Beauty Of Body Essay, Research Paper
The definition of beauty as found in "Websters New World Dictionary"
is, "Beauty- 1. the quality of being pleasing, as in form, color, etc. 2.a
thing with this quality. 3. good looks. 4. a very attractive person, feautre,
etc." The concepts of beauty were first described by the anicient greeks.
The classical values pushed order and serenity. Greek philosphers Plato and
Socrates were attempting to define beauty. They thought of objects or nature as
being inherently beautiful: beauty is inside the object, "The beauty within
an object is it’s pure and ideal beauty". In our present time beauty no
longer resides inside. It in completely outlying. The road to become beauty is a
long, hard and most importantly thin road. Being thin is the biggest emphasis on
people today. In earlier times thin was not that in. Fuller figured women were
the ideal picture of gorgeous. Now you have to be a twig to be comsidered
beautiful. Society keeps pushing the emphasis on being thin. Through magazines,
ads to lose weight, hundreds of diets and phone numbers to aide in this fight
against fat. They are being nothing but deleterious. Also in the magazines the
skinny models who are the picture of perfect in their glamorous clothes and
makeup. The tall thin legs and high cheek bones. Television is also a major
contributer to this obsession people have today with losing weight. Turn on the
television and what is seen? Youthful boney models and actors running around in
barely anything to sell a can of soup. A Jenny Craig commercial to remind poeple
of what a minority they are and how they must strive and pay her money so they
can be perfect just like everyone else. Even driving, wheter it be to work or a
trip to the mall. Giant bilboards are a constant reminder of whats beautiful and
whats not. It’s a sick obsession and is taken way too seriously. To the point of
death even. People feeling corpulent and are dying to be thin, literally. It all
beings with youth. Adolesence is the most vulnerable point in anyones life. This
is where it all starts. Being a teenager is not easy and there are many
pressures that they face daily. The feeling of being anomalous.Eating disorders
can be very much about control, so if they feel like everything around them is
out of control, they may develop one to gain a sense of control. It is important
for families to raise the teenager to be proud of who they are and not place any
importance on their appearance. Fellow students at school are also part of the
prolbem. One child has a faster motabolism than another. One is comstantly
reminded how much lower than he or she is just because they aren’t as thin as
some one else. Teens need to be able to express all types of emotions. They
should be encouraged to do their best, but they should not be expected to be
perfect. They need to be encouraged to be themselves and to be proud of who they
are, so that they will not give into the pressures from their peers to try and
fit in. If they are happy with themselves and love who they are, they will be
less likely to try and attain society’s unattainable "ideal" body
image, because they will accept their bodies just the way they are. For men,
they want to be the big muscled, winsome male that is persued in just about
every commercial. Women wany the skinny model look. The truth of the matter is a
mojority of people will never be what the ideal image of beauty is. They are not
a monirity as they are led to believe. All the talk, advertisments and
televisions repitition of this matter lead people to feel beneath others, it
gives them a low self esteem and leaves them vulnerable. When this happens,
eating disorders develop. People think that eating disorders are bizare and out
of the ordianry in actuality there quite common. What by definition is an eating
disorder? An eating disorder is defined as eating for the wrong reason. Not
because of hunger and feeding a body. It’s eating out of anxiety, depression or
just because. Patients are usually surrectitious about the disorder. not wanting
a lot of attention. The most well-known eating disorders are anorexia nervosa
and bulimia nervosa.Those affected are mostly young women and girls. People with
these eating disorders often have a psychological profile of low self-esteem and
feelings of helplessness. They tend to blame their problems on their weight and
consequently develop an overwhelming drive to lose weight. Eating disorders are
devastating behavioral maladies brought on by a complex interplay of factors,
which may include emotional and personality disorders, family pressures, and
aculture in which there is anoverabundance of food and anobsession with
thinness. Eating disorders are generally categorized as bulimia nervosa,
anorexia nervosa, and eating disorders not otherwise specified. These are not
new disorders. Although anorexia nervosa was first defined as a medical problem
in 1873, descriptions of self-starvation have been found in medieval writings.
Anexoria nervosa is the disorder in which self starvation takes place. With this
disorder at least fifteen percent to as much as sixty percent of the normal body
weight is lost. Anorexia nervosa is the third most common chronic illness in
adolescent women, and is estimated to occur in 0.5 percent to three percent of
all teenagers. Anorexia usually occurs in adolescence. However, over the past
forty years, while ,the incidence has been stable in teenagers it has increased
in young adult women. There are many effects that come with anexoria. In women,
menstrual periods stop. In men levels of sex hormones fall. Young girls do not
begin to menstruate at the appropriate age. Person denies the dangers of low
weight and is terrified of becoming fat. They are terrified of gaining weight
even though she or he is markedly underweight. Reports feeling fat even when
very thin. In addition to the above, anorexia nervosa often includes a feeling
of being disconsolate, irritability, withdrawal, and peculiar behaviors such as
compulsive rituals, strange eating habits, and division of foods into
"good/safe" and "bad/dangerous" categories. Most studies of
individuals with eating disorders have been conducted using white middle-class
females. There is some indication, however, that African American girls and
young women may be at particular risk for eating disorders because of poor body
images caused by cultural attitudes that denigrate the physical characteristics
of minorities. Living in economically developed nations on any continent appears
to pose more of a risk for eating disorders than belonging to a particular
ethnic group; symptoms remain strikingly similar across high-risk countries.
Oddly enough, within developed countries there appears to be no difference in
risk between the rich and the poor. Bulimia nervosa is the diet-binge-purge
disorder. Bulimia, which is morecommon than anorexia, is characterized by cycles
of bingeing and purging. Bulimia nervosa usually begins early in adolescence
when young women attempt restrictive diets, fail, and react by binge eating. In
response to the binges, patients purge by vomiting or by taking laxatives, diet
pills, or drugs to reduce fluids. Patients may also revert to severe dieting,
which cycles back to bingeing if the patient does not go on to become anorexic.
Eating binges prior to purging average about 1,000 calories, but intake during a
binge can be as high as 20,000 or as low as 100 calories. Patients diagnosed
with bulimia average about 14 episodes of binge-purging per week. People with
bulimia that does not progress to anorexia have a normal to high-normal body
weight, but it may fluctuate by more than 10 pounds because of the binge-purge
cycle. The person who binge eats feels out of control while eating.They vomit,
misuse laxatives, exercise, or fasts to get rid of the calories. He or she diets
when not bingeing, becomes hungry and binges again. Bulimics believe self-worth
requires being thin. May shoplift, be promiscuous, and abuse alcohol, drugs, and
credit cards. their weight may be normal or near normal unless anorexia is also
present. Like anorexia, bulimia can kill. Even though bulimics put up a cheerful
front and seem very elan, they are often depressed, lonely, ashamed, and empty
inside. Friends may describe them as competent and fun to be with, but
underneath, where they hide their guilty secrets, they are hurting. Feeling
unworthy, they have great difficulty talking about their feelings, which almost
always include anxiety, depression, self-doubt, and deeply buried anger. Eating
disorders not otherwise specified (NOS) is a third category NOS was established
to define eating disorders not specifically defined as anorexia and bulimia.
This category includes binge eating without purging, infrequent binge-purge
episodes (occurring less than twice a week or such behavior lasting less than
three months), repeated chewing and spitting without swallowing large amounts of
food, or normal weight in people who exhibit anorexic behavior. The effects of
eating disorders are not just mental. Severe phsyical effects take place and
slowly lead to death. Some of the many disorders are malnutrition, it is caused
by undereating or overeating. The word malnutrition indicates deficiency for
energy, protein and micronutrients (e.g. vitamin A, iodine and iron) either
singularly or in combination. It can cause severe health risks including, but
not limited to, respiratory infections, kidney failure, blindness, heart attack
and death. Dehydration is caused by the depletion or lack of intake of fluids in
the body. Eating disorders most common symptoms include dizziness, weakness, or
darkening of urine. Electrolyte Imbalances, electrolytes are essential to the
production of the body’s "natural electicity" that ensures healthy
teeth, joints and bones, nerve and muscle impulses, kidneys and heart, blood
sugar levels and the delivery of oxygen to the cells. Lanugo (soft downy hair on
face, back and arms). This is caused due to a protective mechanism built in to
the body to help keep a person warm during periods of starvation and
malnutrition, and the hormonal imbalances that result. Edema is the swelling of
the soft tissues as a result of excess water accumulation. It is most common in
the legs and feet of compulsive overeaters and in the abdominal area of
anorexics and Bulimics it can also be caused by laxative and diuretic use.
Muscle Atrophy is the wasting away of muscle and decrease in muscle mass due to
the body feeding off of itself. Impaired Neuromuscular function is due to
vitamin and mineral deficiencies (specifically potassium), and malnutrition. CAn
also suffer from insomnia which is having problems falling and/or staying
asleep. Another symptom is chronic fatigue syndrome it’s the continuous and
crippling fatigue related to a weakened immune system. Hyperactivity, manic
boughts of not being able to sit still. Swelling in the face and cheeks
(following self-induced vomitting). Callused or bruised fingers, this is caused
by repeated using the fingers to induce vomitting. Tearing of the esophagus is
also caused by self-induced vomitting. a tear of the gastroesophageal junction
can occur. Spontaneous stomach erosion, perforation or rupture. Acid reflux
disorders, partially digested items in the stomach, mixed with acid and enzymes,
regurgitates back into the esophagus. This can lead to damage to the esophagus,
larynx and lungs and increases the chances of developing cancer of the esophagus
and voice box. Reflux can sometimes become severe enough that food cannot be
kept down at all.Cancer of theesophagus, throat and voice box (Larynx) due to
acid reflux disorders. Dry skin and hair, brittle hair and nails, hair loss all
these are caused by vitamin and mineral deficiencies, low blood pressure,
hypotension (more common in those with Anorexia and/or Bulimia) caused by
lowered body temperature. Can cause heart arrythmias, shock or myocardial
infarction. Hypotension – sudden drop in blood pressure upon sitting up or
standing. Symptoms include dizziness, blurred vision, passing out, heart
pounding and headaches. Hypertension (more common in those with Compulsive
Overeating and/or Binge Eating Disorder) elevated blood pressure exceeding 140
over 90. Can cause: blood vessle changes in the back of the eye creating vision
impairement; abnormal thickening of the heart muscle, kidney failure, and brain
damage. Low platelet count or thrombocytopenia is caused by low levels of
vitamin B12. Disruptions in Blood Sugar Levels – Low Blood Sugar/Hypoglycemia
can indicate problems with the liver or kidneys and can lead to neurological and
mental deterioration. Diabetes can also produce high blood sugar as a result of
low production of insulin. This can be caused by hormonal imbalances,
hyperglycemia, or chronic pancreatitis. Iron Deficiency, Anemia, this makes the
oxygen transporting units within the blood useless and can lead to fatigue,
shortness of breath, increased infections, and heart palpitations. Kidney
infection and failure – your kidneys "clean" the poisons from your
body, regulate acid concentration and maintain water balance. Thinning of the
bones, which is known as Osteoporosis, with reduction in bone mass due to
depletion of calcium and bone protein, predisposing to fractures.Osteopenia is
having below normal bone mass indicating a calcium and/or vitamin D deficiency
and leading to Osteoporosis. Hormone imbalance or deficiencies associated with
the loss of the menstrual cycle can also increase your risks of Osteoporosis and
Osteopenia. Amenorrhea, the loss of menstrual cycle (due to lack of secreting
hormone, Oestrogen, by the ovaries). Easily bruising skin due to vitamin
deficiencies that decrease the body’s ability to heal itself, low blood pressure
and extreme weight loss will all lead to easily bruised skin that can take a
long time to heal. Dental problems, decalcification of teeth, erosion of tooth
enamel, severe decay, gum disease will be caused by stomach acids and enzymes
from vomitting. Can also be due to the lack of exercise the teeth can get from
the process of eating certain foods. There are many factors associated with
having an eating disorder that can lead to heart problems or a heart attack.
Sudden cardiac arrest can cause permanent damage to the heart, or instant death.
The many different personalities that go along with the different types of
eating disorders vary. Personality disorders linked to eating disorders are
specific personality disorders. There is an avoidant personality in anorexia and
a borderline personality in bulimia narcissism is found in both. It should be
noted that all these traits may be found in either eating disorder. One study
indicated that women with both eating disorders tended to be less optimistic, to
worry more, and to deny negative issues when solving problems than were women
without eating disorders. In general, women with eating disorders had a much
more difficult time dealing with stress than other women. Studies indicate that
as many as a third of anorexia restrictors have avoidant personalities, they
tend to be perfectionists and are emotionally and sexually inhibited. They also
often have less of a fantasy life than people with bulimia or without eating
disorders. They rarely rebel and are usually perceived as always being
"good". They are terrified of being ridiculed and feeling humiliated.
Achieving perfection, with all that involves, is the only way to achieve love,
this means becoming trouble-free and demanding nothing (including food). Part of
this need for perfection is an ideal image of thinness that can never be
achieved. People with anorexia are extremely sensitive to failure, and any
criticism, no matter how slight, reinforces their own belief that they are
"no good". Because love is never obtained through attempts to be
perfect, a sense of failure is inevitable. patients are described as having a
total lack of self. Studies indicate that almost fourty percent of people who
have bulimia were borderline personalities. Such people tend to have unstable
moods, thought patterns, behavior, and self-images. They cannot stand to be
alone, they demand constant attention, and they have difficulty controlling
impulsive behavior. People with borderline personalities have been described as
causing chaos around them by using emotional weapons such as temper tantrums,
suicide threats, and hypochondria. They idealize people and are often
disappointed and rejected. Some research has suggested that the severity of this
personality disorder predicts difficulty in treating bulimia and might be more
important than the presence of psychological problems, such as
depression.Studies have also found that people with bulimia have a high rate of
narcissism, a personality disorder marked by an inability to soothe oneself or
to empathize with others, by a need for admiration, and by hypersensitivity to
criticism or defeat. Even the people who are already considered very attractive
have prolbems. Strongly competitive athletes are often perfectionists, a trait
common among people with eating disorders. Women in "appearance"
sports, including gymnastics and figure skating, and in endurance sports, such
as track and cross-country are at particular risk for anorexia. Success in
ballet also depends on the development of a wiry and extremely slim body.
Estimates for episodes of eating disorders among such athletes and performers
range from fifteen to sixty percent. Male wrestlers and light-weight rowers are
also at risk forexcessive dieting. One-third of high school wrestlers use a
method called weight-cutting for rapid weight loss; this process involves food
restriction and fluid depletion using steam rooms, saunas, laxatives, and
diuretics. Although male athletes are more apt to resume normal eating patterns
once competition ends, studies are showing that the body fat levels of many
wrestlers are still well below their peers during off-season and are often as
low as three percentr during wrestling season. One study of girls without eating
disorders reported that before puberty, girls ate quantities of food appropriate
to their body weight, were satisfied with their bodies, and depression increased
with lower food intake. After puberty, girls ate about three-quarters of the
recommended calorie intake, had a poorer body self-image, and depression
increased with higher food intake. New research suggests that girls as young as
ten years old associate being teased or socially victimized by peers with being
ugly or fat regardless of their actual physical characteristics. Such poor body
images can often lead to eating disorders. It is not surprising, then, that
there is a greater risk for bulimia and other emotional disorders in girls who
undergo early puberty, when the pressures experienced by all adolescents are
intensified further by anxiety-provoking attention on their early changing
bodies. Models and sports athlete being adulationed, making people feel worse
about themselves and more vulernable. Our society today has gone astray from the
thinking of Socrates and Plato. Beauty is only skin deep, and pernicious steps
are being taken to achive this. The majority youth. Teens and children are being
taught that beauty is all and thin is beauty. They are develpoing ailments that
are harmful and eventually fatal.