Ana and Mia- The Struggle of Teenage Girls Everywhere
Ana and Mia- The Struggle of Teenage Girls Everywhere
Paul Hokemeyer, a family therapist, once said “‘too often adolescents define themselves in relation to unhealthy role models and body types. For girls we know these body types are based on emaciated models’” (Parks 44). This statement is absolutely true. “1% of teenage girls suffer from anorexia, and 5% suffer from bulimia” (Parks 32). While that might not seem like an abundance of girls, if those percentages are plugged into how many teenage girls are in America, it is obvious that many young women endure these disorders. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there are 10, 736, 677 females 15-19 years old (Howden 4). That means that 107, 366 adolescent girls suffer from anorexia and that 536, 833 deteriorate from bulimia in America alone. There are many ideas behind the causes of eating disorders. These include the environment, genetics, the fashion industry, and many more. However, contrary to the belief that psychological illnesses such as bulimia and anorexia are hereditary, they are instead products of society’s strict definition of what’s beautiful, and this definition influences teenage girls into seeing themselves as imperfect, which in turn causes them to harm themselves by developing those eating disorder.
Both anorexia and bulimia are dangerous to physical, mental, and emotional health. Many people do not understand the difference between anorexia and bulimia; let alone, understand how each have different symptoms and dangers. Both may be eating orders, and both may have similarities, but they are characterized as different disorders for a reason. This reason is because both eating disorders have many different effects, and these treacherous effects can only be avoided if the eating disorder is correctly diagnosed, so the person experiencing the disorder can get the correct therapy that will help them understand that they don’t need to hurt themselves in order to be “beautiful”.
Paul Hokemeyer, a family therapist, once said “‘too often adolescents define themselves in relation to unhealthy role models and body types. For girls we know these body types are based on emaciated models’” (Parks 44). This statement is absolutely true. “1% of teenage girls suffer from anorexia, and 5% suffer from bulimia” (Parks 32). While that might not seem like an abundance of girls, if those percentages are plugged into how many teenage girls are in America, it is obvious that many young women endure these disorders. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there are 10, 736, 677 females 15-19 years old (Howden 4). That means that 107, 366 adolescent girls suffer from anorexia and that 536, 833 deteriorate from bulimia in America alone. There are many ideas behind the causes of eating disorders. These include the environment, genetics, the fashion industry, and many more. However, contrary to the belief that psychological illnesses such as bulimia and anorexia are hereditary, they are instead products of society’s strict definition of what’s beautiful, and this definition influences teenage girls into seeing themselves as imperfect, which in turn causes them to harm themselves by developing those eating disorder.
Both anorexia and bulimia are dangerous to physical, mental, and emotional health. Many people do not understand the difference between anorexia and bulimia; let alone, understand how each have different symptoms and dangers. Both may be eating orders, and both may have similarities, but they are characterized as different disorders for a reason. This reason is because both eating disorders have many different effects, and these treacherous effects can only be avoided if the eating disorder is correctly diagnosed, so the person experiencing the disorder can get the correct therapy that will help them understand that they don’t need to hurt themselves in order to be “beautiful”.