourselves and become skinny, you look good and you do it again and again. After awhile, it becomes hard to stop, even when you know that it’s wrong. You will become sensitive about things and your body will start feeling bad. An example of this would be the story of Comfort. Comfort was a young woman who started dieting and eventually, she had to go to a mental hospital to get treated, but when she came out again, she would go back to her old ways. Eventually, her body was so weak that she died. Eating disorders are unhealthy for the body both physically and mentally. That’s why we should start accepting our own unique body shapes and live an active lifestyle. Next time you see an ad, know that it’s unrealistic and unhealthy. And if you see someone dieting, tell them to stop.