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Eating Disorders and Media

It is proven now that media can influence the beginning of eating disorders in some people. This is evident especially in children and teens who can easily be lulled into the wrong image of what the human body is supposed to look like.

 

A very serious concern is that tiny little children as young as 8 year old are now contracting anorexia and the media are to blame. The images of thinness and unreal sexual images in the media do influence children's minds which in turn lead them into an eating disorder.

 

Early exposure to sexualized images encourage young women to see themselves as objects and value themselves for how they look  rather then a whole person. Their values shift to the side where being beautiful and sexually attractive substitutes for being an individual with a strong sense of self. These inevitably lead young women to pursue thinness and artificial beauty that they see on the covers of magazines on TV and in the newspapers.

 

Very often girls have no understanding that what they're pursuing is only an unattainable image provided by the media to entertain their readers, attract buyers and sell the products they advertise or to send some other frivolous messages to the public.

 

So the beginnings of an eating disorder in young women can very often be connected to body dissatisfaction which is brought on by comparing their own body to the body images in the media.

 

For example, a recent survey revealed that 25% of Australian teenage girls would consider plastic surgery if they could and 2% already have had plastic surgery to change the way they look.

 

The other research was done on 4000 teenager girls' aged from 11 to 18 and found that more than 85% of them were unhappy with their body and would like to do or are already doing something about it.

 

The recent Botox survey revealed that women as young as 17 years old do Botox injection in order to prevent wrinkles. Breast implants have been done for women as young as 17-20 years old.

 

All the examples above shows that very many women nowadays think that fake women are much better than the real thing, based on the images that are portrayed in the media as being the norm.

 

To conclude, the media contributes a lot to developing body dissatisfaction and consequently eating disorders, by promoting fake unattainable images of women's bodies. To fight eating disorders it is important to educate the masses on the truth of how the media works to sell its advertising clients products.
 

Young women should be taught about balance and the truth of what is perceived to be beautiful and what real women are suppose to look like.


Even women like Marilyn Monroe who only a short time ago was considered to be the most beautiful woman in the world, would now be classified as a Big Girl by the media.


Is it any wonder so many young women are falling victims to eating disorders?

 

To learn how other people have manage to defeat their eating disorder as a consequence of dissatisfaction with their own body go to http://www.mom-please-help.com

 

 

 

 

 

Dr Irina Webster

Dr Irina Webster MD is the Director of Women Health Issues Program. She is a recognised authority in the eating disorders area. She is an author of many books and a public speaker.
http://www.mom-please-help.com

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1. Andra (18:41, 23.06.2008)
I am a Canadian business person, wife and mom who suffered with an eating disorder for over 25 years. I am now FREE of the thoughts and actions of this affliction. This was only possible after being lucky enough to connect with Dr. Irina Webster who developed the most incredible program ever created in the area of eating disorders as it actually deals with the issues from the inside out. Instead of challenging Dr. Webster, you should familiarize yourself with her research and progress in this area. Without this, you are doing such a disservice to sufferers and their families as this could really be the one program that could change their lives forever. The best part about Dr. Irina is her mission to help those willing to accept her help. Just over a year ago, I would not have thought it possible to say “I AM FREE OF THIS DISORDER!!!" This is exactly what has happened and I am will never turn back to that time. Think of how many other sufferers would feel the same way if they could use this program. Dr. Webster's main goal is to help sufferers start living and enjoying life again. Really, you should be passing Dr. Webster's name and accomplishments along to every person who has ever suffered with this disease.
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2. no fool (18:04, 21.06.2008)
Ms Irina would you please indicate your educational background and professional training and affiliation within eating disorders? Where were you trained and credentialed? And who/what organizations have given you \"recognized authority\" in eating disorders?

Being an author of books, speaker or selling motivational CD\'s does not make you an \"authority\". Where is your peer-reviewed research and documentation for all of your publications and media, and more importantly data of \"cured\" patients that you seem to allude to?

If you have found a \"cure\" for eating disorders I would imagine everyone would be flooding your \"program\", fellow dr\'s and researchers would be scrambling for your insight and study; and most importantly there would be no more eating disorders.

This is alot of the same types of ramble that regular media puts out daily for the consumer glut, if you were a real Dr/researcher I would imagine you would have more important things to do vs this type of self-promotional foolery.
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3. Dr Irina Wbster (11:42, 22.06.2008)
To nofool
Thank you for your comments.
Please go to http://www.bulimia-cure.com/about_authorbulimia.htm

For the information you seek.

I am sorry but I can not think of any thing better to do than help eating disorder sufferers. As an ex-sufferer myself there is noting more important to me.
Again thanks for the comments
Dr Irina Webster MD

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