Eating disorders have become a “trend” for teenagers and it is seen as one of the most
“effective” ways to look like an airbrushed picture on Instagram. There are different variations of
eating disorders and two of them are anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. Anorexia nervosa is
abnormally underweight due to limitations of calories and fear of gaining weight. Bulimia
nervosa is consuming large amounts of food in a short amount of time followed by self-induced
vomiting because of the feeling of guilt. In today’s society, the increased usage of social media
has contributed to a rise in the prevalence of eating disorders. Social media has become a
significant component of how people see themselves when they look in the mirror.
Anorexia nervosa is one of the well-known eating disorders, it is self-diagnosable
because of starvation and excessive exercising behaviors. Anorexic people show behaviors of
obsession with calorie counting and limit themselves to lots of different foods, they seem
overweight to themselves even though they are underweight and have an excessive fear of
gaining weight. Barbara Wexler says “Anorexia nervosa involves severe weight loss—a
minimum of 15% below normal body weight. Anorexic people literally starve themselves, even
though they may be very hungry. For reasons that researchers do not yet fully understand,
anorexics become terrified of gaining weight. Both food and weight become obsessions. They
often develop strange eating habits, refuse to eat with other people, and exercise strenuously to
burn calories and prevent weight gain. Anorexic individuals continue to believe they are overweight even when they are dangerously thin.” This evidence states the definition of anorexia
and the symptoms or anorexic-like behaviors. Young individuals start adopting harmful practices
of hunger, which leads to them having a striving desire to lose weight because they believe they
are not thin enough. This condition is known as anorexia. This condition is a continuous fight
with their head in which they feel as if they need to lose an additional few pounds not just to
appear slim but also to feel skinny. This is a war that they will likely never win without proper
help from a medical professional. This condition is not only damaging psychologically but also
hurtful to their physical health. “The medical complications of anorexia are similar to starvation.
When the body attempts to protect its most vital organs, the heart, and the brain, it goes into
“slow gear.” Menstrual periods stop, and breathing, pulse, blood pressure, and thyroid function
slow down. The nails and hair become brittle, the skin dries, and the lack of body fat produces an
inability to withstand cold temperatures. Depression, weakness, and a constant obsession with
food are also symptoms of the disease. In addition, personality changes may occur. The person
suffering from anorexia may have outbursts of anger and hostility or may withdraw socially. In
the most serious cases, death can result.” This evidence breaks down what happens to the body
when it is not well taken care of. The body of an anorexic individual will begin to shut down if
they do not get the appropriate medical treatment, which will eventually lead to death. Our
bodies cannot function properly without the proper nutrients and depriving them of those things
will lead to severe problems. In addition to the medical issues, there may also be psychological
consequences, such as depression or an obsession with food.
Bulimia nervosa is also one of the well-known eating disorders. When a person binge
eats substantial amounts of food but in order not to gain, they purge or self-induce vomiting
because of guilt gut of eating everything they want. All of this is done because of an obsession with losing weight or not gaining weight. Barbara Wexler says “People who suffer from bulimia
eat compulsively and then purge (get rid of the food) through self-induced vomiting, use of
laxatives, diuretics, strict diets, fasts, exercise, or a combination of several of these compensatory
behaviors. Bulimia often begins when a person is disgusted with the excessive amount of “bad”
food consumed and vomits to rid the body of the calories.” This evidence the definition of
another type of eating disorder which is bulimia. Bulimia is another dangerous eating disorder,
but because bulimic individuals self-induce vomiting and use laxatives, diuretics, strict diets,
fasts, and exercise most of the time, this is to keep the same weight, which is why it is easy for
most people to hide this eating disorder for years instead of seeking treatments. Barbara Wexler
says “Binge eating and purging are dangerous. In rare cases bingeing can cause esophageal
ruptures, and purging can result in life-threatening cardiac (heart) conditions because the body
loses vital minerals. The acid in vomit wears down tooth enamel and the lining of the esophagus,
throat, and mouth and can cause scarring on the hands when fingers are pushed down the throat
to induce vomiting. The esophagus may become inflamed, and glands in the neck may become
swollen.” This evidence explains what happens to the body after purging for a long time. Both
bulimia and anorexia are considered to be very harmful eating disorders that, if not treated
carefully, might ultimately result in death. A bulimic person’s internal organs will slowly begin
to deteriorate as they purge on a daily basis or even a few times a day. This eating disorder often
begins in adolescence or early adulthood when the individual is still in denial about their
condition and refuses treatment until their thirties or forties.
Now that the types of eating disorders and how they affect an individual mentally and
physically have been covered. Where does it all come from? Where do people get people to
come to these extremes of losing weight? Even perfectly healthy people become unhealthy to appear slim. Shell, Ellen Ruppel says “More than three-quarters of healthy-weight adult women
in the U.S. believe they are “too fat,” and nearly two-thirds of high school girls are on diets.
Attempts to lose weight start very young: Eighty percent of fourth-grade girls surveyed said they
had already been on diets. The same percentage of women in their mid-50s express a desire to be
thinner. Meanwhile, growing numbers of women of color are joining the ranks of those who
chronically hate their bodies, and more and more men are worrying about the “spare tire” around
their midriffs or the layer of flesh that sags from their chins.” This evidence states the estimate of
individuals who suffer from poor body image, and it breaks down into categories by gender and
age. All the way from magazines to posters, any form of media, individuals are exposed to
eventually they will start having doubts about their appearances. Eating disorders affect men and
women from as young as fourth graders to older individuals in their mid-50s. There is nothing
wrong with wanting to eat healthily and exercise, but it is not healthy to stop eating entirely.
We have become so used to the presence of social media in our everyday lives that we
fail to see the significant impact that it has on our perceptions of who we are as individuals.
When people see unattainable beauty standards being lauded on a regular basis, it affects their
view on how they perceive themselves when they look in the mirror. Shell, Ellen Ruppel says
“Media images establish what it means to be a beautiful woman in our society. It doesn’t matter
that the vast majority of us don’t look like the women we are taught to adore. In fact, that’s part
of the ploy: The relative rarity of the “ideal” creates tremendous pressure for ordinary women to
“improve” their appearance. Weight loss is essential to this transformation, or so we are told with
both words and pictures. And the more we come to believe this truth, the more we absorb other
messages as well—ones that are less obvious (and perhaps more insidious for being so), but no
less powerful. These messages teach us that our souls will only feel as good as our bodies look; that we can never be happy unless we strive for physical perfection; and that to be successful,
loved, and satisfied we must try to emulate the images we have come to idolize.” According to
this data, we have come to accept the unrealistically high beauty standard that is regarded
“pretty” by women who do not look like that. Because every person has their own unique
qualities, it is appropriate to use the term “beautiful” to describe them all. Our unique qualities
are what make each one of us perfect; true beauty cannot be captured in a heavily photoshopped
image. A beauty standard that is unattainable should not be an aspirational goal.
The same ideas cannot coexist in multiple people’s minds in the same way everyone has a
different definition of beauty and what it means to them. So, narrowing beauty into one standard
type is harmful because they create models that are almost impossible to live up to: thus, causing
false or harmful criticism of oneself. The images we compare ourselves to are not real images.
Bennett, Jessica says “We’re always stretching the models’ legs and slimming their thighs,” says
a photo retoucher who works for a high-end Manhattan agency. In some cases, hands, feet or
even legs are replaced in photos when the subject’s parts don’t add up to a perfect whole.
“Sometimes I feel a little like Frankenstein,” says the retoucher, who would only speak
anonymously because of the potential for professional backlash. The irony, she adds, is that the
models and actresses pictured usually have already been through hours of hair styling and
makeup—including body makeup—to remove the slightest blemish. Yes, you heard that right,
even after all of that, a 5-foot-10, 110-pound model still does not have legs that are long or
skinny enough to suit some advertisers and fashion editrixes.” This data sheds light on the fact
that nothing that is displayed on social media can be relied upon and that it is not worth doubting
our appearances based on fake images. Even after a significant amount of time spent applying
makeup, body makeup, and hair styling, model agencies nearly never promote without using extreme amounts of picture editing. This is because model agencies want their models to be so
perfect that they end up not looking like themselves.
Another common misconception is that a naturally thin person is seen as having an eating
disorder by society. It is hard for some individuals to gain weight. Cheng, Julia says “”You don’t
understand how lucky you are. So many girls would kill to be skinny and have your ‘problem.'”
If it was so great to be skinny, then why did I feel terrible about myself? And why did people go
out of their way to attack my body on a daily basis? New friends, old friends, and coworkers
question my self-esteem, mental stability, and professional competence because they suspect I
must be intentionally hurting myself to look the way I do. At family dinners, food is shoved onto
my plate and my parents are shamed for not taking care of me.” This evidence puts light on the
fact that persons who are slim “don’t have the right” to feel insecure, and that right is often taken
away by society. Their perceptions of how others see them are sometimes dismissed with the
question, “What do you have to be insecure about?” (What do you have to be uneasy about?)
You’re slim”. Which is not fair since everyone goes through phases in their lives in which they
feel a lot more confident and then go through times in which they feel a lot more uncertain.
Personal experience: I, too, have suffered with my body image. I reached puberty before
most of my peers due to my early maturation. I did not consider my looks since I was too young
to care. During adolescence, I began to notice changes in my body as a result of my weight
increase, and these changes caused me so much discomfort and anxiety. When I entered middle
school, I had lost all of my weight and was far smaller than when I reached puberty. I was too
young to comprehend body types and how differently people carry weight. Fast forward to high
school. I was determined to lose weight since my friends were shorter, slimmer, and much lighter
than I was. I always desired a very low number from my scale, and I was constantly fixated on obtaining validation from a scale. On the day I decided to go on a diet, I ate just salads with various types of greens, but I could not fill myself on greens alone. I believed that if I maintained this diet, the scale would reflect the weight I’ve always wanted, but the hunger was unbelievable.
I attempted to “kill” my appetite by sleeping, but nothing worked. I told myself that I would eat
other foods, but only those that were low in calories. I got obsessed with checking the nutrition
facts on everything I ate. I was 15 years old and already slim, but I couldn’t see it. During that
summer, I dropped fifteen pounds. I was so bony that every item of clothing I wore fit me
poorly. I disliked my appearance so much. The next year, when quarantine began, I began to gain
around 5 pounds. I wanted to return to complaining about my thinness, but then I realized what a
blessing it was. Today, I battle with my body image, but I’m happy of how far I’ve come on my
path. The best way to help yourself is by reaching out for help. Figure 1 shows the types of
treatments for eating disorders.

In conclusion, social media plays a significant role in our lives and the way we perceive
ourselves. However, the way that everything is portrayed in social media is unrealistic and
comparing ourselves to the standards that are fake in the first place does not help us in any way,
shape, or form. It’s possible that on different days we’ll wake up feeling positive or negative
about ourselves; either way, it’s part of being human, and there’s nothing wrong with that. The
extent of the impact of social media on our lives is difficult to fathom unless we give it some
strong thought.

Critical Analysis Self-Assessment 

1. Locate research sources (including academic journal articles, magazine and newspaper articles) in the library’s databases or archives and on the Internet and evaluate them for credibility, accuracy, timeliness, and bias. 

I utilized the database of the CCNY library for four of my sources in the Critical Analysis. My thesis centered on the idea that many forms of media, including social media, contribute in some way to the increasing incidences of eating disorders. The research I gathered for this project brings attention to my argument that social media has a significant impact on this issue. 

2. Engage in the collaborative and social aspects of writing processes. 

For the purpose of producing an effective Critical Analysis, I solicited comments and suggestions from my classmates, who enlightened me to the aspects of the material that I am failing to adequately emphasize. I was able to improve my draft with the aid of that clarification, and then I edited it to make the final document more understandable. The input was quite helpful in providing me with a better understanding of what it is that I am lacking and how I want to present my arguments.