Unfortunately, this is the role model that many young girls believe is beautiful. Topple her over, and a body mass index that would put her in the anorexic range. However, in reality if we took Barbie's proportions and made a life-size Barbie, it would be a freakish woman with pencil-thin legs, breasts that threaten to

As a result, her sleek figure can stick with young girls that think this is what beautiful looks like. Watch this video that shows how the media can have an impact:īarbie dolls have been around for generations of young women. This can distort the image that we have of ourselves and make us feel fat, when in fact,

The media can have a huge impact on the average person's self esteem, as magazines and movies usually portray beautiful individuals many of whom are very thin. amenorrhea (missing 3 consecutive periods) Please refer to List 8.1 for a partial review of medical problems.Ĭomplications Resulting from Anorexia Nervosa - slow or irregular heart rate Thought processes are negatively affected and often a secondary addiction (such as compulsive shopping or alcohol abuse) accompanies this disorder as do various physical complications. In severe cases, the brain shrinks as the body, starving for nutrients, uses the fatty sheath surrounding nerve cells for energy. Body weight drops 15% below that considered healthy, and many individuals experience hair loss on their heads and hair growth elsewhere. Individuals may skip meals, only eat certain foods, abuse laxatives, and exercise excessively. Afflicted individuals also have excessive concern with body shape and mass, are preoccupied with food and calories, and often have ritualized eating and food preparation habits. With anorexia, a disorder first described over three hundred years ago, the patient experiences unhealthy and rapid weight loss. In North America, much media coverage is given to both anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. In each of these disorders, individuals do not have a healthy relationship with food. Eating disorders can take several forms: bulimia nervosa, anorexia nervosa, binge-eating disorder, and pica. In western society the prevalence of eating disorders is greater than in most other parts of the developed world.

Eating disorders and kleptomania