Body images set by social media and the environment we live in are unrealistic and unhealthy for women to try to achieve. While many people are trying to embrace the ideas of body positivity, there is negative connotation to that. In a society where people base there looks on others and the way others react to how they look it is hard to stand strong and feel beautiful. Many people will struggle with their body image due to unrealistic ideals set by media. Social media is a way that greatly influences what the idea of an idealistic body is. Women will want to be stick thin, with a large chest, yet only weigh 100 or so pounds so you can see their ribs and thigh gaps. The media has set such high standards of what beauty is and this is hurting
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They are unable to obtain this ideal which will create a greater frustration. This creates a waterfall affect for each individual. Reaching for an unrealistic standard sets a women up for failure and this failure will hurt her even more, possibly leading to mental health disorders or a start to any form of self-harm. This harm is not limited to but may include binging, not eating, and extreme exercise. Women with poor self-esteem are especially at risk for developing an eating disorder due to the presence of the media. It is now common for women to have “anxiety over body image” and begin the use of “ongoing extreme dieting” to obtain these ideals even if their body is not meant to do so (ANAD). Aspirations for thinness can begin to impact girls at any young age. The media begins instilling the ideals of being thin, extremely thin, even in children’s shows. In one study, an overwhelming “majority of 10-year-old girls – 81% – fear being fat. Half of girls in 5th grade through 12th grade feel that magazine images have made them want to lose weight. Among girls who are of normal weight, 50-70% perceive themselves as being overweight” (ANAD). The way these girls perceive themselves will change their eating and exercise habits, to create “a better look” and produce more
They are unable to obtain this ideal which will create a greater frustration. This creates a waterfall affect for each individual. Reaching for an unrealistic standard sets a women up for failure and this failure will hurt her even more, possibly leading to mental health disorders or a start to any form of self-harm. This harm is not limited to but may include binging, not eating, and extreme exercise. Women with poor self-esteem are especially at risk for developing an eating disorder due to the presence of the media. It is now common for women to have “anxiety over body image” and begin the use of “ongoing extreme dieting” to obtain these ideals even if their body is not meant to do so (ANAD). Aspirations for thinness can begin to impact girls at any young age. The media begins instilling the ideals of being thin, extremely thin, even in children’s shows. In one study, an overwhelming “majority of 10-year-old girls – 81% – fear being fat. Half of girls in 5th grade through 12th grade feel that magazine images have made them want to lose weight. Among girls who are of normal weight, 50-70% perceive themselves as being overweight” (ANAD). The way these girls perceive themselves will change their eating and exercise habits, to create “a better look” and produce more