Eyes of the Beholder

Scott Uria       

ENC 1102

Professor Kelly

April 9, 2013

Eyes of the Beholder

            Beauty is only skin deep, but ugly goes clear to the bone! Sure, we have heard this many times, but who does it actually affect? After viewing the film Miss Representation, it made me wonder who the real victim is. In my opinion, it seems that the women who are in the spotlight were the ones catching grief because of their size. We must keep in mind that those women in the movies, magazines, or music videos are paid, and paid quite well.  I do agree that the wrong message is being sent to our youth. I agree that our youth feel pressured to keep up with society deems as acceptable.

            Our history hasn’t been in favor of depicting women in a positive way. But as time has shown, women are getting lead roles on the big screen, and women have held or are currently holding some powerful positions. With that in mind, the sacrifices seem to have paid off in certain fields. In the job fields of modeling, certain movie roles, and reality television seem to have a harmful effect on our youth, mainly young female. In the areas just mentioned, a thin, slim, petite build is acceptable. Many young females will struggle with putting on weight in the hips and leg region. It’s bad enough that average or slightly overweight girls are teased and bullied at school, but now they seem to catch grief from what is on television or magazine. Many girls are strong enough to deal with what classmates or media points to be acceptable, but others fall into a dark side to seek satisfaction from others. It’s sad, but many young girls will turn to unhealthy and sometimes deadly alternatives.

            One of the alternatives that young females turn to is anorexia. Anorexia Nervosa, by definition, is an eating disorder that causes people to obsess about their weight and the food they eat. People with anorexia attempt to maintain a weight that’s far below normal for their age and height. To prevent weight gain or to continue losing weight, people with anorexia may starve themselves or exercise excessively. Anorexia isn’t really about food.  It’s an unhealthy way to cope with emotional problems (Mayo). This is a sad situation, but who is to blame? On one side these young ladies are being teased and bullied, and on the other side these young ladies are seeing how extremely thin models are being accepted. I would love to say that this issue should be addressed at home, but unfortunately the disorder or emotional problems aren’t noticed until it’s too late.

            Another alternative used by young ladies to meet the acceptable appearance by society is, Bulimia. Bulimia Nervosa, by definition, is known mostly as bulimia, is a serious, potentially life threatening eating disorder. People with bulimia may secretly binge – eating large amounts of food – and then purge, trying to get rid of the extra calories in an unhealthy way. Bulimia can be categorized in two ways: 1) Purging Bulimia is when one self-induces vomiting or misuse laxatives, diuretics, or enemas after binging. 2) Non-Purging Bulimia is when one uses other methods to rid you of calories and prevent weight gain, such as fasting, strict dieting or excessive exercise (Mayo). Now this disorder I know about and was around as a teenager. In high school, I had a girlfriend who was thought by many, including myself, to be a beautiful young woman. She not only had a beautiful face, but her body was second to none. She was on the varsity volleyball and softball team, along with doing well in the classroom. She was definitely a trophy to me, because she was a senior and I was just a sophomore. The longer we dated I felt that I knew her pretty well. There was a dark secret that she kept from me, along with everyone else. She finally confided with my best friend. We all were really close, and she wanted me to know the struggles she was having. She felt that my best friend could help with breaking the news to me. She made the right decision, because some things are  best coming from a buddy. When I finally sat down with her, I explained that I still didn’t understand the need to do this to her body. Although she didn’t need to, she said she had self-esteem problems. Shocker! I learned that even the more beautiful girl can have esteem issues. After she graduated, we began to grow apart. But I am happy to say that she got help, and is doing great. We still keep contact with each other and her struggles will never be forgotten.

            The stats can be staggering with girls having eating disorders. Newport Academy reports that 90% of Americans with eating disorders are female, and around 15% of teenage girls have some type of eating disorder. Around 1,000 women will die each year of anorexia, while 5% - 20% of teens who have anorexia will die for reasons related to a disorder. Growing up as a child in today’s society has far more stresses than when I grew up. Maybe it’s time for the entertainment world, and society as a whole, stop sending the wrong message to our youth. The message should be that every person be proud of who you are, not what you appear to other. Remember, beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.

 

 

 

 

Works Cited

 

Mayo Clinic. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, n.d. Web. 31 Mar. 2013.

 

Miss Representation. Dir. Jennifer S. Newsom. OWN, 2011. Documentary.

 

"We Save Teens." Newport Academy. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Apr. 2013