The Price of Beauty

Eating disorders, such as anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating have become more and more prevalent in men and women throughout the United States in the last decade. Most cases begin at adolescence, and continue throughout the teenage and adult years. Many of the cases are serious, resulting in hospitalization, rehabilitation, and even death. Several factors influence these behavioral disorders in men and women, but one of the most influential today is social media. Eating disorders are extremely common in adolescents, teenagers, and adults in the western world and the media holds a great responsibility for this crisis. To add to this problem, social media has taken to wrongly used censorship. Instead of deleting inappropriate pictures and posts, websites such as Instagram have been causing much controversy by deleting certain posts of the natural female body. Luckily, prevention is on the rise.

Across the United States, Americans are constantly hearing about eating disorders occurring in young men and women, and unfortunately, the number of victims seem to be increasing as the years go on. Anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating are among the most common eating disorders seen across the nation. Anorexia nervosa occurs when “the anorexic child refuses to maintain even a minimally normal body weight. She is intensely afraid of gaining weight, a fear that is fueled by a distorted perception of her body’s shape and size” (Espejo, 7). Anorexia is perhaps the most common chronic condition found in adolescents. Bulimia nervosa is a condition where instead of starving, the bulimic will binge eat, then either purge or abuse laxatives or diuretics (Espejo, 8). Lastly, Binge eating disorder, which is when the person binge eats, but does not purge or take laxatives. Instead, they eat so much, even when they are not hungry, and afterwards, feel ashamed and repulsed by their behaviors (Espejo, 9). These eating disorders affect both men and women and every age group, from children to adult. “In the United States, 20 million women and 10 million men suffer from a clinically significant eating disorder at some time in their life, including anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder.” What is causing the numbers to be so high?

According to the National Eating Disorder Association, the media holds a great responsibility for the increase of body image dissatisfaction throughout the United States. Other factors include psychological factors (low self-esteem, anxiety, depression), interpersonal factors (sexual abuse, history of bullying), biological factors, and finally, social factors (the media). It is likely that more than one factor contributes to the eating disorder, but our social media is greatly to blame for the increase of these diseases throughout the decade. Cultural pressures, cultural norms, and narrow definitions of beauty all fall under the category of social factors. After browsing through the National Eating Disorder Association website, and seeing the huge emphasis on the media and “how to view the media responsibly”, it is clear that our media greatly influences eating disorders across our nation.

This is a significant problem because it is affecting so much of today’s youth. Personally, this is a serious problem in my life. My cousin, similar in age and one of my best friends, has suffered from anorexia for almost two years. She’s been in and out of hospitals and therapy more times than I can count. She constantly compares herself to the thin, “perfect” celebrities she follows on Instagram and twitter. My cousin is just one of many who are undergoing this problem though. Everyday the media affects the lives of millions, making them feel inadequate in today’s society where the only way to be considered desirable is to be skinny. This problem is only increasing. So much of our lives revolve around social media and how society views things. If your favorite actress is on a new diet, trying to get thinner than her already100-pound frame then clearly you too must lose as much weight as possible. This is the attitude of our western world and it’s creating a serious epidemic of body image problems, which lead to eating disorders. The children of our culture shouldn’t grow up believing they have to starve themselves to be worth something, or to be attractive. This is a significant problem because it affects almost everyone in some way or another.

It is quite shocking that our nation has gone from discouraging thinness, to encouraging it. “In earlier times, thinness was seen as a sign of illness or starvation, whereas heavier women were considered healthy and strong” (Swain, 18). Why have these norms changed? Our society needs to stop encouraging an ideal body, and instead, encourage that beauty comes in all shapes and sizes. The media today is so readily accessible and vastly different than it was years past. Media and advertisements today blur the boundary between what is realistic and what is fictionalized. Companies often use tools and editing programs to make their ad look as best as it can. Photographing techniques such as airbrushing, soft-focus cameras, composite figures, editing, and filters blur the realistic nature of the image. Do companies really need to continue to heavily edit their pictures? Do they really believe that they will make more money by putting an unrealistic image out into the world for all to see? Do they think that Photoshop and other editing tools will make them more money? They see the eating disorder statistics, and they know exactly what they are doing. There is no reason to advertise perfection, when in reality, it can never be achieved; and there is nothing wrong with that. No one should feel that they have to strive to be something that is impossible to be. Those with eating disorders and readers in general “are lead to believe that the models seen through illusions are realistic representations of actual people rather than carefully manipulated, artificially developed images” (Thompson).

That being said not only is editing being encouraged and used by magazines and advertisements everywhere but censorship in the online media is also becoming a problem. No, Instagram didn’t take down that photo of the half-naked photoshopped woman. They did however remove the one of the all-natural mother breastfeeding her newborn child. Another example is of artist Rupi Kaur and her “controversial” Instagram photo of a woman on her period that was taken down. How are women supposed to feel comfortable with their bodies when Instagram and Facebook won’t even allow a photo of a fully clothed woman on her page? Women have historically been shamed for parts of themselves that they cannot control. The point of the picture was to work towards removing the stigma by telling people women have nothing to be ashamed of. Instead, the site did the opposite and sparked controversy and countless arguments. The Kim Kardashian “Break the Internet” picture is another perfect example. Her-clearly edited- fully naked pictures were not once removed from any social media site. However, comedienne Chelsea Handler posted a similar one and, surprise, was removed almost immediately. What does this say to young girls? It says that the only way it’s acceptable is to have a body like Kim Kardashian.

Unfortunately, social media is not something that is easy to hide from. Twitter, Instagram, Facebook- it’s everywhere, and almost everyone is using at least one of these sites daily. And this is only the direct problem. People are also indirectly exposed to the media through society and their peers. If a girl’s friends dress one way and encourage her to act a certain way, she’s likely to follow. This is why this is such a big problem. In order to fix it, an entire culture’s state of mind must be altered, or more people have to learn to simply not rely on the media to tell them how to live their lives.

Good news- awareness of this issue is on the rise and prevention is getting slightly easier. Today, there is a lot of attention on it. People are working to stop this crisis in many unique ways. One way, for example, is the new Barbie Doll. The Lammily doll, from creator Nickolay Lamm turned model-thin Barbie into what she would look like if she had the actual measurements of an average 19-year-old woman’s body, based on CDC data. She also comes with cellulite, freckles and acne stickers. Giving these dolls to young girls can help change the next generation. Because of this awareness, there have been more attempts by Instagram and Twitter to censor content by banning certain hashtags, while treatment centers and other advocates have pushed positive messages in hopes of steering people away from self-destructive behaviors.

Other companies are doing their part for awareness and prevention, too. Aerie, a branch of American Eagle Outfitters and a popular lingerie store aimed at the 15–21 year old demographic, infamous (like most lingerie stores are) for their stick-thin models recently changed their ways- and for the better. The “Aerie Real” campaign “challenges supermodel standards by featuring un-retouched models in their latest collection of bras, undies and apparel.” American Eagle’s strategy stands in contrast to that of Victoria’s Secret, which recently faced backlash for an ad of its lingerie models with the caption “The Perfect ‘Body.’” Even though the slogan referenced Victoria’s Secret’s ‘Body’ lingerie line, many said that the message was unattainable for young girls. American Eagle executives say the company wants to promote more realistic standards for its teenage customers. While the models are still very thin, imperfections are visible. Airbrushing isn’t going away anytime soon. But Aerie’s campaign proves that the media’s portrayal of what is real, attainable beauty is slightly changing.

Along with worldwide companies, individual celebrities are even taking on stand on this issue, encouraging young girls to love their bodies and accept themselves for the way they are. Demi Lovato has been a longtime advocate for those struggling with eating disorders having suffered from one herself. Now the songstress has turned to Twitter, where she has close to 6 million followers, to help spread her message on the eating disorders. Lovato is an example of the good social media could do if used correctly and for beneficial purposes. She has tweeted from her account @ddlovato “24 million Americans are affected by eating disorders. Everybody Knows Somebody. #NEDAwareness.” ”Most models are thinner than 98% of Americans. Instead of trying to change our bodies, how about we try to change our culture? #NEDAwareness” and “Research funding per individual: Alzheimer’s $88, Schizophrenia $81, Autism $44. Eating disorders? $0.93. Insufficient. #NEDAwareness.” The singer collaborated with the National Eating Disorders Association in a three week-long event which aimed to raise awareness and support individual and families affected by eating disorders. Showing things like this on the media is very effective. These singers and actresses are serious role models in the lives our many teenage girls. They look up to them and respect what they have to see. When they see and hear these positive messages throughout the media instead of the negatives, it changes the way they think and perceive beauty. Starting girls young with positive thoughts in their head instead of exposing them to harmful media is also helpful.

It is undoubtedly true that the American media is a large factor in influencing eating disorders in men and women across the country. No single factor can be to blame, but the pressure to be perfect and the obsession with thinness ultimately causes body image issues and directly affects victims of eating disorders. Prevention is real though, and only increasing. If companies and social media sites continue to raise awareness and strive towards realistic beauty and body goals, there’s still hope for today’s society and youth.