Spartan Daily - Serving San Jose State University since 1934

Issue date: 2/21/08 Section: Opinion

Kristin Furtado

Walk into any local grocery store, and stand in the checkout line. You'll be hard-pressed not to stare at a display specifically designed to profit off of your insecurities. Gracing the cover of almost every glossy magazine at the checkout stand are the airbrushed, ultra-thin models and celebrities - mostly women - smiling from behind a mirage of headlines touting miracle weight loss and diet solutions. These almost ethereal creatures are sexy, alluring and youthful and - above all else - thin.

"Respect Your Body Week," has been in full swing for the past few days on campus - a series of events being held in recognition of National Eating Disorders Awareness Week. According to the National Eating Disorders Association, at least 5 million to 10 million girls and women and 1 million boys and men in the United States are struggling with an eating disorder. Yet in the wake of this epidemic, the desire to be thin only seems to have gotten stronger. While many experts are careful to say that the media do not cause eating disorders, to underestimate its powerful influence would be unwise.

One 2006 survey by the National Eating Disorders Association, which polled 1,002 female and male college students across the country, revealed that more than half of college students know someone with an eating disorder and that the majority of those who have them do not seek treatment. More than half of the respondents who had an eating disorder also cited a pressure to be thin as one of the reasons for their onsets.

These serious disorders are often relegated to circus sideshows for an entertainment industry that trivializes the affliction with the speculative "does she or doesn't she?" mentality - lucrative entertainment for a salivating public. Magazines relish showing front-page photos of disturbingly thin celebrity starlets with headlines that read: "Lohan still denies she has eating disorder." Anorexia - which has the highest mortality rate of any other psychological illness - is set up against a backdrop of glitzy red carpets and Gucci dresses. Jutting hips and collarbones, we are told, are glamorous. And yet behind the glittering photos of these rail-thin celebrities and fashion models, exists the bleak reality of an eating disorder. We herald the anorexic body but not anorexia.

And if this perfect creature gains weight, God have mercy on her soul (which is not as important as her body). Back at the grocery checkout stand, just step on over to the not-so-nice tabloid section with headlines that read: "Check out the 46 best and worst winter beach bodies!" alongside unflattering photos of celebrities (mostly women) who have come dangerously close to looking all too human. Women are ripped to shreds because there's a fold of skin out of place.

Continued...

Page 1 of 2 next >

Article Tools