Introduction
The problem of eating disorder has grown over the past few years to become a major problem for most Americans today.
The problem can be dated back to the late 1960s where anorexia nervosa (AN), an extremely rare disorder, become quite prevalent in Western societies.
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The problem was evidenced by people engaging in self-starvation, which sometimes resulted in death.
Eating disorders can be defined as a condition where one has an unhealthy feeling about what they eat.
Eating disorder impacts millions of Americans today. Many have low self-esteem, look at themselves as fat, and crave to have an ideal thin body.
Thesis:
Culture has played a significant role in contributing to eating disorders around the world through various mass media platforms where people can emulate what others are doing.
Body Paragraph 1 – Global Issues Definition of Eating disorders
There are two major types of eating disorders, anorexia nervosa (AN) and Bulimia nervosa (BN). Different global such as socio-cultural factors due to the increasing social media influence and peer pressure have resulted in many young people developing eating disorders.
“Eating disorders do not occur uniformly in all cultures at all times. An obsession with slimness – a core feature of Eds is concentrated in cultures in which food is abundant” (Polivy & Herman, p.191).
Social media has played a big role by acting as a tool to further influence the eating habits of millions of people.
Body Paragraph 2 – Contribution of the media
The media acts as a tool for mass communication and can convey messages to different people all over the world about certain issues.
Bordo (2011) explored the impact that the media has had on eating disorders and found that mass media such as television has played a big role in influencing the development of eating disorders.
The impact of the media can be seen through various forms of advertisements and Hollywood films where the thin body is regarded as the ideal body size.
Fashion magazines have continued to create an image of beauty that is based on the whiteness of one’s skin and the thinness of her body.
The impact of the media is that many girls all over the world look in the mirror and criticize themselves for falling short of the required beauty standards.
Body Paragraph 3 – Contribution of Culture
Cultural beliefs and attitudes have been identified as one of the most significant factors that can contribute to the development of eating disorders.
The American culture has created new ideals of the body that have resulted in eating disorders.
According to Miller and Pumariega (2001), eating disorders are thus more prevalent in cultural groups like the American ethnic minorities compared to the minorities in other countries.
The American culture has also had significant influence from the global environment and influenced the world negatively leading to a further crisis in eating disorders among the global population.
Body Paragraph 4 – Strategies to Change
The solution to reducing eating disorders should begin by changing message in the media.
Fashion magazines and Hollywood films should change their portrayal of the ideal female body.
Various campaigns and education programs should be facilitated by various media channels like social media to show that everyone is beautiful.
Conclusion
The implications for the given study are that culture and media have played a significant role in the creation of eating disorders.
There is a need for society and culture to change its perspectives of beauty.
Such a change can only be possible if it begins with the media, and the message spreads to the whole world.
References
Bordo, S. (2011). The globalization of eating disorders. The New World Reader: Thinking and Writing about the Global Community , 17-21.
Miller, M. N., & Pumariega, A. J. (2001). Culture and eating disorders: A historical and cross-cultural review. Psychiatry: Interpersonal and biological processes , 64 (2), 93-110.
Polivy, J., & Herman, C. P. (2002). Causes of eating disorders. Annual review of psychology, 53(1), 187-213.
