The Slimming Of America

9 Pages 2198 Words

st common of eating disorders is Anorexia Nervosa. This disorder is characterized by an intense fear of gaining weight (Screeningday 1).
Those who suffer from anorexia often have a distorted view of their body shape and body weight. They turn towards self-starvation in order to achieve whatever image of beauty they think is desirable. Although anorexia is psychological in nature, its physical effects can be disastrous, with 1 in 10 cases leading to death by cardiac arrest, starvation, suicide, or other medical complications (Screeningday 3).
Another common eating disorder is Bulimia Nervosa, which like anorexia is characterized by an intense fear of gaining weight. The difference however, is the method used to control the weight. Bulimics consume huge amounts of food at one time, and then use various methods to purge this food from their bodies. Laxatives, vomiting, and obsessive exercise are the common methods through which this is achieved.
Starving, binging, and purging are just several methods women are using to achieve their goal of being supermodel thin(Zimmerman 39). Regardless of the method being used, it is having a horrendous emotional and physical impact on young women.
The simple fact is that eating disorders and self-loathing are not traits women are born with; these things must be learned. Until told something otherwise, most people begin life loving their bodies (Zimmerman 41). So what role do the fashion industry and media play in this problem? According to the experts, much of the blame may lay in the hands of the fashion industry.


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In America, the fashion industry parades stick-think models before young and impressionable girls indoctrinating them with the notion that a girl is only as beautiful as she is thin (Watchtower 2).
This false message encourages young women and girls to strive for a body weight and image that is both unhealthy and unrealistic. The averag...