Media, Body Image and Addiction
 

Every day, you can turn on the television and instantly become bombarded with images of so-called “perfect” women with large breasts, flat tummies and legs that go for miles. Societies   obsession with the perfect body has become almost deviant; the young girls who see these flawless pictures strive to live up to the images as they feel that these pictures represent reality. Many times, the quest for perfection has devastating results such as low self-worth, a distorted body image and deadly eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia.

From the instant females are born, they are subjected to society’s expectations of attractiveness and perfection. Words such as pretty, little and good are frequently used to describe girls from the moment they are born. These words instantly instill expectations of physical beauty and obedience, setting in motion the expectations that society place on women.

Media plays upon this belief. As young girls teeter on the threshold of womanhood, the media entices them “lose those last five pounds” or to “have that extreme makeover.” Young girls choose their role models for superficial reasons and aspire to be like them. They look at the perfectly proportioned bodies and use that as a scale to measure themselves and their own success. Unfortunately, these girls fail to realize that the media is not a true representation of these women or any woman. Airbrushing and touch-ups erase “real” imperfections such as acne and cellulite and alter body parts such as the waist and breasts. Girls strive to look like the women depicted in the media only to find that these standards are impossible to achieve. Starvation or binging and purging become a way to achieve perfection. It is a vicious cycle that needs to end.

 

Addictions can develop when the pressure becomes too much. Women turn to drugs to curb their appetite.  Low self esteem can drive women to seek out an escape and turn to drugs and other self defeating behaviors.  Eating disorders; which start in an effort to lose a few pounds, become full blown addictions.  Trying to live up to the impossible standards set by society can result in very deadly behavior.    

In a perfect world, this type of pressure would not exist; eating disorders would not either. But the world we live in is far from perfect so we must search for a solution. Society needs to learn to place less emphasis on appearance, especially perfection as it does not exist. Young women need to be encouraged to succeed on their own terms and strive to fulfill these dreams. Media must strive to portray women in a more realistic manner. Beauty comes in all shapes and sizes and girls need to be taught that at a young age. A world of diversity and acceptance needs to be embraced by society before anything can change.