“Sex sells”, but at what cost?
Over-sexualization of young women and men in media and how it leads to eating disorders.
We’ve all heard it talked about in the past, women being sexualized in the media. Sure, it’s been brought up time and time again but it’s still a very prevalent subject. While looking at Dose.com, their main photos and captions are used to grab the readers’ attention, but so many were sexualizing women, men, and different objects. Stories nowadays may not be content based, rather focused on how to get as many people to click on the story as possible. Young models in French Vogue and girls entered in pageants like Toddlers in Tiaras are some of the few examples of the sexualization around the world, and it’s starting at a young age. There are so many examples of photos to show, but I chose to exclude them from this post, trying not to emphasize on the photos.
Huffington Post published an article about the sexualization of girls and women and how that can lead to mental illnesses like eating disorders. Growing up in a society that publicizes over sexuality puts a lot of pressure on teens and young adults, and I can attest to that. It can be common, especially in college, to encounter someone who has an eating disorder, or to even develop one yourself.
Total Sorority Move, or TSM, an online blog with posts related to sorority women, is another example of over-sexualization of women and promoting eating disorders. Titles of articles like “How to Get a Spring Break Body Without Stepping Foot in a Gym” give girls the idea to cut out bad foods and replace them with healthy foods. Sounds like solid advice right? Not exactly, when the healthy food they suggest are fruit juices and alcohol. That doesn’t exactly constitute as a healthy alternative, and you’re probably better off having the McDonald’s hash brown to intake some nutrients. The craze in Diet Coke has also become very popular on their site, saying it is the best thing ever because drinking it curbs your appetite and has zero calories. Admittedly, I drank diet coke 2–3 times daily (although not to substitute it for meals) and ended up with kidney stones so again, the article isn’t solid advice on how to drink it daily. Some articles may not be related to eating disorders, but they have suggestive titles and pictures that sexualize women with men. Sure, I’ve been guilty of sharing articles and posts to friends because of the humor or relevance, but for those out there suffering from an eating disorder, these posts are only adding fuel to the fire.
Going off of the Diet Coke craze, Even Coca-Cola has made differences in their ads with Diet Coke and Coke Zero. Diet Coke is directed towards women, with Taylor Swift in several commercials. Interesting how the word “diet” is targeted towards women, but the Coke Zero ads are more directed towards men. Here’s an example of the two ads which shows differences in Coca-Cola’s target audience:
As much as the Internet has used to make women feel bad about themselves, there are just as many if not more places to go if help or support is needed. The University of Missouri has many resources such as the Counseling Center to help those in need, and even host events during National Eating Disorders Awareness week. Although these things are occurring, there are so many support groups and people that are trying to turn awareness on those that are suffering from eating disorders and to offer help. The National Eating Disorder Association has a Tumblr dedicated to empowering women and men who have suffered or currently suffering from an eating disorder. There is even a German restaurant that caters to those who have anorexia, giving them healthy portions of food that isn’t too overwhelming.
The more we stop talking and thinking about ourselves negatively, the less sexualization and prevalence of eating disorders there will be. Every woman is beautiful, so I challenge you, the reader of this blog, on International Women’s Day, to find the beauty in women by talking to them and sharing stories, not by comparing what your number on the scale was this morning.
If you or anyone you know is suffering from an eating disorder, please go to the National Eating Disorders Association to find out how you can receive or give help and support.
