Saturday morning commercials were also evaluated and it showed that half of the commercials aimed at girls talked about physical attractiveness (National Institute). Another study found that young women who viewed commercials that displayed women as extremely thin caused them to feel irritated, unhappy with their own body-type, and less secure of their own appearance (National Institute). All of these examples may explain how women can develop eating disorders at such a young age, but adolescence is not the only time these eating disorders can develop. The need of a women to obtain the "perfect body" can occur throughout their whole life and may never be eliminated. .
It is almost impossible for women to possess a "perfect body" or one seen in magazines or on television. In fact, the body of a fashion model is only possible for about ten percent of women in America (Yellon). Many of what people perceive of how actresses and models look in magazines may look real, but in fact, it isn't. Almost all the pictures are touched up in some sort of way to make models look more appealing. Bodies that are displayed in the media are unrealistic in a way, and are not the norm. A fashion model weighs about 23 percent less than the average female today ("Body Image and Advertising," 2000). Since society views this unrealistic body as the way all women should look, it sets a standard for them. Women tend to feel the need to fit into this impractical standard, and later cause them to develop any kind of eating disorder.
Women may also view models or actresses as role models or idols. They want to be exactly like that person in every way possible, which can include their weight. They may say, "Well this is all Jennifer Aniston eats, so that's all I am going to eat." Where did they get this information on how much Jennifer Aniston eats, directly from the media. People can read in magazines what many celebrity diets are and what many young stars eat.
