Media Crossing a THIN Line

When’s the last time you glanced at a fashion ad? Shopped online? Opened an entertainment magazine? Watched your favorite TV series? Went on Instagram? Odds are, you were exposed to the media’s portrayal of the good looking, the desirable, the in-style, or simply, the idea of beauty. As discussed in my previous blog post, there is more to the development of eating disorders than media effects; such as emotional, biological and psychological factors. But when we are constantly exposed to media, an impossible, unattainable expectation of beauty, is it fair to say that social networks can make a harsh impact on individuals and their self-image? The reality is young, impressionable adolescents are given unrealistic ideas of what beautiful is through media and social networks, which may in turn harm one's self-worth or even influence a distorted body image or an eating disorder.

In a study done by Harvard Medical School, young girls in Fiji, where TV is few and far in-between, were compared to more urban, western cultures. The more urban, westernized girls were 60% more likely to show disordered eating. This is an example of how the saturation of a media medium can have an impact on the rate of eating disorders in a society. Consider the exposure of TV, music videos, magazines and advertisements that we absorb daily.  In the media, you only see the perfect, happy, successful people, not the pre-Photoshopped, natural, real life content. Even super model Cindy Crawford was once quoted saying, “Even I don’t wake up looking like Cindy Crawford.”

Not to mention, social networks and the internet’s accessibility enable so many the ability to post, share, see and say almost they please. On Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube, etc., triggering media is very prevalent and dangerously spreadable. Even more dangerous, perhaps, is the content on social networks, or online in general, that promotes and encourages a self destructive and disordered lifestyle. Unfortunately, if you type in ‘thinspo’ to the search bar of Instagram, Google, or even Twitter, you are given endless options to explore images which glorify the state of being thin. Or perhaps you have heard the term ‘ProAna’? Again, this is an idea that motivates people to obtain extreme thinness. More specifically, it promotes anorexia and gives tips, tricks, and inspiration to starve, to restrict, and to strive for bones.

In a society where models are hired to be hangers and where “thinspiration” has become a search engine normality, media and social networks could very well be a negative and destructive influence on an individuals self image and even mental and psychical health. At my lowest, sickest weight, girls at school would comment on my appearance and compliment my thinness, but now having gained 25 lbs., I feel better than ever! The pressure to be perfect by the media and encouraged on social networks is a dangerous line, but just being aware of its affect and unrealistic attainability can help society see the truth.