"Does this dress make me look fat?". "I have to lose five pounds by next week." These are just a few excerpts from the infatuation with looking thin which has had a grasp over the United States since the gift of sight. Young, thin images of models and actresses consume television and magazines, showcasing an unrealistic view of a "perfect" body image. The victims are usually young teen girls and young adult women, looking up to these faux role models and trying to set the standards for their own body images. As a result, teenage eating disorders are on the rise today in America due to these and many other factors. Over time, the consequences of eating disorders can be devastating, both physically and psychologically, and can even cause death.
Anorexia, or Anorexia Nervosa as it is properly referred to, "is characterized by self-starvation and excessive weight loss. People with Anorexia refuse to be satisfied with even minimally normal body weight, and are intensly afraid of gaining weight and have distorted perceptions of the shape and size of their bodies." Bulimia, or Bulimia Nervosa, involves "repeated episodes of overeating followed by purging--getting rid of food and calories through vomitting, laxative abuse, or obsessive exercising ("Get Real")." Many more teens in America are suffering from eating disorders today than ever before. A People Magazine poll conducted in 1999 showed that out of five-hundred college women, fifty-five percent knew someone in college that had an eating disorder, and eleven percent admitted having an eating disorder sometime in their lives (Hubbard).
Although there is no one exact cause for eating disorders, much is now known about what may contribute to their development. A few major contributors to eating disorders are false body images portrayed through television, movies, fashion, music, and sports. Minor blemishes and unsightly faults on the bodies of famous celebrities are "corrected" using technology before being presented to the public, and the finished products are "perfect" figures such as Christina Aguilera or Britney Spears.
