Social Networkings Influence on Eating Disorders Essay

As many as 10 million woman and girls suffer from anorexia or bulimia in the United States (Steele). Anorexia and bulimia are very serious eating disorders. Many women and young girls feel that these disorders are the only way for them to be accepted by others. However the strive for acceptance only ends up causing pain, emotional harm, or death to those affected. Being a sufferer of anorexia, I know the emotional and physical damage this disease can cause. The root cause of having an eating disorder is still undetermined, yet some doctors and physiologist believe the new focus on a perfect body, shown by the media is to blame. Society’s portrayal and promotion of a thin body image as the ideal female body contributes to eating†¦show more content†¦As the fad of eating disorders continued, more people gained in support. Pro-eating disorder (pro-ED) emerged on the internet, saying that eating disorders are actually a lifestyle choice instead of a medical condition. Pro -anorexia (pro-ana) and pro-bulimia (pro-mia) Web sites, forums, clubs and chat groups were created to offer thinspiration in the form of dieting tips and images of severely thin models (Topping). People today are still suffering from anorexia and bulimia, afraid that if they gain any weight America will consider them to be obese. America’s obsession with the obesity epidemic scares many woman and girls in the U.S. into the belief that their body will never be good enough. Recently American leaders have been pressing the issue of obesity to children and adults across the country. First Lady Michelle Obama newly started â€Å"Let’s Move!† a program hoped to help youth in America become fit, healthy, and to decrease obesity (DeNoon). Doctors and psychologists feel that this new aim at being fit does more harm than good. â€Å"We live in a very weight obsessive society where the body size is getting larger, but what is considered the ideal body type (weight) isnâ €™t.† (Fields, ScD). Fields, a psychologist at a local Washington hospital says that the â€Å"Let’s Move!† plan is a great start to stopping the spread of obesity, but it falls short inShow MoreRelatedMedia’s Influence on Children and Adolescents Essay examples574 Words   |  3 Pagestelevision and social media, the present generation is â€Å"born† in it. By this statement, it is implied that children today are much closer to technology and media than adults are, and so, are more likely to be affected by it. Perhaps, the highest impact on the physical, cognitive, and social-emotional development of children and adolescents is by media due to its ready availability through Smart phones, tablet PCs and other portable devices. This paper attempts to evaluate some of the influences of mediaRead MoreThe Effects of Online Media on Adolescents1454 Words   |  6 Pagesmany negative uses as well. Unfortunately, it is all too easy for these negative effects to impede upon the perceptions of adolescents. Some countries have been trying to reduce this effect by expelling the inappropriate content of online media (Influence on Children Media...†). However, in the United States, children are thrown in the waves, expected to stay afloat in this massive sea, but many are being dragged under the surface by the nefarious temptations media creates. Content that is not appropriateRead MorePsychological Effects of Social Media3121 Words   |  13 PagesThe Daily Mail just ran a thought-provoking article about the effect that social websites have on childhood development. In short, eminent neuroscientist Susan Greenfield claims that social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter shorten attention spans and contribute to an instant gratification, self-centered mindset. From the article: We know how small babies need constant reassurance that they exist. My fear is that these technologies are infantilising the brain into the state of small children