Are the media and "anorexic" models responsible for eating disorders amongst women?

[Delahanty]

No one's responsible for another's actions. And girls/young women might want to step away from the mirror on occasion.

[tofur]

Originally Posted by ovcatto

Well I would definitely exclude the models who are as much victims of an industry that demands that they maintain weights that are unconscionable for a grown healthy woman.

I know a victorias secret angel, and she eats donuts and all manner of foods and doesn't put on weight. She's just naturally skinny.

[tofur]

the issue is that our media and culture are influencing girls when they are young. It starts with disney movies and keeps going as they get older. when your young you don't have full control over what influences you and what doesn't. Hell, most fully grown people don't have that control.

[Xander_Crews]

I think that the claim that media and models are responsible for eating disorders in somebody else is just gosh darn ridiculous....

Because it is completely possible to be skinny and healthy, yes, even if you have been told that your body style does not allow it, that is a lie. I think the problem is lazy parents raising lazy kids, because they see a model who is paid to take care of their body, and they want to look like them... but they are too damn lazy to do the exercise and too gluttonous to stick to a diet. That is where the eating disorders and such come in, they are "easy" ways to "look like the models".

Another problem is that parents are not honest with their kids, and tell them that they are special little angels no matter what. They can't stand to be honest and tell them the dangers of obesity both physically and mentally, because they are afraid to hurt their feelings... I believe this is a big reason that we have so many kids reaching their teenage years already obese, and once a child "accepts" that they are obese, that can be a dangerous path.

The fact is that the world is not fair, some people are born with metabolisms that allow them to eat anything and not gain weight... just because you are born with a slow metabolism does not mean that you will be obese, but it means that you have to make an actual effort to combat it. Too many obese people see a skinny person who doesn't work out, and they think they are "entitled" to the same result, with the same amount of effort... which makes no sense. When they do not get the same results, they start to try more "extreme techniques", i.e. they develop disorders.

The best thing that we could do to help these people is to make them aware that they are fundamentally unhealthy (without shaming anyone) and that there is a way for them to lose weight while maintaining their health. These people need support and guidance rather than scapegoats such as the media or models.

(And if you are one of those people who thinks people "are just born that way" and can not change their body style, I encourage you to take a glance at this website, you will see that very heavy-set women have made themselves into model like images through hard work and not eating crappy food.)