Causes of Anorexia
By: Yekseny Guerrero
Do you ever see teens that lose a lot of weight in a very little amount of time? This could be that either they worked out excessively or they have an eating disorder called anorexia. Today, over a thousand teens become anorexic every year. Some causes that have been influencing teens to become anorexic are magazines, the model industry, and websites.
Magazines
In our society, women look at magazines with models that they believe are perfect. A study found that countries with the highest rates of eating disorders such as anorexia are also places where young women generally worry the most about what they eat and have the highest circulation of fashion magazines. Fashion magazines cause women and teens to feel more insecure about their bodies.
The Model Industry
The Model Industry is setting an image towards women and teens that makes them believe that their body image isn't perfect. Now, a new study of nearly 3,000 young women in Europe finds that the fashion industry is a significant influence on a woman's identity. All these efforts to help girls and young women gain control over their self-image may be driven by the fact that weight disparity between models and average women is getting worse. According to PLUS Model Magazine, the average model now weighs 23 percent less than the average women. Twenty years ago, the figure was only 8 percent.
Pro-Anorexic Websites
Pro-anorexic websites are affecting teen girls as well as boys and causing them to be involved in dangerous dieting competitions. Pro-anorexic websites are encouraging teens to starve, purge, use laxatives, and pills. Between 400 and 500 websites promoting anorexia and related eating disorders, which are visited by thousands of young girls each day, have been identified in the first review to quantify the phenomenon.
Work Cited
Stamford, Bryant. "Being Too Thin Has Consequences." Courier-Journal. 20 Jun. 2013: D.3. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 11 Feb. 2014.
Salter, Jim. "Social Media Fuel Dangerous Weight-Loss Goal." Independence Examiner. 04 Oct. 2013: N.p. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 11 Feb. 2014.
Laurance, Jeremy. "Hundreds of Websites Urging Girls to 'Starve for Perfection'." The Independent. 28 Nov. 2012: 16. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 11 Feb. 2014.
Http://quest.eb.com/images/139_1916869
"Anorexia Nervosa." Sick! Gale, 2010. Student Resources in Context. Web. 11 Feb. 2014.