Haley Courtney
Nancy Downey
WMST 453
25 April 2016
Eating Disorders and Body Image Issues for Men and Women
Once a taboo subject, eating disorders have become a public health issue. Many celebrities such as Lindsey Lohan have gone public about their struggles with weight. While eating disorders are characterized by one’s drastic weight loss, eating disorders are largely a mental struggle or illness. These disorders include a largely distorted self body image of the individual affected. Advertising and the media tend to portray a very specific body type for both men and women. For men, this body type is very lean, muscular and strong and appeals to masculinity. For women, the body type is often very thin with proportions that are not standard on most women. Overall, the media portrayal of body types for both men and women create a standard of beauty that is hard to achieve for the average individual. Many believe that this appeal to masculinity and femininity could be negatively affecting both men and women’s body image.
According to the American Psychological Association, eating disorders are characterized by three main disorders which include Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, and binge eating. While the media often portrays eating disorders as a problem for girls and women, boys and men are also largely affected. According to the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders (ANAD), up to 10 percent of anorexia victims include males (Klumph). Affecting both men and women, the American Psychological Association characterizes people with eating disorders to “suffer from low self-esteem, feelings of helplessness, and intense dissatisfaction with the way they look” (Brownell et al). They also note that once someone begins engaging in abnormal eating patterns, the problem will likely continue to perpetuate. Eating disorders can have serious effects on the body eventually leading to possible death. These disorders can also lead to anemia and various digestive disorders. Eating disorders characterized by purging include even more health risks such as erosion of enamel, acid reflux, high blood pressure, and diabetes (Klumph). Eating disorders have very serious health risks and should not be taken lightly. The International Journal of Men’s Health also notes another body image disorder seen more often in men called muscle dysmorphia. This disorder is characterized by a driver for enhanced muscularity. While muscle dysmorphia is not specifically characterized by the way someone eats such as eating disorders, is shares the common symptom of unhappiness with one’s body image.
Western culture has clearly and implicitly defined masculine and feminine ideals. Masculinity is typically defined by a body type, muscular and strong, and an attitude of power and strength. Femininity is characterized most often by a beauty standard, often favoring white, thin women. Femininity also has an attitude, often not overbearing and sometimes even submissive to a man. The media and advertising define these traits for both men and women. “For instance, an advertisement may show a thin model being dated by a handsome, well-dressed man. Thus the modeled behavior (a thin figure) is shown as having reinforcing consequences (attention from men)” (Prendergast). This learned behavior is an example of how traits such as masculinity and femininity are perpetuated in the media. The advertisers use attractive people in order to sell their products. For example, if the model is held at the unattainable beauty standard, the consumer may buy that product in hopes of becoming closer to achieving the beauty standard.
The exposure to ideal images coincides with a period in their lives where self regard and self efficacy is in decline, where body image is at its most fragile due to physical changes of puberty and where the tendency for social comparison is at its peak. Girls thus find themselves in a subculture of dieting, reflecting messages not only from the media but also from parents, peers, members of the opposite sex as well as the media (Jade).
In teenage years, young boys and girls often struggle to find self actualization. Many are unhappy with their changing body as it goes through puberty. In our age of social networking, many young people find themselves comparing themselves to others, especially on social media, as Jade has pointed out. The media ultimately contributes to a larger social standard of what one’s body should look like which can be very confusing for young boys and girls who do not seem to fit into this ideal.
While there is not one culprit for individuals’ growing dissatisfaction with their bodies, media has a big impact on the way we see ourselves. With over 80% of Americans watching television daily (National Eating Disorders Association), this amount of media is bound to have an impact on the way we think. According to the National Eating Disorders Association, “correlational and experimental studies have linked exposure to the thin ideal in mass media to body dissatisfaction, internalization of the thin ideal, and disordered eating among women.” The NEDA also notes that this effect is stronger on young adults than children which may suggest a connection with long term exposure in early childhood. This means that long term exposure of advertising and television to children can have a great impact on self esteem and body image when the child grows up. This ideal is found in men as well, however men do not always experience the ideal to be thin as women do. “Pressure from mass media to be muscular also appears to be related to body dissatisfaction among men” (National Eating Disorders Association). There is strong correlational evidence between advertising and its effects on the body image of both men and women. These effects do not seem to improve either gender’s body image, but instead creates an unattainable standard of beauty.
Advertising often presents an attractive female body (usually thin) to the viewer in the process of selling a product. Most of these advertisements extol beauty, vitality, sexuality, and, slimness…. The problem, however, is that in reality few females actually meet the standard of slimness which is portrayed in advertising as being desirable. Body image distortions may occur, especially amongst young females, because of the psychological pressure that results from the contrast between the ideal body image and the individuals objective body shape (Prendergast).
These distortions are a common marker of many eating disorders, including anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. The pressure to live up to media’s standard of beauty can be overwhelming for some.
The media can also create false images of what it means to be healthy. “The media can persuade us that wrong eating habits are right and natural. I cite the case of a MacDonald’s advertisement recently in which a young boy persuades both his parents to take him for a burger and chips rather than a healthy outing at the zoo” (Jade). This form of advertising delivers a message of satisfaction via food rather than an outing. It says that one meal can deliver more happiness and adventure than an entire outing in an exotic place. The media also has implications for how thin people feel. “The media perpetuates the feeling in people who do not have the ideal shape that their life would be fine if they were slim” (Jade). This creates the illusion that thin people are happy because they are thin and do not suffer from other problems in life. This could lead to low self-esteem, feelings of depression or even guilt for being unable to achieve the cultural standard of a desirable body. “It would seem that the media doesn’t simply make the ideal body desirable, these dieting behaviours spring from an epidemic of low esteem, stress, guilt and depression about having a body that falls short of the cultural ideal” (Jade). These feelings, which stem from advertising ideals, are very consistent with the hatred and resentment people with eating disorders may feel.
As more and more studies have been conducted, people are realizing that these cultural standards are not only unattainable but they can be dangerous to the mindsets of both men and women. These standards create ideals that are simply unrealistic and they affect how individuals see one another. As reported by Huffington Post, one campaign that aims for people to be more comfortable in their own bodies is the #DropTheTowel campaign. “Created by Wear Your Voice Magazine, the #DropTheTowel campaign features people of all shapes, sizes and colors to remind women that every body is beautiful and should never be hidden” (Vagianos). The campaign is open to “all shapes, sizes, colors, disabilities and genders to proudly proclaim that they are done hiding their already beautiful summer body” Monica Cadena proudly summarized. This campaign is important to show what real, unphotoshopped bodies look like. The popular deodorant and wash brand has created a “Self-Esteem Project” with similar goals. The Dove Self-Esteem project has several components. One component relies more on a familial approach and the importance of mothers and fathers promoting positive body image for young girls. The project emphasizes that fathers need to be equally involved in their daughters’ lives to promote confidence and self-esteem. This is contrary to a previous misbelief that mothers should raise daughters and fathers should raise their sons. Research shows that fathers play a big role in a young girls’ body image and confidence. “Daughters of fathers who are emotionally distant are more likely to struggle with conflicts around food and weight” (Haywood). The campaign is backed by a lot of research that is concerned about body image. Author Sharon Haywood provides several points to support the father daughter relationship which include avoiding comments about others’ appearance, expression admiration of female figures in male-dominated areas, and being aware of the harmful messages media can portray. Dove’s website has an abundance of resources for parents, teachers and mentors to help improve body image of your people.
The popular clothing designer Lane Bryant has also launched an “I’m No Angel” campaign. This plus sized brand is taking a stab at Victoria’s Secret models who absolutely represent the unattainable ideal driven by advertising. The Lane Bryant models are said to be much more relatable than Victoria’s Secret models and still portray confidence and sexiness (Andersen).
The Be Real campaign truly aims to represent people of all genders, colors, shapes and sizes. Founded by Dove and sponsored by Facebook, YMCA, bareMinerals and more, the Be Real campaign recognizes the effect media and advertising has on everyone. According to the Be Real website, “33% of children say they often worry about the way they look, 83% of adults do not feel confident about their body, and 31% of 25-34 year old say the way they looked has stopped them going for a job”. These startling statistics prove that body image affects everyone. The website posts resources for those looking for help or change and asks hard questions such as ‘Why aren’t there male plus-sized models?’. The website also has posted research based evidence for the movement. One such report claims body image should be a public health concern.
“Among adolescent boys and girls, dissatisfaction with one’s body predicts higher levels of unhealthy and extreme weight control behaviors, such as skipping meals, self-induced vomiting, and laxative use” (Bucchianeri, et al). The research proposes that negative body image has a direct effect on one’s psychological well-being which could lead to eating disorders for both boys and girls, men and women. Authors Michaela M. Bucchianeri and Dianne Neumark-Sztainer from the University of Minnesota propose 8 recommendations based on evidence regarding body image as a public health issue which include:
Health promotion efforts should be developed so as to minimize potential for weight-related bias, discrimination, and shaming.
Given the observed relation between body dissatisfaction and decreased engagement in physical activity, programs should simultaneously strive to increase physical activity and improve body satisfaction.
Healthcare professionals should provide guidance to parents aimed at promoting a positive body image and a healthy weight.
School-based health curriculum and programs should include content aimed at promoting a positive body image to prevent both eating disorders and obesity. (3)
The authors have provided solutions from many different institutions. They assert that healthcare professionals and schools have important roles to play in the development of positive body image. These changes need to come from a multitude of institutions in order to be effective.
Body image plays a huge role in everyones’ lives. Body image has been directly linked to confidence, assertiveness, and self-actualization. There have also been strong links between body image and eating disorders, which have become very prevalent within our culture. Companies such as Dove have recognized the impact that negative body image can have on one’s life. They have noticed how advertising plays on a person’s body and beauty dissatisfactions. Many campaigns are looking to promote healthy advertising and positive body image. They aim to promote a beauty ideal that is realistic for most of the population, both men and women.