"Will the Royal Wedding Spur Anorexia?"

[amy1985]

An excerpt:

it seems unlikely that many women would see the troubled fictional ballerinas in Black Swan as people they idealize or aspire to be like. Kate Middleton, on the other hand, is a very different story; she’s the beautiful, charismatic bride who married a prince. The Royal wedding was seen by over 20 million Americans, and over a billion people around the world. It seems far more likely that future princess Kate Middleton would be seen as a role model than a mentally unstable fictional ballerina in a thriller. In fact dress designers are already creating copies of the Duchess of Cambridge’s wedding garb; clearly there are many women who want to look just like Middleton—especially on their wedding day.

Rumors of Middleton’s very thin body (and possible anorexia) flew around the Internet, with over a million web sites linking her to the disease. One commenter noted that “Catherine Middleton is just as thin now as Diana during her anorexic period.”

Regardless of whether or not Middleton has anorexia (and it certainly seems doubtful), she is undeniably far thinner than the average woman and indeed could be considered just as “unrealistically thin” as the oft-vilified fashion models or Barbie dolls.

Thoughts?

 

[Holly88]

I'm personally of the belief that eating disorders are the result of serious and deeply imbedded personal issues, for want of a better term, as opposed to resulting from the influence of the media/celebrities/models etc.

I would think that having unhealthy role models in the public eye, added to the popular consensus in our society that thinner is better, are not exactly helping the matter but I don't think you could ever put someone's disease down to that alone.

There are predosposing factors, such as child abuse and parental influence, that I feel should be grabbing more headlines than individuals such as Kate Middleton.

 

[Melancholy]

I agree. I don't believe that something seen, as in a single event could lead DIRECTLY to eating disorders. I more likely believe, that society has a certain expectation of what "beauty" is, but that subjective measure varies significantly to each individual. I believe that someone prone to an eating disorder, has a skewed perception of what beautiful really is. I believe that people are more driven by how they look, compared to how they think society would LIKE them to look, and just becase they see someone on TV, doesn't mean that will change their idea about what they think society expects. Whew.. that was a lot of thinking haha... again, just my opinion!

 

[San2]

What a bunch of bollocks.

a) Of course Kate is being linked to Anorexia and every other eating disorder known to man. They are comparing her to Diana as much as they can, and that's just part of it. People are stupid.

b) She admitted herself that she had put herself on a strict diet before the wedding because she wanted to look good in the dress, just like every other bride. She also said that the weeks before the wedding she didn't feel like eating simply because she was nervous.

c) Seen recent pictures? She put about 10 lbs on since the wedding. She looks good, and rather healthy to me.

d) What the other said above. Anorexia and other eating disorders are the result of deep psychological issues, not something that triggers just because you see somebody on TV. If it would work like that, every female from between the ages of 5 and about 75 would be stick thin, with no curves other than enormous fake boobs.

It's nonsense.

 

[Monster2]

Just wait, Kate is going to rebound, just like Oprah did. ROFLMAO!

 

[ChefChiTown]

I'm personally of the belief that eating disorders are the result of serious and deeply imbedded personal issues, for want of a better term, as opposed to resulting from the influence of the media/celebrities/models etc.

I would think that having unhealthy role models in the public eye, added to the popular consensus in our society that thinner is better, are not exactly helping the matter but I don't think you could ever put someone's disease down to that alone.

There are predosposing factors, such as child abuse and parental influence, that I feel should be grabbing more headlines than individuals such as Kate Middleton.

I agree. I don't believe that something seen, as in a single event could lead DIRECTLY to eating disorders. I more likely believe, that society has a certain expectation of what "beauty" is, but that subjective measure varies significantly to each individual. I believe that someone prone to an eating disorder, has a skewed perception of what beautiful really is. I believe that people are more driven by how they look, compared to how they think society would LIKE them to look, and just becase they see someone on TV, doesn't mean that will change their idea about what they think society expects. Whew.. that was a lot of thinking haha... again, just my opinion!

See, I think it works both ways.

There are people who have deep-rooted mental disturbances which lead to them having an eating disorder, but who is to say that those deep-rooted mental disturbances didn't start off by something the person saw?

You can't deny that the media is a powerful thing. It has almost single handedly changed the entire makeup of our society. Movies, TV shows, magazines, posters, the Internet, etc - people are force fed everything and, sometimes, it's hard to spit it all out. And, when that happens, especially in regards to body image, a lot of impressionable people out there are going to become heavily influenced by what they have SEEN.

If people weren't influenced by what they see, then why did millions of American girls go out and get "the Rachel" haircut when Friends was still on the air? Nobody was doing that before they saw it; they did it after they saw it. They were influenced. They were influenced because they saw a woman that millions of men pined over and they wanted to mimic the look for themselves - they thought THAT'S what men wanted. So, who is to say that people don't do the same when it comes to their overall body image?

Now, I'm not saying that Kate Middleton herself is going to influence millions of girls to have an eating disorder - but the media shows more than just Kate Middleton - the media drowns society in a bath of over-sexed, unrealistically skinny looking images of women on a daily basis. All you see when you turn on the TV or open a magazine is super skinny, trampy looking women around the arms of men. You hardly ever see average or "normal" looking people anymore. All you see is ridiculously skinny women. So, since that's all that girls are going to see, that's all that girls are going to think that men want. If you don't see an average looking woman in the arms of a man, you're eventually going to start to think that it's because men want something different. And, if you don't look like the skinny bitches in the Abercrombie ads, you're going to start to feel like men don't want you. Soon, you start starving yourself because you feel like you HAVE to look like the girls in the clothing ads if you are ever going to attract a man and, until you look like them, you're going to feel insecure and have a horrible self body image.

I, for one, have a hard time believing that that's not playing a part in the decline of self image in women (especially younger girls).

 

[amy1985]

I personally just thought the article was interesting and a conversation starter here, and agree with the "wait and see" attitude expressed at the end.

But I think Chef definitely has a point. I don't remember exactly when it happened, but at some stage during my teens I remember a lot more emphasis being put (in the media, in the shape of mannequins in shops, etc) on very very slender thighs. My thighs are where I carry my weight (and always have been- when I was 100kg, when I was 60kg, when I was a child, when I was a teenager, and everything in between), and all that exposure to thighs that seemed thinner than my upper arms, let alone any part of my legs, made me feel shit for a long time. Shittier than any other exposure I'd had to thin legs before, because it seemed to be everywhere. (I'm closer to coming to terms with it now- I still hate my thighs, but the shape of a dummy in a shop doesn't upset me anymore)

 

[Holly88]

Before I go on I want to reiterate that I agree that the media, which is very powerful, has some role to play. I had said this in my original post. HOWEVER, there are definitely things I don't agree with in what you've said chef...

If people weren't influenced by what they see, then why did millions of American girls go out and get "the Rachel" haircut when Friends was still on the air?

I think cutting your hair is slightly different to developing a life threatening disease that takes over your entire life.

Also, I find it a little sexist/demeaning that you have implied women develop eating disorders through a desire to be attractive to men.

And, if you don't look like the skinny bitches in the Abercrombie ads, you're going to start to feel like men don't want you. Soon, you start starving yourself because you feel like you HAVE to look like the girls in the clothing ads if you are ever going to attract a man...

In fact it's believed that some girls develop eating disorders as a result of wanting to become unattractive to men, often because they have been abused as a child.

I definitely think there's something in our culture that breeds an increased prevalence of eating disorders as opposed to cultures that celebrate a fuller figure, however I feel it trivializes an extremely serious condition if you try to attribute too much of the blame on models/media personalities etc. That is my final point as I don't like to debate too much. It's kinda pointless and doesn't really help anyone.

 

[ChefChiTown]

I think cutting your hair is slightly different to developing a life threatening disease that takes over your entire life.

Also, I find it a little sexist/demeaning that you have implied women develop eating disorders through a desire to be attractive to men.

First of all, I never implied that women develop eating disorders through a desire to be attractive to men. I stated that the media is influential. And, sometimes, the media influences women to think that they "have" to look a certain way in order to attract a man. It's impossible to argue otherwise.

And, if a woman is influenced to believe that they "have" to be a skinny minny in order to attract a man, there is nothing sexist about me saying that those women might start crash dieting or starving themselves in order to lose weight.

I mean, is it sexist for me to imply that women put on makeup, wear certain clothes, style their hair (etc) to attract men as well? It's life. People want to attract other people. Women want to make themselves look good to attract men and men want to make themselves look good to attract women. It's human nature. And, if the media is force feeding society an image that is made to be believed as being "perfect", then that's what people are going to shoot for - men and women alike.

So, I don't believe there is anything sexist about what I said. If you feel that way, I'm sorry - but I'm least sexist dude you will ever meet in your life.

Second of all, my reference to "the Rachel" was an example to point out that people are influenced by what they see. I wasn't implying that cutting your hair is the same as having an eating disorder. It would be ignorant for me, or anyone else, to even compare the two in that manner.

In fact it's believed that some girls develop eating disorders as a result of wanting to become unattractive to men, often because they have been abused as a child.

I definitely think there's something in our culture that breeds an increased prevalence of eating disorders as opposed to cultures that celebrate a fuller figure, however I feel it trivializes an extremely serious condition if you try to attribute too much of the blame on models/media personalities etc. That is my final point as I don't like to debate too much. It's kinda pointless and doesn't really help anyone.

Yes, there is more than one reason as to why people develop eating disorders. Just as there is more than one reason why people develop drug addiction, trust issues, suicidal habits, depression, etc. I will never argue against that.

And, I don't think it's trivializing to say that the media plays a big role in our lives. How we look, how we think, we how feel, how we act, how we look at ourselves, etc. Suicide is a serious issue, but I don't feel it would trivialize the severity of the problem to say that some people who commit suicide have been influenced by song lyrics or something they saw in a movie. Once again, it's life. It happens. And, it's part of the problem. Not ALL of it - but part of it. So, I don't feel as if it trivializes anything to discuss it.

 

[San2]

Personally, I don't get it.

If a person has a half way healthy ego, and no mental issues to start with, where would the thought of 'wanting to be like somebody else' come from?

I have been brought up to value my individuality. I never wanted to be anybody else, or look like anybody else. I never followed 'trends' at school, and yes, there was so called 'peer pressure' and bullying at my school. I was in a school full of rich kids, and my parents weren't rich. I never bothered with any of it though, I looked to the people who could actually think for themselves, and just ignored the rest. That's what my parents and my grandparents had brought me up like.

I think blaming celebrities for kids developing eating disorders and musicians for suicides is nothing but an attempt to pawn off responsibilities. I am sorry, but I do not believe that a mentally stable kid/teenager/adult will look at a picture of a model and think 'Oh, I like the way her bones stick out, I will starve myself from now on'. Neither do they listen to a song, think 'Oh those lyrics are sad' and slit their throats. No way.

I am convinced that the mental problems come first, and the fixation with a certain celeb/style etc. is just a manifestation of that.

There's a song which has a small part that very nicely encapsulates where the real problem lies.....

'When a dude's gettin' bullied and shoots up your school
And they blame it on Marilyn - and the heroin
Where were the parents at?'

The Marilyn in question was Marilyn Manson by the way.

 

[Holly88]

I am convinced that the mental problems come first, and the fixation with a certain celeb/style etc. is just a manifestation of that.

You've put it perfectly.

 

[Jeanette401]

I don't really 'get it' either, but... I don't know that I'm in the majority on that. If millions of people were getting their hair styled in 'The Rachel' does that mean they were all emotionally unbalanced?

Certainly I think it's true that advertiser decisions to airbrush and make models look even thinner than they already are doesn't exactly help with body image. And it's very clear that what kids see on TV influences their behavior. Adults... they should probably be adults. But with a 5 year old with a princess fetish, should you let her watch the Royal Wedding and think "That's what it means to be a Princess! That's what a Princess looks like!"

I don't have a five year old, and I haven't really seen anything about the wedding outside of advertisements, but I can see at least giving it some thought before watching it with your kids in the room.

I think that in this case it's hard to blame the media as much as society in general. The whole Lady Di thing I never really 'got' all of the interest in to begin with, but I think it's clear I wasn't in majority. Sadly, all of the attention the royal wedding is getting/has gotten seems to be more of a reflection on society right now, and that may be a bigger issue than whether or not Kate Middleton is 'unrealistically' thin...

Just my 2 cents anyway.

 

[ChefChiTown]

I think blaming celebrities for kids developing eating disorders and musicians for suicides is nothing but an attempt to pawn off responsibilities. I am sorry, but I do not believe that a mentally stable kid/teenager/adult will look at a picture of a model and think 'Oh, I like the way her bones stick out, I will starve myself from now on'. Neither do they listen to a song, think 'Oh those lyrics are sad' and slit their throats. No way.

Nobody is saying that the celebrities are 100% responsible for kids developing eating disorders or that musicians and their song lyrics are 100% responsible for a person committing suicide. Nobody is 100% responsible for any condition that leads to a person self-destructing; it's a shared responsibility that belongs to more than just one guilty party.

There's a song which has a small part that very nicely encapsulates where the real problem lies.....

'When a dude's gettin' bullied and shoots up your school
And they blame it on Marilyn - and the heroin
Where were the parents at?'

The Marilyn in question was Marilyn Manson by the way.

HAHAHA, wouldn't it be so much better if it was Marilyn Monroe?

"Mrs. Smith, little Johnny was caught stabbing little kittens in the alleyway with a spork he took from school. What do you have to say about this?"
"SIGH, that God damned Marilyn."
"Marilyn? You mean, Marilyn...Manson? The shock rocker who talks about death, violence and depression?"
"No, Marilyn Monroe."
"...the actress?"
"Yeeeeeah, he's got a poster of her on his wall. That bitch!!!"

I don't really 'get it' either, but... I don't know that I'm in the majority on that. If millions of people were getting their hair styled in 'The Rachel' does that mean they were all emotionally unbalanced?

No, it means that people are influenced by what they see.

 

[Jeanette401]

No, it means that people are influenced by what they see.

Kind of my point

Although I suppose it depends on your definition of mentally unbalanced! You know, like in So Long and Thanks for All the Fish where the guy builds the Asylum, which turns out to be the whole world except the acre or so he lives on.

 

[Monster2]

Here's another article that makes me want to hurl!

Why does the media somehow think the royal wedding is going to completely overhaul our lives and our perceptions of social traditions?
This is nonsense. I wish there was a war or natural disaster going on somewhere so these bored journalists had something real to write about. (just kidding, mostly)

 

[Dietoptimist]

I was preparing a long answer but as it seems most of my points have been covered already by other posters.

One thing that sums my thoughts up is that the royal wedding could be a factor or an "excuse" if I may say, for some people become anorexic but certainly not "the" cause for someone to become anorexic.