Eating Disorders In Young Girls

Health professionals and experts have come forward to inform that repeated exposure to skinny models in advertisements causes young girls to develop these dangerous eating disorders. This year, the Royal College of Psychiatrists in London called for a warning symbol to be placed on airbrushed pictures of models and also a ban on ultra-thin models. This group of doctors has referred to an excessive amount of evidence showing false images of female perfection help trigger eating disorders in young girls and makes it difficult for them to recover. Additionally, the Royal College slams fashion magazines for their “unhealthy obsession” with diets, as well as criticizing celebrities’ bodies. Also, the Royal College goes too far by “glamorizing” excessive weight loss (Carmichael, 2010).

It seems like every young girl dreams of becoming a model these days. Every young girl has the desire to get thinner than other girls in order to look like models on T.V, magazines and so on. The New York Times publishes articles for the majority of the audience to read, which is mostly adults. Mim Udovitch’s article, “A Secret Society of the Starving” talks about two major eating disorders that are anorexia and bulimia within many girls. Udovitch reports stories about three girls that are going through these disorders or have gone through them. The three girls Udovitch includes are Claire, Chaos, and Futurebird. Ken Jackson’s interpretation of

This is not intentional, but when one younger girl sees her idol and she or he has an eating disorder, the girl would want to be just like him or her. In fact, models are just as vulnerable as any other teenager to have anorexia because of pressure to be skinny all the time. Models can be so pressured by the company, by their agent, or by the people to be skinny that soon the model thinks he or her are never the right size. “Many Models face incredible pressure to stay thin, and sometimes the pressure can be too much” (Mills). There are many models around the world who have eating disorders including Isabelle Caro. She happened to be a french model who had anorexia, she was most well known for appearing at an anti-anorexia campaign. She died in Paris, France in 2010 because of Anorexia bulimia. One anti- anorexia campaign described the anorexic models like Isabelle, “Fashion sketches—the way that people communicate designs to one another—idealize these bodies, with their exaggerated proportions, long slender limbs, and expressionless faces” (Bridges). Overall, girls, women, men, and models are all possible of gaining an eating disorder and or unintentionally passing it on to another person. With models, there is a pressure to be thin, but with teenagers peer pressure is the main source for anorexia in their age

In the 1950s around the time Marilyn Monroe was living, models were curvier. Everyone desired Marilyn Monroe’s hourglass figure, but now the hourglass figure is no longer in. The 20th century fashion world is obsessed with the idea of being thin. Models are dying because they are trying to reach that “perfection” that the fashion industry wants them to be. Self-starvation to achieve a thin physique has resulted in the common occurrence of anorexia nervosa within the model world. Anorexia nervosa has affected well-known models such as Isabelle Caro, Ana Carolina Reston, and Luisel

What is the definition of an eating disorder? Why does it affect so many of American young teens? Many individuals would believe that an eating disorders are a fad diet or an experiment to lose weight, but they are serious complex disorders that can take many years to recover from. Per statics eating disorders affect five percent of women and one percent of men in the United States. The South Carolina Mental Health Department reports that five to ten percent of girls with eating disorders will die within ten years of having the disease ("Eating Disorder Statistics," 2006). Individual whom is concern about their body imagine and low self-esteem the individuals will turn to food by over eating or not eating at all. Moreover, Doctors and Scientist have shown that eating disorder is a mental illness that individuals develop over an extend period.

In addition to the history of anorexia nervosa, the causes of this eating disorder play a major role in their mentality. This is important to examine because people with anorexia are often using food and eating as a way to gain control when parts of their lives are stressful or overwhelming. According to Eating Disorders: An Encyclopedia of Causes, Treatment, and Prevention, “The causes of eating disorders are multifaceted and usually include a combination of psychological, familial, sociocultural, and biological or genetic factors rather than a sole determinant of the disorder. “(103). When it comes to the psychological causes of anorexia many individuals often have low self-worth, low self-esteem, and strive for perfectionism. Having a low

Eating disorders refer to conditions where individuals have an unhealthy relationship with food, which turn negatively various aspects of their lives. Individuals suffering from eating disorders eat either excessively large amounts of food or little food that cannot sustain their normal body functions. Such persons can equally be obsessed with thoughts of food and exercises, an aspect that may result in them having distorted bodies. Millions of American citizens suffer from eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge eating, as well as eating disorders that are not otherwise specified (EDNOS). The most worrying concern nonetheless, is the fact that close to 90% of those suffering from eating disorders are adolescents and young women, the former who are routinely regarded as one of the most active segments of the population (Dancyger et al., 2014). The high incidence within adolescents and young women should note be taken to denote that young men and adults do not suffer from eating disorders. The failure to adequately attend to those suffering from eating disorders predisposes them to serious mental and physical health issues, thereby routinely interfering with their personal, professional and social lives (Mehler et al., 2015). In as much as eating disorders may coexist with different mental conditions, the eating disorders tend to go undiagnosed, implying that only a small number of sufferers obtain treatment for eating disorders. This

Female adolescents can develop eating disorders because of the way the media portrays models. Adolescent girls’ attitude of the thin ideal leads to body dissatisfaction, which in return puts them at risk for serious eating disorders like bulimia and anorexia nervosa. Bulimia is an emotional disorder involving distortion of body image and an obsessive desire to lose weight, in which bouts of extreme overeating are followed by depression and self-induced vomiting, purging, or fasting. Anorexia nervosa is an emotional disorder characterized by an obsessive desire to lose weight by refusing to eat. Kara L. Kerr who is currently studying psychology, sociology, and women’s and gender studies at the University of Tulsa claims that “Approximately 40 percent of anorexia nervosa cases occur in females ages fifteen to nineteen” (1). Females’ that are the ages of fifteen to nineteen should not be worrying about the presentation of their

Dieting is another major ramification of eating disorders to girls of all ages in America. Many girls have a negative mentality that makes them believe they are not skinny enough because of the photos posted on media today. This negative mentality results in unhealthy weight management and feeble relationships with food; these girls are excessively dieting and exercising in fear of gaining weight (“Teen Health and Wellness”). The ideal beauty image today is to be emaciated. Anorexia Nervosa is an eating disorder distinguished by an obsessive eagerness of losing weight by refusing to eat, the dangers of anorexia, and every other eating disorder are extremely high. Anorexia has the highest death rate of all mental illnesses: fifteen to twenty percent of anorexics die within the first ten years, while eighteen to twenty percent die within the first twenty years of being anorexic (“Mirasol Eating Disorder Recovery Centers”). The death rate correlated with eating disorders is twelve times higher than any other causes of death of females aged fifteen to twenty four (“Mirasol Eating Disorder Recovery Centers

However, dieting is the first step for anorexia patients and the diets become more and more restrictive (Graves,2000). Girls are more likely to develop a poor body image and have weight concerns because they accumulate fat during puberty (Ojeda,2003). Many watch television (T.V.) or get on social media sites when they go home after school and they see dieting commercials or a hamburger commercial with a model eating it and want a perfect body just like they have but many of them are not aware of what models do to themselves to get to that weight and have that perfect body image. Models are many times unhealthy themselves because instead of being on a healthy diet many just do not eat and smoke instead to fill themselves

Eating disorders refer to conditions where individuals have an unhealthy relationship with food, which in turn negatively influences various aspects of their lives. Individuals suffering from eating disorders eat either excessively large amounts of food or little food that cannot sustain their normal body functions. Such persons can equally be obsessed with thoughts of food and exercises, an aspect that may result in them having distorted bodies. Millions of American citizens suffer from eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge eating, as well as eating disorders that are not otherwise specified (EDNOS). The most worrying concern nonetheless, is the fact that close to 90% of those suffering from eating disorders are adolescents and young women, the former who are routinely regarded as one of the most active segments of the population (Dancyger et al., 2014). The high incidence within adolescents and young women should note be taken to denote that young men and adults do not suffer from eating disorders. The failure to adequately attend to those suffering from eating disorders predisposes them to serious mental and physical health issues, thereby routinely interfering with their personal, professional and social lives (Mehler et al., 2015). In as much as eating disorders may coexist with different mental conditions, the eating disorders tend to go undiagnosed, implying that only a small number of sufferers obtain treatment for eating disorders.

Eating disorders are complex illnesses that are affecting adolescents with increasing frequency [1]. They rank as the third most common chronic illness in adolescent females, with an incidence of up to 5% 1, 2 and 3. Three major subgroups are recognized: a restrictive form in which food intake is severely limited (anorexia nervosa); a bulimic form in which binge-eating episodes are followed by attempts to minimize the effects of overeating via vomiting, catharsis, exercise, or fasting (bulimia nervosa); and a third group in which all the criteria for anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa are not met. The latter group, often called “eating disorder not otherwise specified” or EDNOS, constitutes the majority of patients seen in referral centers treating adolescents [4]. Eating disorders are associated with serious biological, psychological, and sociological morbidity and significant mortality. Unique features of adolescents and the developmental process of adolescence are critical considerations in determining the diagnosis, treatment, and outcome of eating disorders in this age group. This position statement represents a consensus from Adolescent Medicine specialists from the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, and Australia regarding the diagnosis and management of eating disorders in adolescents. In keeping with the practice guidelines of the American Psychiatric Association [5] and the American Academy of Pediatrics [6], this statement integrates evidence-based medicine,

Eating disorders appear to be something that is more common in this country and ignored. Media portrays people do be a certain body frame and it is talked about who has the right body shape and who does not. This makes it extremely difficult for people, especially women. Media and other people put a huge pressure on women and young girls to have a certain body image and shape to be “beautiful” or more attractive especially to the other gender. This can be a lot of the times when eating disorders come into play. From the video on the dancers, they talked a lot about how it was ideal to be extremely skinny. A woman was so skinny that her bones were popping out and other dancers were jealous and envious that she had that body and they did not. Others want to know how she got to be that way when it was truly unhealthy. One thing that people and society needs to pay attention to is these stigmas and pressures them put on other people. People can go to great lengths and put themselves at risk to live up to this unrealistic idea.

Eating disorders in children and teens cause serious changes in their health. Eating disorders are characteristics and cause by eating behaviors, also people with this disorder use eating, purging or restructuring with their issues. Eating disorders is divided into three parts as anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, compulsive overeating, etc (Eating Disorders,n.d.).Eating disorders can overlap between and alternate of anorexia and bulimia. Eating disorders around the adolescence, but it can also start in childhood. Girls with bulimia nervosa fall within their normal range of body weight, but to them some girls feel that they are overweight. Almost 25 percent of females have bulimia in their lifetime. There are many celebrities who suffer from eating disorders while coming up in Hollywood or currently battling the disorder. Like, former pop singer/ performer Lady Gaga struggled with bulimia and anorexia while beginning her career. Another singer name Kesha, has recently been treated for an unspecified eating disorder (n.d.). Karen Carpenter, a former singer, died from cardiac arrest at the age of 32, for years she suffer from severe anorexia. Another singer name Demi Lovato, has become one of the most outspoken about her mental issues within her eating disorder (n.d.). Sharon Osbourne, wife of Ozzy Osbourne and former ‘The Talk’ host, Sharon has struggled with bulimia for over 30 years. Another famous daytime talk show host, Oprah Winfrey is a sufferer of disordered eating.

(Gusinger 745). When thinking about how women are portrayed in the media and fashion world, there are two different arguments that can be made. To be a fashion model, a person must be thinner than 95 percent of those their own age. This makes sense considering that an average of 90 percent of people struggling with anorexia nervosa are women and girls. (Gusinger 745-747). This can cause people who would want to become a model or look like a model to attempt to lose weight to look like them. They could lose weight in a healthy way, or they might end up developing anorexia nervosa. However, the opposing argument says that “it appears that viewing thin images has an effect which is similar to viewing images of homes and gardens – none.” (Ferguson 12). This argument is supported by the ‘ceiling effect’ or acknowledging that “the media has already produced whatever effects it could potentially produce.” (Ferguson 12). While body dissatisfaction has thought to be linked with anorexia nervosa, it has not been found to be connected. With this, body dissatisfaction is a symptom of anorexia nervosa and those with anorexia nervosa often have body dissatisfaction. However, having body dissatisfaction does not mean that a person also has anorexia