Anorexia Nervosa and Media's portrayals of Beauty

Anorexia Nervosa is one of those modern diseases that mostly exist among teenagers and especially among girls. The consequences of having such disease are life threatening and can lead to sudden death as well. A person with Anorexia tends to starve himself by eating small portions of food and exercising excessively, along with weighing himself multiple times per day. The reasons behind such disease relate to personal or psychological problems, however, I do believe that the false image of beauty portrayed by the media and represented by skinny models or famous stars on television and magazines, has contributed in pressurizing women to remain thin in every way and has influenced their perspective of beauty.



Nowadays, many celebrities are victims of Anorexia, and they are considered as role models of beauty and even perfection to the audience. The majority of women in the media are skinny, tall and young. Magazines and Internet blogs are full with articles that concern the latest methods of losing the extra pounds and how being skinny is the key for attractiveness and satisfaction. Unfortunately, many women compel themselves to follow what celebrities provide. Therefore, their self-confidence level diminishes and they become unsatisfied with themselves. Monitoring the type of food we eat and losing some extra pounds are beneficial ways towards a healthy lifestyle. But women abuse such concepts by being addicted to becoming or remaining skinny.



Gaining one or two pounds leads a person to starve himself and even prevent himself from eating through out the day. This is exactly what fashion models do a few days or a week before a fashion show. Even though many models have died from such habits, being anorexic does not worry other models, but they are horrified by the idea of being unaccepted or rejected for gaining weight. This illustrates exactly how far women can reach just to lose weight.



Anorexia is a disease spread among young women and we should raise as much awareness to combat and abolish such disease. Future generations are threatened and they must be protected from the negative influence given by the media. I think that beauty is subjective and different individuals have their own perspectives. Schools should provide opportunities for students to express themselves by giving them presentations about self-image, the dangerous effects of starvation and how to reserve beauty without having a thin figure.