Bulimia and Its Effects on Society

In today's society many teens are concerned about having the perfect body. Of course, this means being thin like the young Britney Spears or elegant Julia Roberts. The problem, however, is that teens are increasingly risking their physical and mental health in order to be thin. Why? The answer lies in front of us every time we turn on the television, flip through a Cosmopolitan magazine, or listen to the radio. People are striving to be thin because the media expects them to be thin. According to Professor Nathanson, "the media plays an important part in the predisposition, precipitation and perpetuation of eating disorders." (Net Doctor) Having an eating disorder can be a devastating and crippling disease. Many females, especially those between the ages of ten to thirty years old, are unaware that the media is a powerful factor in the development of an eating disorder. The national eating disorder association states,
"media images that help to create cultural definitions of beauty and attractiveness are often acknowledged as being among those factors contributing to the rise of eating disorders." (N.E.D.A.) A lot of females get wrapped up in the media frenzy. What people need to understand is that the media has special techniques to make some body that looks descent to making somebody look beautiful. In reality they should realize that nobody is perfect and every one is unique in their own way.
Two common eating disorders are Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa. Anorexia is a disorder in which people limit the amount of food they eat and take diet pills or exercise excessively to not gain weight. However, unlike anorexia, Bulimia is characterized by the cycle of binging followed by purging. Bulimia includes eating large amounts of food more than most people would consume in one meal. In a short period of time, they get rid of the food through vomiting or the use of laxatives. When binging occurs a person will feel no control