Anorexia

Anorexia: Media corrupting the Youth

Kassidy George

Composition 101

Professor Megan Mason

Argumentative Essay

Rough Draft

November 4, 2014

Anorexia Nervosa. “An emotional disorder characterized by an obsessive desire to lose weight by refusing to eat.” () This is not to be confused with Anorexia, which is simply a lack or loss for food. 1-5% of all females, both adolescent and young women suffer from anorexia while only 10% of males suffer from Anorexia. () An average female Victoria Secret model has the measurements of 34-24-34. She stands at 5”10 and closely resembles that of a classic Barbie doll. This is the look that has been hammered into the minds of young girls worldwide. Male models stand from 6”0 to beyond. They vary in weight from 145 pounds to 165 pounds, which if you are aware of body mass index, results in little to no body fat. The media has convinced adolescents and young adults that these models are average and they are the black sheep of society. The look of sickly skinny has become the staple idea of beauty.

Why has America fed into this trend? In most countries, the average size for a female is that of a size 12 to a size 14. In America, the average size for a female is that of an 8. When a person looks at these sizes, the first thought that comes to mind is not that the person is fat. However, Hollywood and the media have made people believe that a size 2 is an average size. They push children, young adults, adults and the elderly to stop eating to “keep off the extra weight” or to “ go that extra half mile on an empty stomach” because if you do not have toothpicks for arms and legs, you are not going to be deemed beautiful. On television, they show