Analysis: Obesity and Body Image Essay

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Valery Davila
Professor Stephenson
05 March 2013
Media Influences Body Image Everyone comes in different shapes, colors, and sizes. There is no human being exactly the same. Some of us are fine with the way we look, and others have a certain way they would like to look. In most cases, that someone can be anyone from a famous singer, actor or actress, a model or a celebrity. They have all the happiness money can buy and the perfect bodies to go with them. The ideal body type the media promotes is tall and slender with flawless skin and hair.
Women and teenagers starting from the early age of 9 are more likely to be affected by the body image the media usually sets out for the world to see. Most of the media supports slender and petite women rather then curvier women. The slender woman are the first to model for the world’s most well known fashion designers, the first to be part of fashion shows with the top designers of the country, and the first to be in music videos for different music artists. There are rarely curvy women in any of these events because the media has a specific body image that they look for. Women are always in competition with one another and always have to look their best. If we see another woman that has what seems to be perfect features, we tend to start critiquing ourselves. It is proven in Shelly Grabe’s article “Concern Over Strong Influene On Women’s Body Image”.
"If the image is appearance-focused and sends a clear message about a woman's body as an object, then it's going to affect women."
(Grabe, Shelly. “Concern Over Strong Media Influence On Women's Body Image.” Medical News Today 13 May 2008: n. pag. Newspaper Source.Web.24 February 2013)
The media targets mostly teenagers and women causing them to be their own cruel critiques. Some turn to dietary supplements with chemicals that can be very dangerous as we get older or unhealthy diets to get that what seems to be the impossible beach body. Diets can be very dangerous for your health if they are abused. Dietary restriction leads to a repetitive pattern of self-deprivation, which can result in bingeing, weight gain, and worsening self-image. Surveys in the 1990s among American adults and young adults revealed a tendency for young women to be unhappy with their weight and to be actively pursuing one form of diet or another (Serdulla et al., 1993) Diets can lead to sickness and even death. Bulimia Nervosa and Anorexia Nervosa are two of the major eating disorders that a lot of teens and woman face when they turn to diets or starvation to look a certain way. One Survey of more than 60,000 adults found nearly four in ten females (38%)who reported attempting to lose weight. Among the comparison sample of more than 1,000 high school students, more than four in ten females (44%) were trying to loose weight. While it has been observed that there are cultural differences in body image concerns and in the type of body shape that is idealized (Gorgan, 1999).
There are different ways to alter our self-image. Plastic surgery, being one of the most popular, and excessive exercise. Over the years stomach reductions and gastric bypass surgery have become popular. ”Nearly nine million
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