themediaandeatingdisorders-blog

[themediaandeatingdisorders-blog]

For this post I chose two poems that I have found that are about eating disorders and each has stood out to me for similar and different reasons.

      The first poem speaks about a teenagers experience with an eating disorder. They separated each age in the poem with a different set of events that were happening during that period of time. The photo is a bit blurry so I’m going to re-write each section here and explain the significance of each. 

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/84935142951623242/

 10 years old:

 Fatty meals and chubby thighs

Runway models with bones well defined

Saying no to a burger and chips

After all  a moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips

    This first section of the poem is what automatically caught my attention and I thought it would be perfect to discuss on my blog. The writer mentions the runway models with bones well defined which signifies what the person has been exposed to. Bringing up the models features and how thin the model is goes to show that what people are used to seeing becomes what their/ the so called “ideal” image is. This reminded me of the documentary I watched called “Dying to be thin” because one of the women speaking who is a psychologist was saying that when someone is constantly exposed to one specific thing like skinny models, actresses, etc. It becomes what societies idea of perfect is or what they think being beautiful is. The last line “a moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips” reminded me of the writings I used to see on social media over photos of women where their bones were protruding from their skin or pictures of  emaciated looking legs. These photos were used to glorify the eating disorder and make girls think that in order to be beautiful, that is the body you need to have.

 12 years old:

 Balanced meals and pinching thighs

Brainwashed friends with proana

And wanting to hurl

After all boys don’t like fat girls

          This section stands out to me as well because not a lot of people know what proana is.

Proana is also known as being “Pro Anorexia”. So its basically promoting and encouraging anorexia. There are also several websites that were created where there are communities of people doing that together. It reminds me of high school and my freshman year (I talked about this in the “My Story” post) when I knew girls who were doing this. The last line about boys not liking fat girls goes back to body image and that stigma of what girls are supposed to look like, which makes me think of the medias influences.

  14 years old:

 Skipping meals and thinner thighs

Five mile runs for one cube of cheese

Counting calories not wanting meals

After all nothing tastes as good as skinny feels

  16 years old:

No meals and gap in thighs

Arms like matchsticks, poking out ribs

Size two dresses and body so mini

After all everything looks good on skinny

      These two sections have both made me think about the media because I have seen both of those quotes on Pinterest but for weight loss advertisements. It’s scary because those two quotes are so detrimental to young women because it makes them think that being skinny is the most important thing, and that being skinny is how to feel good about yourself. Its heartbreaking because these sayings are still going around, and its just sad how normalized and glorified these things have become.

     This specific poem seems like it was written by someone of a young age, and its upsetting because I feel like a lot of teenage girls would be able to relate to this, and that is exactly what we need to stay away from.

     Spreading body positivity and encouraging different body types and embracing them Is what is going to help stop these things from happening. If the media can influence peoples lives in a negative way, then using it in a positive way will help the future generations thrive.

     The next poem I relate to on a personal level and this writer explained exactly what I was feeling and what was going through my head at one point of my life. The writer mentioned poisonous compliments which is exactly what they are. I was getting skinny but in a really unhealthy way and when I was getting fed with compliments it was also feeding my sickness. This poem was extremely powerful, and I liked how both mentioned outside influences of which affected them. Although these didn’t directly discuss the medias impact, I think that those messages of being thin to be beautiful could have also come from the media and what they have been exposed to (the type of people as well as the appearances of people).

[themediaandeatingdisorders-blog]

Hey,

       I just wanted to start off by saying that I think Mental Health has become a taboo topic for some reason and I think that raising awareness of mental health and mental illness is extremely important. I think that people don’t take mental health as seriously but if someone breaks a bone they will. For example: If a student needs to call out of school one day, because they’ve had a panic or anxiety attack the school never takes that as seriously. But if the student calls out because they are vomiting, or in the hospital for a physical issue that is always taken seriously. I’ve realized that in school environments a lot of people including the school nurse can be extremely uneducated, and its definitely important for them to be aware of because mental health as well. It has never been taken seriously, and it’s a problem for those living with a mental illness who need help and have to deal with this every single day of their lives.

     You mentioned in the blog post that people can be born with mental illnesses and I relate to this because although I may have not been born with it I have been diagnosed with depression and anxiety and I know for a fact that I’ve had anxiety since I was a child. Granted, things were going on In my life at the time that have caused my anxiety, however I feel as if my parents would have been able to assist me more if they were more educated on mental illness and knew how to help me.

       A personal experience I have had was in the school environment, and one of our school nurses had gotten scolded because while a student was in the nurses office, they were talking about someone else’s sibling who had a mental illness. The girl was actually laying on one of the beds and heard the nurses talking about her sibling because her sibling suffered from depression and anxiety and the nurses were being incredibly rude saying that clearly the medication wasn’t working and how the teenager should just undergo shock therapy. This is clearly a huge issue because unless people suffer from a mental illness they will never truly know what it is like for people to go about living their lives with their illness. One thing that I do commend my school nurses for is how they have a space set up in the office with a big comfy chair, a coloring book on the side, and a curtain for privacy. This was created for students who suffer from anxiety and would come in having a panic or anxiety attack. I remember having to go to the office when I’d feel an attack coming, and having that space and being able to color and get myself centered and in the present again was one of the most helpful things. Knowing that my high school had that made it more comfortable for me because I knew I had somewhere to go if this was happening. I think everyone needs more access to these places, and with knowledge comes power. Therefore, knowing about mental illness, what its like, how it affects them, and how to help those who suffer, will only be beneficial for every person involved.

 I wanted to end this by saying that I really appreciate your research topic, and the fact that you are willing to put out more information to educate people on something that is so important. I can’t wait to see more of your posts and see what else you have find while doing your research.

Living with a mental health disorder

Mental Health disorders, a topic some do not take seriously, and some don’t like to talk about it. That being said it should be discussed a lot more.

One in five Americans will have to deal with a mental health issue during their life.  People with a mental illness normally will see effects of it before the age of 14.  Some children are even born with them.  It’s crazy because over 50% of those people never get the treatment that they really need. So the question here is what is it like having to live your life with a mental disorder?  This is a very hard question to answer because everyone is so different.  It’s difficult to point out someone with a mental disorder because they look just like everyone else.  With so many different types of disorders out there, and everyone’s brain wired differently not everyone will deal with a mental disorder the same.  Some people are able to go on with their daily lives while others struggle to even get up in the morning.  For example, one person suffering from depression may shut everyone out and like to be left alone while another person with it may have seeked hospital help and are trying to do the things they enjoy.  When a child is born with a mental health disorder it can be even harder to realize it because that’s the only way you would have seen that child. The best thing you can do is go seek medical attention as soon as you start seeing signs of it.  Some kids grow up feeling very different than others, having thoughts that they know are strange and maybe wrong but they are so confused they don’t know what to do.  The best way to put it is that mental disorders feel like you are losing control of yourself.  Different disorders take over your whole body and emotions.  It is difficult to explain unless you know someone personally who has suffered or if you yourself has suffered.  Like I already stated, some disorders develop over time while others are just biological and could have never been prevented.  Finding support is the first step to get better.  Depending on the intensity of the disorder and what kind it is, the most important thing is to be able to talk to someone whether it’s a doctor or family member.   Over  20% of children are living with a mental disorder right now.

(source)

[themediaandeatingdisorders-blog]

My Story

    As you all know, my blog is about figuring out whether or not the portrayal of women in the media affects women and eating disorders. I’m going to be sharing my own story, explaining some situations I’ve encountered in middle to high school as well as talking about things I’ve noticed in the media and how it has affected me personally.

      During middle school I lived In a small town in New Jersey, and went to a school that wasn’t in a diverse (or accepting) area. You’d think that in middle school kids are more focused on getting their work done so they could enjoy the sunny warm air outside as soon as they got home from school, but my experience seemed to be more different than I ever thought it would be. My school was filled with extremely thin girls, who were all white and mostly blond. Now, I was never fat in middle school but I was on the curvier side in middle school which started to make me feel like an outcast. I started cheer  and had noticed that girls began making fun of me because of my weight, as well as the food I was eating.  I had become so self conscious with my weight that I became extremely insecure with my body and never felt like I was good enough. Middle school is also when every girl became obsessed with brand named clothing and having the latest vera Bradley bag, and anyone who wasn’t apart of that or didn’t meet their ���Skinny” standards wasn’t ever accepted, and was often bullied. I was that girl that got bullied and I was that girl that wasn’t ever accepted by my peers.  I was also that girl that realized that something was seriously wrong with these people, and the environment that I was in. But 5th grade, WOW. It’s shocking to think that this is when body image had become an issue. There definitely were some other situations of which I was in, in about 4th and even 2nd grade that I had started becoming insecure about my appearance, however 5th grade is when I really started to think about these things, and when it genuinely got to me and became a problem. In middle school I would get home and watch Disney channel right after I got home from school and I had realized that all of the girls on TV had looked the same. Mostly  thin white women were presented in the media. So as a young girl, going to a school where being super skinny was the way to be accepted, and then coming home watching TV and seeing my favorite TV stars being super skinny (which is what I thought meant beautiful because they were skinny) really made me start questioning myself, and why I was so different than all of the girls I was around and seeing on TV. During this time I must add that the popular Disney show “That’s so Raven” became my new favorite thing to watch. It was different, and it was almost like a breath of fresh air. It was a breath of fresh air in the sense that the main character in “That’s so Raven” was a black female, who also had a curvy body type. The cast of the show was also diverse which is also what helped me feel more comfortable with myself . Looking back on this now, I’m thinking of the recent documentary I made a post about called “Dying to be Thin”, And how the statement that peoples idea of  beauty is what they are surrounded by and what they see every single day, is in fact true. For me, this idea of beauty/ what I was constantly exposed to was super thin white girls.

      Now here comes high school. My Freshman year of high school I was still going to the school in that small town, and peoples standards of beauty  were no different. If you were skinny, white, and had the latest brand named clothing you were accepted and if not, then not so much. My insecurities my freshman year were at a ultimate high, and all I wanted to do was feel comfortable with myself and fit in.  This started by me looking up ways to suppress my appetite, me looking up diets and different dieting tips, then restricting , and then me learning about tricks models used to used to make their stomach full and lose a significant amount of weight in a short period of time. After this came me trying to make myself throw up after the small amount of calories I was consuming every single day. I felt weak constantly, I became angry and was always in a bad mood which meant me flipping out at my dad when he tried to bring me dinner. As the pounds came off, in school girls started coming up to me saying “oh my gosh lily you got so skinny you look so good” and “did you lose weight you look amazing” and lastly the comment that pushed me over the edge was “you look so amazing, keep going”. Now repeating that last comment “you look so amazing, KEEEP GOING”. That is what had become a breaking point for me. In the beginning I was like great, I’m finally being accepted and I finally feel pretty. But then when I was told to keep going, I realized that something was seriously wrong and that I had already lost so much weight and had gotten so thin and why wasn’t that enough for them? I went to visit my mom one weekend and she told me I got way to skinny and that my pants were really baggy and nearly falling off. The look of concern was all over my mothers face and she looked me up and down with that “what in the world was going on with my child” expression. Although my mother expressed her concern, I still replayed what that one girl had said to me over and over again in my head. I took her word for It (to “keep going”)  but then started binge eating when I got home from being absolutely starving, and then hating myself for it afterwards. I would constantly torture myself by looking at photos of skinny girls, and pictures that would have writing on them promoting starvation and how skinny is beautiful. There was even a point where I had found tips from other girls who helped each other and gave tips on suppressing their appetites and certain techniques in case you got hungry, and had also set up very unhealthy “meal plans” that pretty much consisted of a few crackers, a veggie, and lots and lots of water.  My grades in school had dropped significantly because losing weight had become my life and my sole focus. Towards the end of the year I thought about how unhappy I was and I told myself that the environment I was in was not somewhere I had wanted to be. I felt like I was trapped in a place that was constantly bringing me into this pit of darkness and long story short I had talked to my dad and decided I wanted to move with my mother, go to a different school, and focus on my health and happiness.

             Going to a different school and being in a different environment really helped me feel more comfortable with myself, and made me realize that beauty is within the eye of the beholder. The high school I went to (which I absolutely fell in love with) was extremely diverse and celebrated/ welcomed every race and ethnicity and also made me realize that a persons body is not what defines beauty. There were beautiful women who were all shapes, sizes, and colors, and being surrounded by something like that was eye opening and the beginning of my personal journey to health and happiness. Although there was a few bumps along the road, and I catch myself struggling with certain things today I can confidently say that when it comes to body image, where I am today is much better than where I used to be.

       Reflecting on my past, and taking into account the different people and situations, I have realized one thing. This realization being:  those girls in middle school and freshman year of high school were bullies and cared so much about appearance not only had a lot to do with their inner insecurities and conflicts, but because of what they were constantly exposed to. I believe that the media could’ve played a role in their lives as well (more so television) because mostly everyone looked the same, and wore the same things. This just goes to show that there are so many outside influences that can affect a persons body image and what they think is the so called ideal body. My personal journey and experiences have made me think a lot about outside influencing factors, and how much of a role they play into body image. I know that the media has affected me personally, but I am excited and eager to do more research and see if other people have experienced the same or what their views on my research question are.

[themediaandeatingdisorders-blog]

Documentary: Nova- Dying to be Thin

          The Nova documentary “Dying To Be Thin” (2000), discusses eating disorders among women including the various causes, one of which being the media. The documentary portrays this through the personal experiences of these young women. One example that was used was with ballerina dancers. A lot of dancers have looked up to models, and actresses shown in the media and aspired to reach that extremely low weight because it is what the media has defined as “beautiful”. Because of the medias portrayal of women, it has affected them in a way that has led to their ongoing eating disorders.

    The first thing that stood out to me was during the group discussion. These two womens names remain unknown, but both had been affected by the media in a homologous way. The first woman stated “ I had been very overweight, and I had exercised and eaten right, and you know my mom was so proud of me and it was the compliment thing, and I thought I’m so close to being able to Model. And I thought well, maybe, you know I aught to try it. You know its okay to be a little skinny, the camera puts on 10 pounds anyway it wont matter. Just even the idea of hey I wear a number one, you know, I am the top.” The next women in the group stated “I saw a TV movie on bulimics, I was watching and I said wow look what she's doing she’s eating all of that food, throwing up, and still losing weight. I didn't think there was anything wrong with it because it was on TV and sometimes they make it look so glamorous to have an eating disorder”.  

    Ruth Striegel- Moore, a professor of Psychology at Wesleyan University, then discussed the stigma of body image in todays society. She discussed how every person has their own definition of what they think is beautiful, and how in a way those views are all distorted. When we are exposed to a particular image frequently, it becomes what we are used to/ what we all admire. She then mentioned that because we have become used to seeing extremely thin women, it is what our society thinks is beautiful.

   The documentary informed its viewers that the time period when people had this growing desire to become thin, was when “Twiggy” had become a model. Twiggy was Britians top model and became a HUGE fashion icon. Due to her appearance and impact on the fashion industry, other models had aspired to look like her, and other industries wanted to be just as successful with their models. Furthermore, models began decreasing in size ever since Twiggy became the new so called it girl. Twiggy’s appearance had a huge affect on the media, and it became the new “ideal image” to be extremely thin. Another huge impact that was made was when the women from the show “Friends” collaborated with an advertisement and appeared on these ads which were labeled “Cute anorexic chicks”. The label “Cute anorexic chicks” then glorified that particular eating disorder, and made it desirable to young women,  because of the popular women from “Friends” who appeared on the ads. The advertisements were taken down soon after due to the controversy it had caused. 

     Kate Dillon: a former skinny model, was also one of the women interviewed in the documentary. She had been bullied throughout school and people would chant “overweight Kate” and call her fat. She explained her struggles, and how all she wanted to do was be happy and be able to fit in with what was normal in society. In order to fit this norm, Kate had taken extreme measures and had lost 30 pounds. Kate stated: “By the end of my 7th grade year, I had lost 30 pounds and I grew like 4 inches, and I was cool. Suddenly everyone liked me, and my plan worked, sadly and unfortunately. But it seems to be that thats the way the culture is, and that if you do what they want they say cool, you’re good now.” Not only did Kate become thin, but she became anorexic. And as we know this isn’t a coincidence that because of how thin and beautiful she was, she had caught the eye of the fashion world. At the time Kate was already underweight, and then they (the industry) had asked of her that she’d lose 20 pounds. This is when Kate began questioning it all and telling herself that she didn’t have to do what they wanted. She knew that she was already very thin, and that she didn’t even have another 20 pounds to lose. A year later, Kate had walked away from modeling. “She was in search of a life where starvation was not the price of success”. This is when Kate made the decision to continue modeling, but model with the “plus sized” category which helped to empower her, and many other women. She mentioned that having that category is important because hopefully in the future, there will be more curvy women presented in the media which would lessen young women questioning themselves, and their body types.

     This documentary also brought attention to other women in history who have become thin, but not for the same reasons that women do today. Some women believed that being thin meant that they were spiritual, or that they conquered their carnal appetites such as food and eating. So in order to do that they would restrict and starve themselves. However the goal of being thin today and for the past years has been to achieve “beauty” or appearing “sexy”.

    Another woman interviewed was about 21 years old, named Eleena. Eleena had been doing dance since she was young, and was told that she needed to lose weight when she was 12 years old. “I remember having a teacher come up to me, and pinch my back. She pinched the skin on my back and said “What is this, are you drinking milk, you need to lose weight”. This made Eleena eliminate fat from her diet, which led to her eating disorder, Anorexia. She claimed to feel happier during this period of time, because she was more nurtured by people and she felt that she was often ignored by others when she was heavier. After a year with her eating disorder she had lost control, and gained weight back. She felt like she was ashamed of her body, the biggest failure, and the weakest person. In this situation Eleena wasn’t directly affected by the media, but her instructed had this idea of the ballerina “image” which most likely derived from how they are portrayed. 

   This documentary explored several topics, and not only helped me understand where the trend of being extremely thin has derived from,  but also has educated me on other reasons women have felt the need to become thin. Hearing other peoples experiences was definitely eye opening, because although the media doesn’t seem like it could have this much of an impact this documentary has proved otherwise. I learned that a lot of peoples experiences had a lot to do with needing some type of control in their lives. And that  along with the medias influences or without the influence of the media, some of the causes of their eating disorders had derived from being sexually abused, the divorce of their parents, loneliness, being bullied, or a personal insecurity. That need for control in one aspect of their life is what brought them to that point. This documentary didn’t change my view point at all, but further educated me on eating disorders and the cause and affects of them. 

[themediaandeatingdisorders-blog]

Body Image and The Media

Throughout the course of this semester I will be talking a lot about the media and how it previously and currently portrays women. I’m going to take that information and relate it to how it affects women, and leads to eating disorders. I’m going to be answering questions such as “How does the media affect the way women view themselves”, “Is there a deeper message that the media is sending to others”, etc. I’m going to include articles, as well as videos that way I can make this blog more personal and a bit easier to understand. My goal is to include several experiences of others (videos) , and even some personal stories of my own in order to really show how the media does have an affect on women and how they view themselves. I also plan on interviewing people and getting their opinion on the media and its impact on women.  All of this time women have been exposed to photos of photoshopped women in magazines, and unhealthily skinny women. It is rare that there has been a variety of women shown in the media , and growing up seeing that as a young girl is confusing and also makes young women question whether or not something is wrong with them, solely because they don’t look just like the girls in the photos they grow up being exposed to. I know right now Aerie still has this campaign going on that has to do with being true to oneself, so their models are all different shapes and sizes, and are also not photoshopped. Aeries new model campaign is what we need to see more of, so the next generation of young women do not need to grow up questioning themselves and wishing to look different. Models are required to have a certain height and weight. The weight of which is extremely low, which brings us to the next question of why exactly this is and why most people think being that thin is what makes a person beautiful. It also proposes the question of why there are “plus sized” models, and why they need to be categorized in general. The separation of the models is what shines a light on the issue, and is a great example of what is wrong with the media and how what women are being exposed to is destructive to their mental health and overall well being. It is so important that everyone is able to realize how destructive the media it is, and how it distorts peoples vision making many believe that there is this so called “Ideal Image” that we must all reach. If all a young girl is exposed to growing up is skinny models, actresses, celebrities, etc, what exactly is expected as for the mental health of these young girls. If someone is drowned in photos and advertisements of this so called “ideal image” of what is socially acceptable, then it is expected that having that mindset of being skinny is what most young girls will experience at a certain time in their lives. About 5,000 human beings are exposed to advertisements every single day, and as told by "The Media & Eating Disorders." National Centre for Eating Disorders. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Feb. 2017 about 95% of people own a TV set and watch for about 3-4 hours per day.  Also, something not so shocking, about 80% of women are dissatisfied with their bodies. “Our perception of the ideal body is 20% below a healthy weight”. People in general who are exposed to certain things every single day will most definitely be affected by what they are seeing, and this needs more recognition. One campaign is NOT going to fix this problem. It must be an effort attempted as a whole to reconstruct the ideas that society has created. 

"Media, Body Image, and Eating Disorders | National Eating Disorders Association." Media, Body Image, and Eating Disorders | National Eating Disorders Association. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Feb. 2017.

This photo above is a great example of how women are portrayed and what the “ideal”  female body is supposed to look like. Asking if we are “beach body” ready, when in reality there is no such thing as a beach body, just shows that there is this known concept of what women are supposed to look like. If you have a body, and want to go to the beach, then throw on a bathing suit and you’re good to go. If only it was that simple. Its because of advertisements like this that make it difficult for women to feel confident with who they are. Advertisements like this are often over looked because it has to do with “fitness” but is this promotion actually appropriate? 

This photo is from "Eating Disorders." The British CBT Counselling Service. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Feb. 2017.

Being able to discuss this topic and get this information out there is important in order to be the voice for young girls, and women all around the world who are being affected by the media. This is often overlooked, but deserves more attention in order to ensure that the next generation of women are raised feeling more comfortable, and confident in their own skin.

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