Essay on Origins of Eating Disorders: Fueled by Western Media

The author discusses the origin of the eating disorder, which she terms as a kind of epidemic that is being fueled by Western Media images affecting the majority of the cultures around the world. The author also gives examples among women that have had the disorder. An example is the women from Fiji. The act that it is a remote location, the island did not have access to television until when one was introduced in the year 1995.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

The station used to broadcasts programs from the United States, Great Britain and also Australia. There had been no reported cases of eating disorders but when a study was conducted, it was concluded that most of the Fijian girls as well as women, no matter how large, were not comfortable about their bodies. However, soon after broadcasting, it was reported that there were girls who vomited in a bid to control their weight and they had started dieting (Bordo, 2011). It was quite shocking to the researchers because they had not thought that the culture, traditions of Fiji that celebrated eating and favored voluptuous bodies withstood the influence of media images.

In the present world, most of the influence comes from the images on how people ought to live, rather than listening to the parents, teachers or even the clergy. It is possible to export, import and market body insecurity as it is the same case for other profitable commodities (Bordo, 2011). Men have also been caught up in the eating disorders that were formerly known to be for girls only. A decade ago, men saw themselves as better-looking than they are. However, there came the menswear manufacturers, diet industries and plastic surgeons who made a discovery of the male body. Nowadays, these men also feel the need to change parts of their body by abusing steroids.

The author implies that there is a need for something to be done which acknowledging finally and decisively that people are dealing with a cultural problem. There are those who claim that the eating disorders are rather biochemical but that does not answer the question of why one cannot account for their gradual spread across genders, races and nationalities (Bordo, 2011). It is also evident that the media mass culture is increasingly providing dominant public education. It is important that the realization is made sooner so that people will start paying attention to the culture around them and what it is teaching the children hence the faster development of strategies necessary for change.

The author demonstrates her views about nature and spread of eating disorders, which she states are from the culture and not biochemical. It is the western culture that has had an influence on people and now want to lose weight while they were comfortable with their bodies long ago. These images educate people on the need to have a certain body type where these residents of different locations will be influenced to be that way.

The author is using rhetorical strategies to tell the reason for giving examples. She asks the readers whether they have any answers to the spread of eating disorders. The question invites the readers to contribute to the writing by offering their opinions on what could be done. Eating disorder is a kind of epidemic that is being fueled by Western Media images affecting the majority of the cultures around the world.

Reference

Bordo, S. (2011). The Globalization of Eating Disorder. The New World Reader: Thinking and Writing about the Global Community, Pp. 639-643.