The biggest issue that comes out of body image is eating disorders. Anorexia and bulimia are the most common forms of eating disorders. Anorexia is a disorder where an individual refuses to maintain a healthy body weight because they have an intense fear of gaining weight. It is also characterized by a distorted body image; meaning that someone sees a much bigger version of their self. Generally, people who are anorexic do not eat a lot of food; they tend to avoid it because it becomes a stressful and scary task. Bulimia is different from anorexia because it is characterized by episodes of binge eating. Binge eating is usually what happens after not eating for a certain period of time (like not eating lunch or dinner) you eat a lot of food all at once and then feel so guilty about it that you force yourself to get rid of it. By forcing yourself to get rid of it, you either make yourself puke, take laxatives, or work out to an excessive amount. Now many people who have eating disorders are influenced by outside sources. These outside sources are what lead to eating disorders being a huge issue. These outside sources can mean that the individual is influenced by the media, society, and even being bullied or teased about their weight. Since the media portrays images of thinner people, they tend to idolize them and want to be as skinny as they are. They always feel like they are not good enough or thin enough to match society's definition of beautiful. Eating disorders can affect everyone and can occur at any age. I think that it is important to teach younger children about being healthy and living a healthy lifestyle; teaching them that society's definition of beautiful is not the only form of beautiful. | Although I know a lot about eating disorders, I made sure that my comments were true. I used the following two websites for my information. http://www.helpguide.org/articles/eating-disorders/anorexia-nervosa.htm http://www.helpguide.org/articles/eating-disorders/bulimia-nervosa.htm |