The Thin Ideal and Its Adverse Effects on Women - Essay Example

Through the use of skinny models in advertising nice clothes, sexy lingerie, makeup, and jewelry, ordinary women come to the bitter realization that they should be thin in order to be perfectly beautiful like these models. Beauty is equated with thinness and any woman that is oversize six is considered to be fat and ugly. Noting that the size of an ordinary American woman is far from these skinny girls in fashion magazines, the media adversely affects the individual's body image. Young women feel left out and depressed because they cannot live up to the standards of society.

This cultivates a culture of low self-esteem, a feeling of being unattractive, and a strong desire to be model thin. The negative body perception brings about the obsession to be thin through strict dieting. The obsession with thinness motivates women to perfect their bodies in any possible way. The most common resort is through dieting and starvation which often leads to eating disorders. The Mayo Clinic defines an eating disorder as "a broad group of serious conditions in which you are so preoccupied with food and weight that you can often focus on little else.

" In addition to this, it is estimated that 90% of individuals with eating disorders are motivated by the obsession to be as skinny as magazine models. The prevalence of anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa in American society has been overwhelming as women starve themselves in order to lose weight. However, these young women do not stop dieting at any weight because they consider people's remarks of their thinness as compliments. The grim reality is the fact that pursuing the thin ideal can be fatal.

These eating disorders do not only rob people of their time, energy, and focus but can lead to fatal illnesses. Technological advancements have ushered us to an era where our physique can be altered through the use of modern equipment. Women do not have to be "imperfect" and "ugly" but are given the chance to redefine their bodies through cosmetic surgery. This technological advancement can help women get rid of unwanted body fat in no time. It is irrefutable that women who are discontented with their body size are very much willing to undergo cosmetic surgery in order to change their appearance.

In the United States, it is reported that 57% of the American population has had liposuction while 47% had a tummy tuck.