Does the Media Influence Anorexia on
Teenagers

Understanding how does the media influence anorexia on teenagers, will help you put your thoughts and feelings into perspective when seeing misrepresentations of how teenagers should look in magazines and on television. In this interview with Dr. Sari Shepphird, learn about how the media gives you the wrong message and what you can do if you or your teen suffers from an eating disorder.

Sari Shepphird, Ph.D.

Besides having a passion for working in eating disorders recovery, I am a psychologist, eating disorder specialist, and author of the book 100 Questions and Answers about Anorexia Nervosa. For the past twenty years, I have been working with young people who have eating disorders and body image issues, beginning in college as an undergraduate peer counselor and into my professional career as a psychologist. Most of the people who I see and treat in my practice have an eating disorder or related issue. Anorexia is most common among teens, and I see a large number of teens in my practice, although I do work with older folks as well.

Ideas, products, and health information stories that are featured in the media influence teens, as well as adults. What we are seeing in the media these days is an influence toward extreme thinness of body shape. Just pass by any local magazine rack, turn on the television, or watch a popular film and try not to be bombarded with waif-like celebrities and with images and ideas that imply people will be successful, happy, and socially acceptable if they are thin.

Television news-magazines, such as Entertainment Tonight and Access Hollywood regularly feature stories about the latest "celebrity slim-down," tabloid stories focus on a standard of beauty that emphasizes thinness a "size 0" dress size over health and well being, and on any average day, one of every 3.8 television commercials sends a message about body shape and/or attractiveness. This equates to teens seeing more than 5,200 such "attractiveness messages" in commercials per year. These media images and advertising messages about weight and appearance are hard for anyone to ignore, and in recent years, they have become a "normal" part of everyday life in our culture.

No one is immune to advertising, images, and ideas set forth by the media, as they influence every age group. Teens, however, spend more time involved in media-related activities and in a stage of life where they are perhaps more open to media influence because much of our personality and identity development takes place during these years. Some advertisers specifically target their ads to teens in order to sell teen-related products (such as diet products) and to promote the careers of teen celebrity idols.

I think it is important to think critically about the media and learn how to read what the media is really trying to "sell." Advertisers themselves admit that they are trying to sell more than just their products. They are selling an "image," and that image, in turn, sells products. Clothing companies, cigarette ads, diet products, and other ads will try to capture the ideals and pursuits that teens have in order to increase sales. Teens are looking for independence, relationships, acceptance, understanding, and a feeling of beauty or attractiveness, and the advertisers know it. In fact, they spend billions and billions of dollars trying to capture the image that teens are willing to spend money on to achieve and to follow. Magazine editors, TV and Film producers understand this as well. Teens are a unique audience and a desirable audience for the media because they have a lot of influence and purchasing power. However, teens can also have a voice for positive influence by recognizing that they are more than just an image, they are the future.

Parents can have a great, positive influence on their kids, and that influence can go a long way toward counteracting the media's harmful input when it comes to body image and eating disorders. Having conversations with your teen about body image is a good place to start.

• Emphasize that a range of body types is both normal and attractive, and be sure to communicate that size does not necessarily have anything to do with health.

• Discourage dieting in your teens. Puberty naturally comes with weight gain and will likely become proportional over time. Dieting can be the trigger for many forms of eating disorders so teens should avoid it unless medically necessary.

• Help your teens think critically about unhealthy messages pertaining to body shape and physical appearance. Ask questions like, "What is this ad really saying? What are they trying to sell? Is the body type that they are featuring representative of a healthy range, or is it unnecessarily restrictive?"

• Parents might want to re-think purchasing subscriptions to magazines that promote a distorted thin ideal, but instead support media that promotes a healthy body image. For example, parents can also consider keeping a scrapbook of positive body images by cutting out ads from magazines. If your teen seems to be idolizing a thin celebrity, consider this an opportunity to have a conversation about body image and attractiveness.

• Another idea would be to make a list of companies that consistently use images of a thin ideal in their advertising, and send a letter to their marketing departments. Share how their ad affected you. Let them know you will be more likely to buy their products if they advertise in a way that challenges society's thin ideal. "Voting with your dollars" can go a long way toward bringing change.

Now that you know how does the media influence anorexia on teenagers, here's what you can do to help your teen avoid these negative messages.

• Love your child unconditionally.

• Help your teen value him/herself for who they are, not how he/she looks.

• Compliment his/her character, judgment, creativity and in so doing, help your child to expand his/her definition of what makes a person beautiful.

• Try not to encourage perfectionism in your teen. Balance and moderation is healthy in most aspects of life, and body image being one of them.

• Emphasize your teen's unique strengths, talents, abilities, and personality. Perhaps that will help him/her to spend less time worrying about appearance and more time with other activities that help build confidence and self-esteem.

• Model a healthy attitude about weight, shape, food, and exercise in your own home. Do not criticize anyone's appearance or eating habits, and do not tease about weight or shape (including your own!). If you hear others do so, ask them to stop. If your teen makes disparaging comments about his or her own appearance, sit down and have a conversation about how he or she is feeling.

Remaining a source of unconditional support and love is critical. Your teen may likely experience intense periods of shame, and even self-hatred as symptoms of their eating disorder and having a positive source of support cannot be overemphasized. Reminding your teen that you will be there for them, during the challenges tough times as well, will help.

Resources such as the National Eating Disorders Association and the websites www.edreferral.com and www.bulimia.com offer helpful lists of treatment centers in locations across the United States. Doing some initial research can help so that you are feeling more prepared when you speak with your teen. The professional(s) with whom you speak with help you with suggestions that are specific to your situation and will help determine what type of care will be best suited for your teen.

In addition to my book, 100 Questions and Answers about Anorexia Nervosa, the websites mentioned above, some other great resources include:

• ANAD

• Body Positive

• Something Fishy

• National Eating Disorders

• Maudsley Parents

• Eating with Your Anorexic

For more information on Dr. Sari Shepphird, her book and eating disorders, visit her website.

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