Is beauty portrayed in a negative form in the media today? If so, explain the effect on ED sufferers?
Beauty is really in the eyes of the beholder. The media is neither negative nor positive in portraying beauty. It does have a bent toward portraying thinness as beautiful and happy. But once again, it depends on who is processing the information. The very vulnerable outer-directed ED sufferer unfortunately seems to take this thinness concept as gospel. As anorexics progress further into their disorders, they become impossible to tell what “thin” really means even though they may weigh 65 pounds at 5’6″. The mind becomes confused with lack of nutrition and therein lies major danger for acute anorexics. The media should not be blamed. The media merely functions to sell people ideas, services, or goods. That is the way it is. What needs to change is how vulnerable people interpret what message the media puts out.
