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The United States has seen a rise of Anorexia Nervous among its people and is doing nothing to combat this problem. Anorexia Nervous is an eating disorder characterized by immoderate food restriction and an irrational fear of gaining weight, as well as a distorted body self-perception. It is, in large part, mental disorder because many times the people that have it are usually at a normal weight and size originally, but their minds allow them to think otherwise.
This disorder is beginning to become more prominent in the modeling industry as the models are required to meet certain unrealistic arterial. When walking down the runway or seen in magazines, models often have visible ribs and bones, have an overall emaciated appearance, and look seemingly unhealthy. This is a crisis because not only are the models’ bodies being harmed, but their fans and people who look to them as an inspiration are at risk as well. People who look to them are under the impression that it is okay to look that way and therefore aspire to fit the same criteria.
To top it all off, the American media glorifies this appearance, making it something that people strive to acquire rather than a physical state that requires immediate deiced attention. Many people are familiar with anorexia and its tendency to be fatal, but they do not know specifically how it can lead to death. The point is only that the degree of starvation and malnutrition are what determine the physiologic consequences of an eating disorder. Malnutrition affects multiple organ systems including the liver, kidneys, intestine, pancreas, heart, brain, and endocrine system.
Without proper protein and calorie input, humans lack the basic building blocks to maintain cells and the energy to power the upkeep of their bodies. The results can be devastating, including but not limited to allayed puberty, lack of normal periods in women, the inability to ovulate (which can lead to infertility), and an increase in blood pressure and heart rate. Among the aforementioned organs that that are affected by anorexia are the kidneys, which begin to slow down after three to four years of the disorder.
This leads to a build-up of the toxic substances that they normally remove. More importantly, when the kidneys don ‘t function properly, they are unable to properly process potassium. The loss of potassium that results can have profound effects on the heart. In the heart, the valves that prevent the scofflaw of blood become weak and floppy, allowing blood to flow in the wrong direction and lead to increased work for the heart. More importantly, however, is the potassium deficiency that is caused by the kidney dysfunction.
Any cell that sends an electrical impulse in the body relies upon potassium to help generate that impulse, meaning that the likelihood of their proper functioning is low. Nerve cells and heart muscle cells are two types of cells that rely on potassium for this purpose. According to the chapter titled “Eating Disorders” in Harridan’s Principles of Internal Medicine, a low tootsies level can lead to arrhythmias in the heart, or aberrations in the pattern of beating, which is one of the two leading causes of death in malnutrition and eating disorders.
Such irregular beat patterns result because the normal pace-making cells in the heart cannot generate the proper electrical signals to the keep the heart beating correctly. This shows that when the media glorifies an unreasonable body image, they are subliminally facilitating malnutrition in the minds of their viewers and patrons. It has been reported that adolescents with anorexia are more likely to evolve anxiety and depression in their adult lives. These same people commonly abuse drugs and alcohol due to the helplessness they feel about their situation .
This leads to the 2nd largest cause of death in people who have an eating disorder: suicide. According to a health and wellness article titled Suite 1 01, women with anorexia are 57 times more likely to commit suicide than healthy Women. Many people with anorexia attempt suicide multiple times and are unsuccessful. Therefore, for those who believe that anorexia is simply a manageable disorder that comes with being thin or fitting n with the media’s stereotype of “good looking’, it is not. It is a deadly disease that can result in death if not taken seriously and given medical attention.
With social media sites becoming more prevalent, people have more access to sites that may plant destructive seeds in their heads. Not only does the media glorify a slender ideal, it also emphasizes the importance of being slender and praises those who have “appealing” appearances in general. The National Institute of Health supports this assertion in their online journal saying, “When one is treating patients who are afraid to eat and afraid of coming overweight, it is difficult not to feel hostile towards the media and to blame them for causing and maintaining patients’ disorders”.
A study featured on the National Institute of Health that focused on the role of the media in eating disorders made note of the decreasing weight of models, actresses, and beauty pageant contestants who were held up as ideals between the 1 ass’s and 1 ass’s. The study mentioned that there has been a significant increase in the weight of American and Canadian women, therefore creating an ever increasing discrepancy between the media ideal and the actual body size of North American women.
Magazine articles, television shows, and advertisements have also created a social context that may have contributed to body dissatisfaction and disordered eating in girls and women. The study found that between 1990 and 2012, there was a HTH significant increase in advertisements for diet foods and produce suggested that there is more pressure on women than men to h weight. It was proven that women’s magazines contain about 10 times more diet promotions as men’s. Naomi Wolf, one of the re the study argues that our culture disembowels women by holder prisoner to an unattainable beauty ideal (2).
She asserts that the dollar beauty industry depends on a strong emphasis on the oval and appearances for women. The industry emphasizes that if the. Flaws or imperfections, they can all be improved by simply perch advertised products. A survey on the National Anorexia Organizing suggests that 83% of adolescent girls read fashion magazines fool of 4. 5 hours per week. The ANA regretfully notes that beauty an magazines significantly impact the process of identity develops women, especially with regards to gender-role learning, identity and the development of values and beliefs.
The pressure from TTT e thin leads these people to unhappy and negatively affects boll the survey, the number one wish of girls between the ages of 1 1 given three magic wishes to wish for anything they wanted was t and keep it off (National Anorexia Organization). In the same sure middle aged women, more than half of them had the same wish said time and time again that the media prefers beautiful women embody the ideal size and weight accepted by society. If celebrity these qualifications, they are put on a fat list. Tabloids such as Pee Star have side-by-side photos of celebrities who used to have an look but have now gained weight.
There is no reason for acts like honesty, these pointless acts sell and it’s all our fault because WE who buy it. If we weren’t buying these subscriptions and giving s ratings, publications that degrade others wouldn’t be making an: forcing them inevitably to shut down. The media has picked on such as Missy Elliot, Jessica Simpson, Scott Sardinian, Tara Banal Spears, Kelly Clarion, and Opera because they are not in the be Missy Elliot is a female, African American rapper who had always?? heavier side. The media constantly put her down saying that altar was a very talented artist, her size would never let her career OSI there artists.
She proved the media wrong and gathered a very s base saying that she was not concerned about her size. Most of plus-sized women, who felt justified with their size because their same body type as they did. In 2008, the female rapper shed a LLC and was again scrutinized for “not maintaining her allegiance to fans. ” She even lost some of her fans because they believed she her word and caved In because of the media’s torment. Scott Kale been criticized because of his recent weight gain. The tabloids hi distasteful things about him.