In our society, we are becoming more and more obsessed with having the perfect body. An illness that was once considered only a problem in girls, eating disorders are now affecting guys more and more. Can you blame our youth for being obsessed with looking perfect? No, because Hollywood as well as the rest of the world's media convinces us that we have to look perfect in order to be happy. The effects of this are real, as it seems that more celebrities are battling eating disorders than ever before such as Nicole Richie, Lindsay Lohan, and Mary-Kate Olsen (maybe Ashley, too, but I don't know which one is which.)
One thing you could blame this problem on is commodification in our media. One of my best friends just went to an event called "The Arnold Classic" where fitness and bodybuilding enthusiasts can check out new products and samples from professional bodybuilders and athletes. What this event actually is is advertisers telling you that their product will get you more fit than the rest, whether that is true or not. One could also see that this commodification is also apparent in media in which they are telling you being fit is, ultimately, the only way to be.
I can't say much about people who like to work out regularly because I like to as well, but the real problem here is geared toward the youth of our country. I feel as if our youth are getting fatter and fatter and are being made feel worse and worse for being overweight. Let's face it, parents and heredity are the determining factor for children becoming fat, but the way Hollywood represent overweight people is unfair and, as we saw in Sloop's John/ Joan Case, media definitely has an effect on the way our youth see their bodies.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment