Advertisements and Anorexic Models Essay
Advertisements and Anorexic Models Essay
While it can be argued that advertisers have a right towards free speech and should be able to present whatever images they want, the reality of the situation is that advertisers have to show restraint and have to be regulated since the people have to be protected from those who would seek to exploit them. The arguments for not allowing advertisements that show models that are clearly anorexic is both a moral argument and a business argument since advertising has a tremendous effect on people and their buying decisions. Unethical advertising may actually put people off a certain seller and this makes it a dangerous business decision to use anorexic models.To understand the effects of advertisements on individuals we must understand the disease itself and realize that advertisements can become a part of the cause of why anorexia exists in such large numbers today. Advertisements and Anorexic Models Essay. ANRED (Anorexia Nervosa and Related Eating Disorders) (2007) suggests that advertisements and society at large makes several strange demands from women who are expected to be happy, have positive relationships, have a successful career, maintain her house and remain thin.This idea of remaining and being thin can become a mental disease that manifests itself as an eating disorder called Anorexia Nervosa. The disease itself has several symptoms for example. an individual may have a distorted personal body image and a very low weight that is extremely dangerous for their health. Individuals who suffer from this disease may seek to control their weight and their distorted body image with extreme dieting which may take them to the point of absolute starvation. They may even start vomiting their food intake, engage in too much exercise such as running or trying to lose weight through excessive weight training. They may even resort to using drugs such as Phen Phen in an attempt to reduce their perceived weight (Fry and Veatch, 2000).The advertisers of fashion and other goods are certainly a part of the problem when it comes to Anorexia since their idealized picture of what a woman should look like is nothing compared to what women in the realworld are used to.
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There is something obviously wrong with these statistics. Women who subject themselves to these circumstances are fighting against their own body make-ups in order to fulfill the standards put out by the media. In order to change these staggering statistics in the future, we must examine what the media does to make girls and women obtain eating disorders.
When researchers asked one hundred eighteen female, college-aged students to look at twenty pictures in ads from women’s magazines, they felt a sudden change in mood after the pictures were observed. There was notable depression in the women, a depression that has seemed to hit many women after leafing through women’s magazines (Key and Lindgren 11). This depression is due to the fact there are so many negative messages being conveyed in advertisements that are published in women’s magazines. But who can blame the women for their depression anyway? When the majority of the ads in women’s magazines show super-skinny models advertising nice clothes, makeup, jewelry, etc., one might find themselves to be a little down. Skinny models portray their figures to be the cultural norm in Western society today. Advertisements and Anorexic Models Essay.How often does one find a model in a woman’s magazine that is over a size six that is not shown advertising plus size merchandise? The answer is not very often, or sometimes never at all. If women do not see their body type being depicted in
While it can be argued that advertisers have a right towards free speech and should be able to present whatever images they want, the reality of the situation is that advertisers have to show restraint and have to be regulated since the people have to be protected from those who would seek to exploit them. The arguments for not allowing advertisements that show models that are clearly anorexic is both a moral argument and a business argument since advertising has a tremendous effect on people and their buying decisions. Unethical advertising may actually put people off a certain seller and this makes it a dangerous business decision to use anorexic models.
To understand the effects of advertisements on individuals we must understand the disease itself and realize that advertisements can become a part of the cause of why anorexia exists in such large numbers today. ANRED (Anorexia Nervosa and Related Eating Disorders) (2007) suggests that advertisements and society at large makes several strange demands from women who are expected to be happy, have positive relationships, have a successful career, maintain her house and remain thin.
This idea of remaining and being thin can become a mental disease that manifests itself as an eating disorder called Anorexia Nervosa. The disease itself has several symptoms for example; an individual may have a distorted personal body image and a very low weight that is extremely dangerous for their health.Advertisements and Anorexic Models Essay. Individuals who suffer from this disease may seek to control their weight and their distorted body image with extreme dieting which may take them to the point of absolute starvation. They may even start vomiting their food intake, engage in too much exercise such as running or trying to lose weight through excessive weight training. They may even resort to using drugs such as Phen Phen in an attempt to reduce their perceived weight (Fry and Veatch, 2000).
The advertisers of fashion and other goods are certainly a part of the problem when it comes to Anorexia since their idealized picture of what a woman should look like is nothing compared to what women in the real world are used t
I believe Aristotle would have called this the “golden mean” when the hips and bust line are tantamount.
Ralph Lauren’s advertisement for the latest fall fashion does not help dispute the body image with an astounding message that proclaims “thin is in.” Each and every model in this layout is undeniably slim, giving the effect the clothes belong on this type of woman encouraging women to look more like the models so they could wear the clothes and look just as good as the models. No wonder women are obsessed over eating healthy and burning the right amount of calories; they are seduced by the image of models. As a matter of fact, in a study performed by Anne Collins, it was discovered that 80 per cent of American women claim to be dissatisfied with their appearance and weight. Of course women are going to make such claims when popular fashion designers such as Ralph Lauren advertise their clothes on abnormally thin models emphasizing the idea that “thin is beautiful.” Advertisements and Anorexic Models Essay.
The same goes for the men; many department stores advertise robust men in sleek suits. The image portrayed here is the wealthy man in the good-looking suit with the vigorous body. When society and advertising deems the man with the exquisite looks and zero per cent body fat as getting everything he wants then men across the country are going to strive to do what ever it takes to become that “perfect man.” Take a look at the two
Many people falsely believe that anorexia arises by choice. However, recent studies suggest otherwise, and the reason may not be what you think. New research may provide sound evidence that the fashion industry and various media sources play a major role. How authentic are these studies? What are the reasons behind these ideas? This essay will answer these questions, dive into the validity of such claims, and will leave you wondering if this dark secret is truly accurate.
Fashion Industry and Anorexia
With so many young people being glued to their phones and television screens, it is easy to see why they have false views in life including what they believe to be acceptable in society. This is no exception to thinking they need to be perfect, which can lead to destructive consequences. It is obvious that the media is everywhere. Media ranges from television, the internet, and magazines. It provides such a huge part of our lives. In fact, studies show that over eighty percent of people watch television each day, being an average of three hours (Lyons, 2017, para 16). Many shows and commercials feature women that are very thin and like sex objects with unrealistic body types (Lyons, 2017, para 16). In fact, models in magazines and beauty advertisements are littered with so much photoshop they don’t realize it is so unrealistic. Advertisements and Anorexic Models Essay. “The National Eating Disorders Association”, has revealed that twenty percent of advertisements that are featured on television have a meaning behind them showing that being gaunt is “more attractive” than a regular weight. The average teenage in the United States has seen at least five thousand of these commercials every year (Lyons, 2017, para 16). It should come as no surprise that correlation exists between destructive eating behaviors and negative self-esteem. This new generation is being sucked into a fake reality which often leads to an assumption that young girls need to become excessively skinny to be attractive.
Anorexia Among Celebrities
What might the reason be behind models and actresses being so thin?
Well, it is shocking that the limit for becoming one is having a BMI of 16 which is considered dangerous by doctors and even leads to health problems and vitamin deficiencies. In fact, Damien Gayle quotes that according to the World Health Organization, “there are guidelines that someone with a BMI of 18.5 or under is considered underweight, 18 is malnourished, and 17 is severely malnourished. Why is Hollywood and pop culture so obsessed with the idea of a perfect body and look?” For many who want to have a career in these industries, eating disorders and starvation may be the only way to land a successful career. In fact, research has shown that roughly sixty percent of models needed to become thinner and fifty percent were threatened to shred pounds or they would be terminated. Anorexia and Bulimia in models are so abundant that a lot of celebrities are spreading awareness and publicly sharing their ideas. Advertisements and Anorexic Models Essay.
Magazines and Advertisements
It should be very obvious and noticeable that models and movie characters are becoming slenderer, while such a massive number of American females have become considerably heavier. Television is not the only way to be exposed to this material. Alarmingly, studies propose that eighty-three percent of young ladies read “fashion magazines” for roughly four hours each week. What is more surprising is the number of weight loss ads that are more prevalent in women’s magazines. In fact, Spettigue mentions that lady’s magazines contained ten times the number of diet products than men’s magazines. Another shocking study that Spettigue mentioned was one that was published by Kilbourne in 1994. This study revealed that the main wish of young women aged eleven to seventeen was “to get thinner and keep it off”. In addition, Kilbourne did another study proving the significant impact on the importance of weight loss in young women. Unfortunately, the study showed that young aged ladies who were asked what they might most want to change about their lives, and a great part of them said “their weight”.
Expert Input
Without a doubt, the new body size standard is dwindling. On the contrary, many American women are getting larger. The media may deny claims about supporting anorexia. However, experts on eating disorders such as Kelly Brownell firmly disagree (Jade, 2012, para 9). Kelly Brownell is also a doctor and she provides impressive input showing irony surrounding celebrities. Kelly Brownell argues that eating disorder such as Anorexia and Bulimia have more a higher chance of occurring due to the media’s bad examples. A really fascinating fact she mentions is a phenomenon surrounding celebrities lately. Advertisements and Anorexic Models Essay. Brownell argues that this “phenomenon” is what is commonly known as the Damaging Paradox. The Damaging Paradox is when media in current society promotes a low weight and perfect body. In an interesting way, they then advertise on their commercials nourishments high in fat and calories, while convincing consumers to buy these items (Jade, 2012, para 9). It should come as no surprise that actresses do not really eat these foods. In fact, consuming such calorie loaded foods would very unlikely in the corrupt world of Hollywood.
Thinspiration Cites and Orthorexia
In addition to Anorexia, another eating disorder is becoming extremely common which is also being fueled by the media. Orthorexia, a form of eating disorder, is becoming more widespread in the media and is caused by a conscious desire for obsessive healthy eating and a fear of becoming obese. Orthorexia can lead to behaviors in individuals such as hating themselves, confidence issues, “malnourishment”, and loneliness. Orthorexia is also becoming increasing abundant in websites known as “thinspiration sites” which encourage eating disorders and go to extreme measures.Thinspiration sites literally encourage people to starve themselves by teaching them to suppress their appetite, chew on ice, and brush their teeth often to lose flavor of foods (Woolf, 2015, para 2) . In addition, they even suggest posting photos online of your thin body parts, and even try to give people tips on hiding these behaviors from your parents. It is depressing that these websites want you to purge and binge in private, which is when someone eats large amounts as once and then vomits everything back up. In as little as a couple years, hospitalizations from Anorexia and Orthorexia have skyrocketed. According to the NHS, “The number of teenagers being admitted to hospital with eating disorders has nearly doubled in just three years”, and there is no doubt that social media is to blame. Advertisements and Anorexic Models Essay.
Possible Limitations and Treatments
Although there are attempts to set limits, the outcomes are usually unsuccessful. One idea setting a minimum BMI threshold for professional models. Also, another possible method for allowing models to become curvier is by providing them meals and healthier working conditions. However, this is easier said than done. In the United States, fashion models are generally considered to be independent contractors, not employees, which contributes to poor health and safety protections. There are ways, however, to cope independently. Doctors and researchers give advice on how to combat Anorexia at home. Although many people with Anorexia fail, they should never give up hope at least attempt some of these strategies. According to “The Student Nutrition Action Committee at UCLA”, they suggest the following as ways to counteract the negative media influence on body image listed below:
Spending money on products that improve your confidence and self-esteem. For example, things that are productive for you and that make you feel good such as weights, beautiful clothing, and nice haircuts that make you feel good. Doing this instead of spending money on fad diet products such as pills and shake increases your confidence and boosts mood. Stay off the scale and enjoy your weight, instead of worrying about a perfect body. Move your body by engaging in physical activity, without the goal of losing weight, but in a way that allows you to be in control of your body. Do activities that bring feelings of joy and relaxation by meditation or listening to peaceful music.
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Startling Statistics
A surprising number of people are Anorexic. A common misconception about Anorexia is that it only affects adolescent women. Although this may be true to some extent, it has become increasingly common among older age women and young males. To give you an idea, the number globally is in the millions. Surprisingly, approximately thirty million Americans and eighty million people globally are diagnosed with anorexia alone. However, the mortality rate seems more horrifying.Advertisements and Anorexic Models Essay. Unfortunately, twenty percent of people with anorexia will not survive, and one person will die each hour. To make matters worse, suicide may be the most common cause of death in Anorexia. Studies have proven that one in every ten people with Anorexia will die by taking their lives. Something obviously needs to be done. People must come to their senses that the media is brainwashing our youth. The people suffering from this disease need to fight back. We must realize that if television shows, websites and magazines do not change their ways, we need to.
Conclusion
Anorexia is a horrible disease and sufferers are growing up in a cruel and very judgmental world. Many people lack the proper guidance which results in Osteoporosis, malnourishment and weakness just because they believe it is the only way to please someone and feel comfortable. Although there may be methods to treat it, many people do not fully recover. I think that looking out for early warning signs and eliminating excessive exposure to television, Instagram and the internet may hopefully reduce the number of cases. Even though biological factor may play a role, it is obvious that there is significant correlation between fashion and the number of cases. Anorexia has become so abundant and more severe in the recent years that there is something else besides hereditary to blame for the soaring number of cases. Advertisements and Anorexic Models Essay.
