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Summary Of The Globalization Of Eating Disorders By Susan Bordo

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Summary Of The Globalization Of Eating Disorders By Susan Bordo
“The Globalization of Eating Disorders” by Susan Bordo

Nowadays everyone seems to be infatuated not only with medicine and health but also with perfect body images. In this essay, Bordo provides several claims and evidence that give you an introspection of how eating and body disorders are becoming an epidemic in society for both woman and men today. She begins with an imaginary scenario of a young girl who is standing in front of the mirror; a young woman who’s been on the latest fad diet. She’s reached her goal weight of 115 lbs., yet she’s still not satisfied with the image she sees. This young girl wants to resemble Hollywood celebrities such as Christina Aguilera, Lil’ Kim, Pink and Mya. This scene quickly gives you a candid look of how a person’s self-esteem can be shaped by the media.
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Fiji is a remote location that did not have access to television until 1995. The first programs that began broadcasting in Fiji were from the United States, Great Britain and Australia. Up until 1995, Fiji had no reported cases of eating disorders. A study was conducted by an anthropologist Anne Becker; Fijian woman and girls were comfortable with their bodies and didn’t have concerns of body image. Fijian cultures praise eating and admire woman with a little more flesh and curves. In Central Africa, traditional cultures still celebrate voluptuous woman. “An African girl must have hips,” says designer Frank Osodi, “We have hips. We have bums. We have flesh in Africa.” (Bordo 640) Bordo did a great job at providing us the cultural traditions of each group of individuals and the countries they live

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