by the numbers: |
(source: http://www.anad.org/get-information/about-eating-disorders/eating-disorders-statistics/) |
The numbers listed above scream one thing: there is a huge problem. These statistics are sobering and give an accurate picture of the rates of eating disorders in adolescence. What is causing this unhealthy culture to be so prevalent in young girls? Over half of teenage girls use unhealthy means to control weight. In other words, over half of teenage girls are unhappy with their bodies and have been exposed to messages that promote unhealthy habits to attain a more desirable body. A look at statistics that account for the role of media in adolescent eating disorder rates indicates there may be an explanation for these rates. The National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders reports that "47% of girls in 5th-12th grade reported wanting to lose weight because of magazine pictures". This percentage alone illustrates the influence that the media has in building a culture of warped body images in adolescents. The media's portrayal of the perfect body instills in girls that their bodies are far from perfect, and that they need to do whatever it takes to get to the body they see on the front of magazines and on the Internet.
(Sources: http://www.anad.org/get-information/about-eating-disorders/eating-disorders-statistics/)
(Sources: http://www.anad.org/get-information/about-eating-disorders/eating-disorders-statistics/)