Societal Pressure to be Thin - 597 Words

â€Å"To be happy and successful, you must be thin,† is a message women are given at a very young age (Society and Eating Disorders). In fact, eating disorders are still continuously growing because of the value society places on being thin. There are many influences in society that pressures females to strive for the â€Å"ideal† figure. According to Sheldon’s research on, â€Å"Pressure to be Perfect: Influences on College Students’ Body Esteem,† the ideal figure of an average female portrayed in the media is 5’11† and 120 pounds. In reality, the average American woman weighs 140 pounds at 5’4†. The societal pressures come from television shows, diet commercials, social media, peers, magazines and models. However, most females do not take into account of the beauty photo-shop and airbrushing. This ongoing issue is to always be a concern because of the increase in eating disorders. A female should not feel insecure with he r body when she is comfortable in her own skin, whether or not she weights 130 pounds or 150 pounds at 5’5†. According to Rehab’s study of the evolution of the female figure over one hundred years, â€Å"the body shapes of the most admired models have remained consistently slimmer than that of the average American woman.† Due to the significant increase in mass media throughout the twentieth century of the United States, there has been a noteworthy impact on the popular image of women. A woman being dissatisfied with their body is a everyday trend around the world where asShow MoreRelatedEating Disorder Reflection Paper1341 Words   |  6 PagesReflection on impact of societal ideas on body image and eating disorder. Nah! you are not skinny enough, no one wants a fat guy or a girl, do not eat that you will never get skinny, sadly but truly we are consistently being reminded with phrases like these to pursue a socially accepted thin and trimmed figure. Eating disorders are chronic and serious illness that engages a person into severe irregular eating behaviors to satisfy their distress about maintaining a thin figure and low body weightRead MoreGendered Societal Expectations of Appearance and Their Effects Upon the Individual1721 Words   |  7 PagesGendered Societal Expectations of Appearance and Their Effects Upon the Individual It has long been generally accepted that we as humans are influenced greatly by the things that surround our everyday lives. These things can include friends, family, co-workers, the media and even society as a whole. The society in which people live can play a huge role in how they view themselves and how they view others. Over the years researchers have come up with many theories as to how and why society hasRead MoreEating Disorders Looking Mainly At Their Causes1387 Words   |  6 Pagesdisorders are stereotyped very heavily in our society, and that public awareness of their causes lacking. Growing up I was always very thin, due to a high metabolism and a small bone structure; traits which ran in my family. Many times, people would make fun of me and even call me anorexic. However, I was not anorexic or bulimic, I was just a thin child, and am still a thin young woman. These trials taught me a very valuable lesson about labeling people, and how much that can hurt them. This i s one ofRead MoreEating Disorders Are Abolishing People Day By Day1566 Words   |  7 Pagesand genders suffer from an eating disorder in the United States. These mental monsters are not physical, but they are mentally destroying a person’s thoughts, which effect their overall actions. Not only are eating disorders caused by unrealistic societal expectations, but the monsters come out through the psychological aspects as well. Eating disorders are â€Å"a mental health issue with devastating effects on one s physical health and quality of life. Underlying the food and exercise behaviors areRead MoreTeenage Girls and Body Image Essay1291 Words   |  6 Pagesof the media. The way media represents women are for them to be thin-like models and other women on television to be the high standard of â€Å"attractiveness† to others. The advertising involved targets young teenage women and feature these models that are portraying desirable items, and the â€Å"norm† is for these women to be slender and beautiful (Vonderen Kinnally, 2012). Research has been done to prove that media’s pressure on being thin causes women to be depressive and negative feelings about themselvesRead MoreMedia s Influence On Body Image942 Words   |  4 Pagesinfluenced and often times skewed due to the increasing pressure created from outside, societal factors. With a world that is continuously creating new form s of social media and entertainment, individuals are constantly exposed to images that supposedly define bodily perfection and are then expected to resemble these images in order to fit in and/or please society. The expectations that have been put in place by society has created unwanted pressure on individuals who feel as if they need to resembleRead MoreSocial Media And Its Impact On Society1224 Words   |  5 Pagesplays in the way we perceive things, think, and live our lives. Social media plays a critical part in societal norms. â€Å"Social norms are rules of conduct that governs interactions among individuals within a reference group. Norm violations can often provoke disapproval and loss of esteem,† (Young, 2007). People seek approval or validation by their peers or other individuals in society; in effect, societal norms are generally abided by many individuals. â€Å"People want to be accepted by others in their socialRead MoreThe Religion Of Thinness : An Spiritua l Hungers Behind Women s Obsession With Eating Disorders1452 Words   |  6 Pagescaused by sociocultural incitements; therefore, regulations and education mustn’t be established to help reduce the problems. One study revealed that â€Å"Less than half of 1 percent of all women develop anorexia nervosa, which indicates to us that societal pressure alone isn’t enough to cause someone to develop this disease† (Schwarz 4). In addition, some might argue that researchers and associations/organizations are playing the anxiety game. That they grasp upon the harm of the dimmest members of ourRead MoreBurgess, Melinda, and Sandra Burpo. The Effect of Music Videos on College Students1100 Words   |  5 PagesBrit; Tiggemann. The Effect of Thin Ideal Media Images on Womenà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s Self-Objectification, Mood, and Body Image Http://connection.ebscohost.com/. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Mar. 2014. This article examined the present study highlights self-objectification as a previously unexamined variable that may be involved in the female response to media stimuli. The central purpose of the study was to examine whether viewing thin-idealized media images would increaseRead MoreMass Media s Influence On Body Image1414 Words   |  6 PagesMass Media’s Influence on Body Image Over the years a debate over who is to blame over the decline in how girls perceive themselves has arisen. With Photoshop being the societal norm concerning the media, it has become difficult for many to understand where the line between real and near impossible standards lies. Youths see an image edited to â€Å"perfection† and strive to reach the standards that they imagine due to the images displayed on magazines, television and social media. From Disney to magazines