Dieting has become one of the most common ways to lose weight in the US today. In 2013, the dieting industry in the US was valued at $60.5 billion. This was a 1.8% decline from the previous year. Worldwide the dietary industry made about $586.3 billion in 2014. (Wilmington)With the amount of money this industry is making, many people would think that the best way to lose weight is with these miracle cures. However, a majority of dietary supplements and plans are ineffective and costly to the consumer. The US today is struggling with children and adults who are overweight or obese. Many Americans aren 't very physically active. One reason is that many people spend hours in front of TVs and computers doing work, schoolwork, and video games.
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The average weight of a person has gone up 25 pounds in the last 55 years; the media has still succeeded in making the standard of beauty difficult to attain. (Sacher) Today, the average American woman is 5’4″ in height and weighs 166 lbs. In comparison, the average model is 5’10” tall and weighs only 107 lbs. (Live Science Staff) Even an ideal male body is presented in a very extreme manner. Many male models are muscular and have a very low body fat ratio, which is nearly impossible for a working male to achieve without quitting their job and working out for a large portion of the day every day. People consume media at such a rapid rate, it is difficult to avoid these unrealistic images. However, even before an abundance of media, people were still struggling with body image issues. In the 1900s and 1910s the Gibson Girl was prominent. The ideal woman was depicted as slender and tall, with a large bust and wide hips. The exaggerated look was achieved by corseting, pinching the torso and waist significantly. In the 20s the flapper was the ideal women and almost every decade had a look that defined the decade. In the 70s, anorexia nervosa began its popularity. Singers and models were known to partake in starvation diets. The 70s also brought a rise to diet pills, which often used potentially dangerous amphetamines to suppress the …show more content…
People today have been trained for instant gratification and will try to find it in all aspects of their life. Even if it means taking pills as a means to reach true beauty. However, many of these dietary drugs on the market are not safe for people and have many side effects. One example is Slimming Beauty which was marketed as a "100% herbal" and "a natural vitamin and calcium" capsule for use even by children as young as 2. However, the label left out two important warnings. First, that Slimming Beauty was illegally spiked with dangerously large amounts of sibutramine, a powerful prescription-strength stimulant. Second, many of the side effects included heart attacks, elevated blood pressure, headaches, vomiting, and insomnia. Sibutramine can be found in Meridia, a prescription weight loss drug, which was withdrawn from the market at the FDA 's request. The FDA had approved the drug in 1997, but a recent 10,000-patient, 6-year study showed that sibutramine upped the risk of heart attacks and strokes by 16%. (Trebilcock) The diet industry is one of the most unregulated industries. These products can go on the market without FDA approval and the dietary companies don’t have to provide evidence if the pills are safe or not. The FTC and the
The average weight of a person has gone up 25 pounds in the last 55 years; the media has still succeeded in making the standard of beauty difficult to attain. (Sacher) Today, the average American woman is 5’4″ in height and weighs 166 lbs. In comparison, the average model is 5’10” tall and weighs only 107 lbs. (Live Science Staff) Even an ideal male body is presented in a very extreme manner. Many male models are muscular and have a very low body fat ratio, which is nearly impossible for a working male to achieve without quitting their job and working out for a large portion of the day every day. People consume media at such a rapid rate, it is difficult to avoid these unrealistic images. However, even before an abundance of media, people were still struggling with body image issues. In the 1900s and 1910s the Gibson Girl was prominent. The ideal woman was depicted as slender and tall, with a large bust and wide hips. The exaggerated look was achieved by corseting, pinching the torso and waist significantly. In the 20s the flapper was the ideal women and almost every decade had a look that defined the decade. In the 70s, anorexia nervosa began its popularity. Singers and models were known to partake in starvation diets. The 70s also brought a rise to diet pills, which often used potentially dangerous amphetamines to suppress the …show more content…
People today have been trained for instant gratification and will try to find it in all aspects of their life. Even if it means taking pills as a means to reach true beauty. However, many of these dietary drugs on the market are not safe for people and have many side effects. One example is Slimming Beauty which was marketed as a "100% herbal" and "a natural vitamin and calcium" capsule for use even by children as young as 2. However, the label left out two important warnings. First, that Slimming Beauty was illegally spiked with dangerously large amounts of sibutramine, a powerful prescription-strength stimulant. Second, many of the side effects included heart attacks, elevated blood pressure, headaches, vomiting, and insomnia. Sibutramine can be found in Meridia, a prescription weight loss drug, which was withdrawn from the market at the FDA 's request. The FDA had approved the drug in 1997, but a recent 10,000-patient, 6-year study showed that sibutramine upped the risk of heart attacks and strokes by 16%. (Trebilcock) The diet industry is one of the most unregulated industries. These products can go on the market without FDA approval and the dietary companies don’t have to provide evidence if the pills are safe or not. The FTC and the