The Detrimental Effects of Anorexia on the Body and Mind

Ana’s Limelight Christy Greenleaf, assistant professor of kinesiology, health promotion and recreation at University of North Texas, stated, â€Å"Girls and women, in our society are socialized to value physical appearance and an ultra-thin beauty that rarely occurs naturally and to pursue that ultra-thin physique at any cost.† Anorexia is the third most common chronic illness among young women. Furthermore, one in every ten people with anorexia will die from a complication brought on by the disorder. Although Anorexia is a mental illness, it is most common in teenage females because it is incited by the media through the fashion industry and pro-anorexia websites. Anorexia is a mental illness that can be identified by its victims starving†¦show more content†¦Thus, there is a direct link to the rise of Anorexia and the media instills the importance of appearance into the culture and plants the idea in women’s minds that thin is essential. Through out time, the fashion industry has highlighted an ultra-thin physique and has come to play a huge role in the occurrence of Anorexia. In the 1960’s, models such as Twiggy were the first to be thin. However, many models remained natural looking. In the 1980’s Amazonian models were common and the 1990’s brought the heroin chic ito style. Today, models weigh twenty percent less than they did a few decades ago. In some places, models have been forced to have a BMI of eighteen, which is still low; however, many places continue to use overly skinny women in advertisements and fashion.Often, models have developed an eating disorder because it was seemingly essential to their career. Some models have even starved themselves to death. The Fashion Industry has had an undeniably great influence on Anorexia. Hollywood actresses are praised for their diets and workout regimen, advertisers promote diet products, and unnatural looking actresses. Christy Greenleaf is quo ted as saying, â€Å"Research demonstrates that poor body image and disordered eating attitudes are associated with internalizing the mediated bodies that dominate the fashion industry† (Schwarz). Thus, the industry is not only producing diet products but also women willing to go to any length to lose weight. Pro- Anorexia websitesShow MoreRelatedAnorexia Nervos A Psychological And Physical Causes And Consequences Of Anorexia930 Words   |  4 PagesEvery time you view your reflection in a mirror, the sight of your body horrifies you. You have become so brainwashed to believe that your body is unacceptable, that you have formed an obsession with being smaller. This is how people with eating disorders feel. According to the University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC) (2016), about one-fifth of people with anorexia are related to at least one person with the disorder. Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder with mainly adolescent victims. 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