Anorexia Nervosa and the Media

Paper Summary:

This paper examines how the media has played a significant role in the spread of eating disorders, such as anorexia nervosa among adolescent females, by conditioning them to believe that ultra-thin is beauty. It also looks at how the measurement of success and psychological factors also play a role in the development of this deadly disease.

From the Paper:

"While one cannot claim that media deliberately target adolescent females with their images of ultra thin models, imposing upon them standards of beauty and ideal body standards that they must achieve, research does show that they target women in general with that message. As stated in a National Eating Disorder Association article, "media messages screaming thin is in may not directly cause eating disorders, but they help to create the context within which people learn to place a value on the size and shape of their body" ("The Media, Body Image, and Eating Disorders"). The frequency with which women receive the "thin is in" message is a leading cause of the development of anorexia."

More papers on Anorexia Nervosa and the Media:

• Research Proposal # 101250 : "Eating Disorders and the Media"
• Term Paper # 100030 : "Anorexia Nervosa"
• Research Paper # 113194 : "Causal Mechanism of Anorexia Nervosa"

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