Body Image and the Media

“Models wanted for bar promotion… candidates must be physically fit…” (See figure 1). This ad and others like it are printed everyday throughout newspapers and magazines that are read by millions of teenaged girls and women. Some girls may glance at the ads, and pay them no attention. But there are others who feel the “perfect” people in the ads are the ones they should strive to be like to live a more fulfilling life. As most people already know, nobody is perfect. In order to be as close to perfect as possible, extreme measures are taken to achieve the “perfect” body. Because the average teenage girl cannot afford plastic surgery or liposuction, they take the route they can afford, not eating. This is where eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia come in. Because of the “images of perfection” portrayed by everyday media, thousands of girls and women suffer and die from starving themselves to be perfect.
The two most common eating disorders are Anorexia Nerv...