Television & body image

Studies have been done in remote parts of the world that show that the implimentation of televisions that air American network shows and advetisements pose an increased risk for men and women, especially women, to adopt an eating disorder in order to achieve the look that they percieve as beautiful or ideal on the television.

It has been an ongoing fashion trend to be rail thin. But behind that "ideal" body image comes a disgusting and horrifying dark side; eating disorders like anorexia nervosa, bulimia, and binge eating in general are typically models' means of achieving the look they have. It is a form of disordered eating, and it will hurt you much more in the long term than in the short term.

No one is going to blame you for eating healthy and trying to become/stay fit. But there is a line between being confident in your own body and being insecure to the point of going to extreme measures. Teenagers, especially teenage girls, can be easily influenced by pop culture, bombarded with images of what the epitome of beauty is. It is an immoral dictation of values that goes right over many young teens' heads.

Television has been a proven catalyst for manipulating the minds of people, and how they compare their lifestyle physique to a certain kind of measure.

For one direct example of television and the influence on body image, feel free to read this article: link removed

Hog wash, you make every decision in your life. You choose to eat, you choose not to eat. It's the same as saying playing video games makes you violent. Hog wash, all of it. You choose not to eat you pay the price. Those ad's did NOT force children into an eating disorder. Next time the BBC needs something to write about, why not the idiocy of human nature?

Hog wash, you make every decision in your life. You choose to eat, you choose not to eat. It's the same as saying playing video games makes you violent. Hog wash, all of it. You choose not to eat you pay the price.

very very true.

your life, your choice.

you screw up, you pay the rpice.

I don't agree, I do think that TV plays a part in eating disorders, by viewing them on TV children get ideas. Yes although it might start out as your choice not to eat it isn't quite as simple as that. Eating disorders are just that disorders. People suffer to look the way they want to look and some feel the need to look the way others want them to look. Although i myself have never suffered from these disorders i've known people who have. Its a horrible thing to get caught up in. Though i'm sure that the TV ads do help girls think about these things i don't think girls who were comfortable in there bodies would do that. I think it comes down to a mix of all sorts of things, and many eating disorders aren't even focused on how they look but what they can control and other topics as well.

Watching a TV show can't cause an eating disorder, but for someone that may have eating disorder tendencies it can provoke them.

Either way, I agree that you choose how you want to live your life. Everyone should know that TV is for entertainment purposes. I think it's pretty pathetic to think that TV is causing young girls to develop anorexia.

Obviously, the message needs to be repeated. Think about your own culture and how it is shaping the world and humanity.

Most people, well, many, are sharp enough to catch that McDonald's (as an example) uses horribly obvious and intense techniques to burrow their messages into the public pysch.

Yet, how many are oblivious to the influence, and even if you aren't...who doesn't carry those stupid theme songs and images in their skulls from when we were kiddos and soaked it all up?

Of course what we create in the world is going to influence people! It's hogwash to believe little babies and kids and teens have developed the skills and critical thinking to match an industry with Billions of dollars and insane amounts of force behind them.

We are all responsible for ourselves, but where in the heck is common sense?

I'm sorry, no matter how much money Mcdonalds or Burger King have they can't influence a young teen adolecent to begin an eating disorder. Nuff said.

About a year ago (to present day) i started to become totaly and utterly obssessed with my weight, i want to lose so much weight while my friends are telling me i look fine, starving myself until i pass out, counting calories obsessivly when i do eat, resricting food t 500 or less calories per day and SOMETIMES making myself throw up. i cant stop the binge/starve cycle really.

anyway i dont think the media played a part in how i feel at all, i dont get the whole "thinpiration" thing to be honest, i dont really want to look like a walking twig but i dont want to be me, i want to lose weight so i have control over something in my life for once. Also i think it runs in the family because all the women on my mums side are terrified of fat and weighing too much ect.

Please dont tell me to "go and get help" or "stop being so pathetic" or whatever, it wont work,....ive made this choice and i cant really help being who i am! x