Thinspiration

[MrsSpringsteen]

Obviously eating disorders are quite complex, but this study showed that even teenagers with no history of eating disorders had a drop in self esteem and increased feelings of negative body image after viewing photos of these thin celebrities (on the "pro ana sites" which also apparently focus on these photos) You can't blame eating disorders on these celebrities but you also can't overlook the power they have in the whole scheme of things.

I am far from being a teenager but I will be honest and admit that I have feelings of poor body image when I look at those girls and women. I know that they are too thin and don't look healthy, but at the same time it makes me think I am huge and overweight. I know intellectually that I shouldn't feel that way, but you really can't intellectualize it all the time. I know that my issues stem from other factors as well, but to be honest the pictures still do have that effect on me sometimes. The magazines call them too thin, but at the same time they call women who are of a healthy weight "fat" and point out all their "flaws" such as cellulite et al. So where is there any healthy rational media attitude about all of this? Other than the Dove campaign, where is it? You can avoid the internet and sites like that, but the images of celebs and fashion magazines are everywhere. I avoid the magazines as best I can, but couldn't the media also just be more responsible? In no way do I let all of that define me, but it does get difficult to deal with sometimes. I can't imagine what it is like these days for young girls and teenage girls.

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Health/story?id=2182068&page=1


"Some Web sites reveal how young people are attempting to become like their pencil-thin idols.

Images of emaciated celebrities and models provide what these sites call "thinspiration" — promoting unhealthy dieting as a way of life.

New research published in the European Eating Disorders Review found that teenagers with no history of eating disorders suffered from a drop in self-esteem and negative body image after just 25 minutes of exposure to these so-called "pro-ana" and "pro-mia" — pro-anorexia and pro-bulima — sites"


http://www.sundayherald.com/56600

"The Sunday Herald can also reveal new research has found teenagers with no history of eating disorders suffer from a drop in self esteem and increased negative body image after just 25 minutes of exposure to pro-ana sites.

The study, published in the European Eating Disorders Review and carried out on a group of female students aged between 18 and 20, found that after looking at a specially constructed pro-anorexia site they could not maintain previous positive feelings about themselves. They felt a lack of control about their bodies, decreased self esteem and more negatively about their self-image.

Dr Anna Bardone-Cone, of the University of Missouri-Columbia, who carried out the research, said the controlled study revealed a general trend of “girls all feeling badly about themselves”.

“As an initial study it did reveal they felt worse about themselves after viewing the site,” she said. “The phenomenon of pro-ana sites is only in the early stages of being understood.”

Despite such evidence that the sites are harmful, experts are divided over whether the government could or should ban them.

Last year the national Eating Disorders Association worked with several major internet service providers to shut sites down but spokesman Steve Bloomfield said the exercise probably won’t be repeated.

“There are too many sites, on too many hosts, and there are too many users – if one site closes, another one opens,” he said. “Very few of these site owners refer to the serious health effects of anorexia, such as osteoporosis, damaged fertility and the significant increase of heart disease. ”

Dr Chris Freeman, a consultant psychiatrist who runs the Cullen Centre for Eating Disorders at the Royal Edinburgh Hospital, said his patients were strongly advised not to log on to the sites.

“They do promote an unhealthy lifestyle and a lifestyle that promotes a disease. But the problem is that you can’t censure the internet, you can’t police it.”

 

[SunBloc]

Eating disorders are at epidemic levels, especially in the U.S. , if you consider the rise in obesity. I really believe that most of these disorders begin in some form in children & schools should address this with preventative education (wishful thinking - this would mean that they would first have to clean up their lunch programs ). With such an increase in people who have bad body image perceptions & are actually doing something drastic about it (including surgeries), it's scary to think what our
society is going to be in 10 years!

 

[LarryMullen's POPAngel]

^ Exactly. I'm seeing a sea of people with stomachs the size of a pea and men and women and even children (as the case seems to be more and more these days), with plastic body parts. It's sick.

 

[nbcrusader]

Far from being a new trend, the idea of thinspiration goes back to the days of “Twiggy”. The internet just brings this inspiration to us faster.

What has me confounded is the “measured drop” in self esteem by a brief visit to a web site. This begs the question of how strong was the self esteem in the first place? Do we question the thinspiration web sites, the Western cultural preference for thin, or the basic building blocks of self esteem?

 

[Angela Harlem]

Ah, Twiggy She made it so women didn't have to wear pantyhose. And for that she needs applause.


In seriousness, the drop in esteem is triggered by these sites, I'd think. Hormones, peers, developing and rising self-awareness all shape our state of self esteem as we know, but it can be triggered or shaken by many variables.

 

[verte76]

The Internet is powerful for both evil and good, and some of these may be triggering these awful eating disorders.

 

[Muggsy]

“They do promote an unhealthy lifestyle and a lifestyle that promotes a disease. But the problem is that you can’t censure the internet, you can’t police it.”

I always feel so much anger when I see irresponsable people who wants to spread such misery to others . I mean, If you want to screw your health, have rotten teeth and look like shit it is your problem, but don't encourage others to do the same. At the end it is not an "internet" problem, the roots are in the attitude of many people who think that their actions and their sayings doesn't have a negative impact over others.

 

[LikeNoOneBefore]

Being a naturally 112 lb, 5'10", sixteen year old girl with no eating disorder, I can tell you that just being at this weight naturally isn't fun all the time. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't change it either way for the world, but what many girls who want to be thin don't realize is how tough it is. Aside from being made fun of or having people talk about you being anorexic constantly, I have problems where I can be cold even if it's hot outside because I have no body fat to keep me warm. When I get sick, I get sick longer than most people, and I can't even tell you how hard it is to find jeans for this body type because people expect me to be shorter if I'm this thin. I wish girls with eating disorders would realize that they shouldn't strive to be so thin because if I'm having these mild problems naturally, think of how they'd be when they weigh so little by starving themselves.

I think that most girls want to be thin not only because of a distorted self-image but because they are striving to gain the approval of guys. In my school, at least, most guys want the thin, beautiful girls so some girls go to extremes to be perfect enough for guys. Some girls, it's weight. Others, it's obsession with their hair or make-up or clothes. To be honest, I can't think of a single issue I have with myself that isn't related to trying to impress a guy.

But those are just my observations.

 

[VertigoGal]

Some of those sites are pretty sick.
On the one hand, if you find some of the extreme pictures attractive or something to strive for, you probably have a problem already (not that the sites help anything). But it seems like sites like that could encourage someone who's already on the edge of developing a problem.

On the topic of magazines...I love how they pretend to try to encourage "healthy" bodies and make big stories about every celeb that gets really thin. But at the same time anyone who's only borderline underweight gets labeled "curvy."

 

[A_Wanderer]

Whats wrong with curvy?

Anyhow these sites aren't the "problem" but they are sympotmatic of it.

Anyhow

Curvy women are more likely to live longer than their slimmer counterparts, researchers have found.

Institute of Preventative Medicine in Copenhagen researchers found those with wider hips also appeared to be protected against heart conditions.

Women with a hip measurement smaller than 40 inches, or a size 14 would not have this protection, they said.

The researchers say hip fat contains a beneficial natural anti-inflammatory.

link

 

[Angela Harlem]

The fact that this above is considered curvy is a sign of our times.
Not a comment toward you, A_W.

 

[A_Wanderer]

I could post some more varied pictures

 

[VertigoGal]

actually it'd be interesting to see men post pics of what ermm "body types" they find attractive...although I'm sure it'd turn into another breast thread.

 

[dazzlingamy]

Being a 6 foot large girl (im overweight by about 20 pounds but am in no rush to move it hahahaha) I have neve runderstood the obsession over being skinny, ribs sticking out concave belly and the like. I think women like Keira, Nicole, KAte Bosworth and all of them look absolutely foul, and i mean it 100%. I am not envious of them, or want to be thin, and it actually disgusts me that THAT look is seem to be beautiful?! I'm so confused!!

Bah. I've always had friends, crushes, boyfriends, flirted my way through high school and enjoyed every minute. I think it shows when girls as skinny as some celebs are who STILL lose weight show that no matter what your size if, if your fucked in the head, you always will be.

I just don't get why people can't just love the skin there in. You're not going to have a better life being underweight and skinny bones (same goes for being obese, but at least being obese is not acceptable like being skinny is!)

 

[Salome]

What has me confounded is the “measured drop” in self esteem by a brief visit to a web site. This begs the question of how strong was the self esteem in the first place? Do we question the thinspiration web sites, the Western cultural preference for thin, or the basic building blocks of self esteem?

was thinking the exact same thing

and have no answers to the questions

 

[A_Wanderer]

actually it'd be interesting to see men post pics of what ermm "body types" they find attractive...although I'm sure it'd turn into another breast thread.

It would run as a spectrum with slight figured girls on one end all the way up to a figure like Titian's Venus Anadyomene, the classical aesthetics defintely hold attraction since the attributes are those most condusive to fertility, there is an innate drive for fecundity however it manifests however this is going to be offset by social pressures. We are slaves to evolution and that dominates sexuality but doesn't diminish the artifact of the mind that recognises beauty.

So things such as bilateral symmetry, clear complexion, appealing 0.7 waist to hip ratio, BMI (to an extent) and feminine features are all quantifiable factors in sexual attraction.

Emaciated and obese are two extremes that hold no attraction to most, slight to pleasantly plump can see manifestations of beauty but it's a combination and convergence of factors behind it, a convergence largely governed by our genes or cosmetic surgery budget.

 

[VertigoGal]

now it all makes sense.

 

[A_Wanderer]

I can think of worse intellectual hobbies than thinking about the nature of attraction

It certainly is an interesting set of fields, the factors influencing behaviour are diverse and at times controversial with disciplines like ev-psych.

The wildcard in this is intelligence, which is strongly correlated to status making it a powerful trait for humans.

Is intelligence sexually selected - like the peacock evolving large tails to impress mates?

If it is then is there any correllation between intelligence and attractiveness?

If there is a connection how long has it functioned - could such a pressure have influenced human evolution?

I do remain adamant in my anecdotal opinion that sexy transgresses any single weight or body type but can appear across a rather diverse range. To tie this back to the topic though we are looking at what is a mental illness which is removed from sexual attraction, people who suffer this illness have the wonder of the internet to enable it furthur, I suppose that it is sad but I think it is unfair to lay blame upon society as a whole for being willing consumers of a thin ideal.

For a sliding scale of attractive women and depictions maybe go from slight to slender to classical beauty and whatever may appear in between.

 

[A_Wanderer]

it's scary to think what our society is going to be in 10 years!

If surgeries such as stomach banding can reduce the incidences of obesity then they should be supported, it's all well and good for the fit to get all moralising but at the end of the day if there is an effective means of prevention/cure (but it takes a lot of commitment on behalf of the patient) then it will help stave off far worse health risks later on in life.

 

[Muggsy]

Whats wrong with curvy?

in some countries (like mine) many men are still atracted to those kind of women

 

[AliEnvy]

in some countries (like mine) many men are still atracted to those kind of women

I'm not a man so I could be wrong but I think there can be a big difference between who men consider naturally attractive and what their particular society tells them about who they should find attractive and be partnered with to be considered successful and admirable.

A bizarre and destructive cycle for everyone.

 

[verte76]

Whats wrong with curvy?

Anyhowlink

I've always thought Sophia Loren was the sexiest woman on the planet, but then I'm a woman myself, so obviously I can't speak for men.

 

[WildHoneyAlways]

The fact that this above is considered curvy is a sign of our times.
Not a comment toward you, A_W.

That's exactly what I thought. The woman is and always has been thin!

 

[yolland]

Media's thin celebrities influence women's eating disorders

ANN ARBOR---While the appearance of waif-like models in the media may send a dangerous message about eating disorders, general fitness and fashion magazines and television shows with thin characters also play a key role in influencing irregular eating patterns of young women, says Kristen Harrison, U-M assistant professor of communication studies.

In a survey of 232 female undergraduate students at a large Midwestern university in 1994, Harrison found that about 15% of the women met criteria for disordered eating---signs of anorexia or bulimia, body dissatisfaction, a drive for thinness, perfectionism and a sense of personal ineffectiveness. The study, which appeared recently in the Journal of Communication, shows that magazine reading and television viewing, especially exposure to thinness-depicting and thinness-promoting media, significantly predict symptoms of women's eating disorders, Harrison says.

According to the study, reading fashion magazines in particular is significantly related to a woman's drive for thinness and her dissatisfaction with her body, although magazine reading, in general, has little effect on body dissatisfaction.

Harrison says that the relationship between mass media consumption and symptoms of women's eating disorders appears to be stronger for magazine reading than for television viewing. However, watching "thin" shows is a consistent predictor of a woman's drive for thinness and viewing "heavy" shows is significantly related to body dissatisfaction. "Why does body dissatisfaction appear to be more strongly related to television viewing than magazine reading, whereas drive for thinness is more strongly related to magazine reading than television viewing?" she said. "Similarly, why is body dissatisfaction related to viewing 'heavy' shows and not 'thin' shows?"

Harrison believes that the drive for thinness is a learned behavior that sources such as magazines explain how to achieve (e.g., dieting and exercise). Body dissatisfaction, on the other hand, is not associated with a particular action or behavior and, instead, is a set of attitudes, not intentions.

In a related study using the same sample of women, Harrison found that an interpersonal attraction to thin media personalities is related to disordered eating above and beyond the influence of mere exposure to media, even those that depict or promote thinness (she defines interpersonal attraction as a perceived similarity to a female celebrity, and a fondness for and a desire to be like the famous woman). Being attracted to "thin" characters in shows like "Melrose Place" and "Beverly Hills 90210" positively predicts general eating disorder symptoms---anorexia, bulimia, drive for thinness, perfectionism and ineffectiveness---whereas attraction to "average" and "heavy" media personalities do not.

This study is obviously somewhat dated, and the article doesn't provide the clearest summary of it; I just picked it because I happen to know the author and something about her research. You could find plenty of other studies confirming and attempting to explain the same types of findings though; it's a staple topic of eating disorders journals.

I was reminded of Harrison's study because I went and looked at some "pro-ana" websites (I'll skip posting the links), all but one of which did indeed have "thinspiration" galleries, and what really struck me about the pictures posted was that, for the most part, they were obviously just scans of photos which had already appeared in mainstream "beauty"/fashion or celebrity magazines. And the "interpersonal attraction" factor cited was evident, too--several of the sites grouped together all pictures of particular famous individuals by name, "Keira!!" or "Nicole!!" or whoever--as if it were a fansite, which it otherwise obviously wasn't; the interest was purely in them as icons of desirable thinness.

Which I guess highlights the problem (relative to the media responsibility issue) of pinning down precisely what kinds of messages these magazines could be argued to be "sending." I suppose for a lot of people they're mainly a pleasurably escapist pastime of sorts--kind of like the way people with no serious aspiration to become domestic arts maestros enjoy Martha Stewart, or people who in actuality live on Chinese takeout and popcorn enjoy Bon Appetit or Food Network. But then you don't hear too many people talking about the shame and inadequacy and self-loathing they often feel for failing to have a lawn like Martha's, or for being unable to cheerfully bounce into the kitchen on half an hour's notice and create a fabulous meal like Rachel Ray.

IMHO, you can't ultimately say that the images themselves are the problem. It's rather that they're appearing in a sociocultural context where--especially for women, and most of all for teenage girls--being physically desirable is pervasively perceived and experienced as THE paramount index of self-worth. In such a context, ideals of beauty--which are by definition unrealistic; that's just the nature of ideals--wield more power and and assume an inflated level of importance compared to the impact cultural ideals normally would have.

It would be great if responses like dazzlingamy's to this situation came naturally to everyone--ideals schmideals, so what; if people want to snuff out their own drive to find pleasure and enjoyment in life and instead fixate on all the "perfections" they'll never attain and weren't meant to, well then that's their sad problem. But I think unfortunately most people, female or male, don't really have the level of self-confidence (or self-assurance, self-esteem, whatever you want to call it) you need to enable such a reaction. The reality is most folks do have their baggage and their sore spots and their fears of always falling short to contend with, and that makes them vulnerable to becoming preoccupied with what, viewed in the abstract, might seem largely irrelevant for all but the most extreme exceptions. The unfortunate upshot of this, per the subject at hand, is that a majority (IMHO) of women wind up feeling far more often and far more deeply inadequate and unworthy than they should, and expend far too much time and effort and psychological stamina on pursuing what in the end is really just a grail and a proxy for desires that are better realized elsewhere. In other words, damagingly low self-esteem due to "body dissatisfaction" (as Harrison calls it) becomes normative.

That said, I do tend to draw the line at proceeding on from this to say that actual eating disorders are normative. Perhaps my sense of what constitues "actual" is writ larger than others' because the two people with eating disorders I knew best both eventually died, and I vividly remember seeing over and over the painfully obvious evidence of the intensely compulsive and addictive nature of their behavior. Long after they intellectually understood that they looked utterly terrifying to others, and not at all beautiful or glamorous, they remained paralyzed to stop, out of fear that everything they'd "worked for" would come crashing down like a house of cards, bringing the rest of whatever was left of worth about them down with it, if they only allowed themselves to eat a little more and exercise a little less. That is not normal, that is not average, and while it hardly makes normative low self-esteem look "good" by comparison, I'm very reluctant to accept phrases like "the culture of eating disorders" which you sometimes hear tossed about in popular psychology, precisely because they suggest that such behavior is somehow a normal, "understandable" response to media images or whatever other influence. It isn't, and in many ways it's a serious disservice to the millions of women who experience so-called "normal" low self-esteem on a regular basis to collapse their pain in with that of far more seriously disordered people whose problems call for a very different set of responses.

Partly because of the (in itself) benign nature of fascination with "Beautiful People"--when it doesn't rise above being an escapist pastime--and partly because of the relentlessly consumerist culture we live in, I'm afraid I'm pretty fatalistic about the prospect of the media trying to behave more "responsibly" in what ideals it peddles to consumers. I guess where this leaves me, as a parent if nothing else, is to keep striving to give my children the best all-around foundation I can for a healthy, non-narcissistic, positive-experience-based self-confidence, and to teach them to apply towards others the same sound, empathetic criteria for judgment that they would want applied to themselves...and hope that suffices to do the trick, as far as their ability to navigate all the billion-and-one potential sandtraps I can't control out there goes. It can be easy some days to get fatalistic about this too but I really don't know of a more feasible alternative.