According to ‘JustSayYes.org’, “teen girls are more afraid of gaining weight than they are of cancer, nuclear war, or losing a parent” (Strickland). The constant desire amongst young women of being thin and losing weight is disturbing and all too common. This craving of thinness stems from a lot of factors, but a largely prominent one especially in our technologically advanced youth is social media. The instant access to other user’s profiles and photos can aid in the development of mental illnesses such as depression, eating disorders, and lowered self-confidence and self-esteem. According to a survey I conducted of 23 young women, aged 18-24, 100% of them agreed that yes, the media does have an effect on a person’s body image. The constant
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From January of 2013 to June 2016, users of Instagram have increased by 410 million, now reaching nearly 500 million users (“Instagram”). This increased use of social media and photo platforms by young adults and celebrities has aided in the creation of unrealistic body expectations between people of all ages. With platforms like Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat and other photo applications ingraining themselves into our everyday lives, body dysmorphia and other common body image concerns also rise into the norm. These sites and applications, which are commonplace for selfies and other photos posted by users, allow individuals to seek for approval from their followers (Simmons). An increasingly popular account across these applications are called “fitspo” accounts, or “fit inspiration”. These typically are full of pictures of incredibly fit and thin women who post their progress pictures, their healthy lifestyle photos, and act as visual motivation for other people trying to live a healthy life too. However, these accounts can have the opportunity to act as a negative force also. According to my aforementioned survey …show more content…
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, common eating disorders include anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge-eating disorder. The most common sign of anorexia nervosa is seeing yourself as overweight, when in reality you could be incredibly underweight. These individuals usually are very conscious of their weight and weigh themselves often, frequently starve themselves, and only eat small amounts of food at a time. Symptoms of this disorder include fear of weight gain, restricted eating, emaciation, osteoporosis, brittle hair, and rejection of the dangers of a low body weight. Anorexia has the highest fatality rate, with most victims dying from starvation and suicide. The next eating disorder that can appear is bulimia nervosa. According to the NIMH, “People with bulimia nervosa have recurrent and frequent episodes of eating unusually large amounts of food and feeling a lack of control over these episodes. This binge-eating is followed by behavior that compensates for the overeating such as forced vomiting, excessive use of laxatives or diuretics, fasting, excessive exercise, or a combination of these behaviors” (NIMH). Symptoms of this disease typically include sore throat, swollen glands, dehydration, decaying teeth, intestinal irritation, and other dangerous side effects. Unlike anorexia nervosa,
From January of 2013 to June 2016, users of Instagram have increased by 410 million, now reaching nearly 500 million users (“Instagram”). This increased use of social media and photo platforms by young adults and celebrities has aided in the creation of unrealistic body expectations between people of all ages. With platforms like Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat and other photo applications ingraining themselves into our everyday lives, body dysmorphia and other common body image concerns also rise into the norm. These sites and applications, which are commonplace for selfies and other photos posted by users, allow individuals to seek for approval from their followers (Simmons). An increasingly popular account across these applications are called “fitspo” accounts, or “fit inspiration”. These typically are full of pictures of incredibly fit and thin women who post their progress pictures, their healthy lifestyle photos, and act as visual motivation for other people trying to live a healthy life too. However, these accounts can have the opportunity to act as a negative force also. According to my aforementioned survey …show more content…
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, common eating disorders include anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge-eating disorder. The most common sign of anorexia nervosa is seeing yourself as overweight, when in reality you could be incredibly underweight. These individuals usually are very conscious of their weight and weigh themselves often, frequently starve themselves, and only eat small amounts of food at a time. Symptoms of this disorder include fear of weight gain, restricted eating, emaciation, osteoporosis, brittle hair, and rejection of the dangers of a low body weight. Anorexia has the highest fatality rate, with most victims dying from starvation and suicide. The next eating disorder that can appear is bulimia nervosa. According to the NIMH, “People with bulimia nervosa have recurrent and frequent episodes of eating unusually large amounts of food and feeling a lack of control over these episodes. This binge-eating is followed by behavior that compensates for the overeating such as forced vomiting, excessive use of laxatives or diuretics, fasting, excessive exercise, or a combination of these behaviors” (NIMH). Symptoms of this disease typically include sore throat, swollen glands, dehydration, decaying teeth, intestinal irritation, and other dangerous side effects. Unlike anorexia nervosa,