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Laura Tripp

Mr. Phillips

Honors Cultural Media Literacy

May 21, 2017

How the Media Influences Eating Disorders

As time progresses people are becoming more and more dependent on technology and

media is gaining an ever-greater influence on our lives. When does this influence reach too far

and what can be done about the negative implications of medias growing prevalence? One of the

major issues that seems to have been severely worsened by the arrival of social media is the rise

of eating disorders, in girls in particular. Within the past decade technology has rapidly

developed and media has become much more accessible with the development of smartphones

and social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Tumblr. The image driven

nature of these sites allows some girls to get a distorted view of what is considered normal.

While social media and the accessibility of media in general is not the sole cause of eating

disorders, it seems to be a frequent trigger and often contributes to maintenance of eating

disorders as suggested by the greater number of reported eating disorders, the repeated images of

thinspiration, and online communities.

Several factors contribute to the development of an eating disorder but growing numbers

of reported eating disorders in recent years suggest that social media has had an impact.

Researchers have consistently agreed that over the past three decades, eating disorders have

become more prevalent and other groups, in addition to its typical victims, have started to be

affected (Harrison). In addition, out of the causes of death in females ages 15 to 25, the mortality
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rate of anorexia is 12 times greater than any other cause (Rojas). Along with the spreading

impacts of eating disorders is childrens growing attachment and access to media. The National

Eating Disorder Association has said that during an average day, children between the ages of 8

to 18 are engaged with a type of media for approximately 7.5 hours (Media, Body Image).

Given young peoples frequent exposure to media and the increasing prevalence of disordered

eating behavior, this indicates that there is likely an association between the medias content and

the development of eating disorders.

One of the primary issues with social media and other forms of media is that, especially

for young women, there are many repeated images that portray an unrealistic ideal woman. A

study from 2011 at the University of Haifa, which observed girls between the ages of 12 and 19,

concluded that greater exposure to social media contributes to higher rates of disordered eating.

One problem is that many websites that support eating disorders and encourage a persons

distorted thoughts often do not outright claim to promote disordered eating, however that is

exactly what they do when they continually post dieting tips and thinspiration photos

(Howard). When studying the trend of aiming food advertisements towards women, Andersen

and DiDomenico discovered about 10 times as many diet related advertisements or articles were

found in a sample of well-known womens magazines as compared to a sample of mens

magazines. This ratio was also found to correspond to the occurrence of eating disorders between

males and females (Harrison). It has also been observed that body dissatisfaction and obsession

with the thin ideal tends to be more prominent in young adults than in adolescents thus

suggesting that prolonged exposure to the media during childhood may lay the foundation for

the negative thinking patterns in adulthood (Media, Body Image). Therefore, growing up

surrounded by media that continually presents and celebrates an ideal ultrathin woman is
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undoubtedly going to have an impact on how young girls see themselves and what they perceive

as normal.

Not only does the media present harmful ideas and images, but it also provides a place

for eating disorder sufferers to find support and reinforcement for their distorted thoughts in

online communities. The head of youth outreach for the National Eating Disorders Association

said that social media amplifies disordered eating behavior such as obsessions, comparisons,

and competition through repeated images and like-minded support. While there are also some

messages of hope and recovery, Christine Miraglia Knorr, head of the Rockland treatment

program for eating disorders, warns that its very tough out there to find stuff that is not

triggering, thats supportive and not harmful (Rojas). Dr. Rebecka Peebles who has studied pro-

anorexia websites did an analysis in 2010 of over 200 of these sites, one of which had more than

100,000 viewers. Since her analysis, the same sort of pro-bullimia and pro-anorexia content has

spread to social media sites including YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr (Sagan). These

websites along with hashtags and support from others on social media give young girls fuel to

support their disordered eating behavior. It makes them feel as if they are a part of a special

community and validates their behavior. This gives social media a very dangerous power.

Although the media will never be the sole factor in causing an eating disorder, due to its

enormous influence on the lives of young people and the prevalence of disordered eating inspired

material, it is safe to say that the media is in large part responsible for an increasing number and

maintenance of eating disorders among young girls. While there have already been some

campaigns that attempt to fight against eating disorders, greater efforts should be made by large

social media networks such as Tumblr, Instagram, and Facebook to eliminate much of the

content supporting disordered eating. The women presented in media also need to be more
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diverse to represent a more realistic body size. Despite the harmful content now widely available,

there does seem to be hope for the future with campaigns such as Doves Real Beauty campaign.
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Works Cited

Harrison, Kristen, and Joanne Cantor. "The Relationship between Media Consumption and

Eating Disorders." Journal of Communication 47.1 (1997): 40-67. Web. 19 May 2017.

Howard, Courtney. "Does Social Media Cause Eating Disorders in Children?" Eating Disorder

Hope. Eating Disorder Hope, 02 Oct. 2016. Web. 19 May 2017.

"Media, Body Image, and Eating Disorders." National Eating Disorders Association. National

Eating Disorders Association, 2016. Web. 19 May 2017.

Rojas, Marcela. "Social Media Helps Fuel Some Eating Disorders." USA Today. Gannett

Satellite Information Network, 01 June 2014. Web. 19 May 2017.

Sagan, Aleksandra. "How 'dangerous' Pro-eating Disorder Communities Thrive Online."

CBCnews. CBC/Radio Canada, 24 Feb. 2015. Web. 19 May 2017.