After reading the comment left by Yvonne, I began searching for these pro-anorexia and bulimia websites discussed in the comment. It did not take long to find pages and pages of websites containing ideas and tips on how to lose weight and how to keep it off. There are also forums on these websites, where those who suffer from bulimia and anorexia can exchange tips and experiences online, in order to help each-other lose weight. One website in particular had a very unhealthy attitude towards food, and gave ideas on how to associate food with something that makes you feel physically sick, by leaving a picture of something disgusting near the food you are about to eat, and to look at it whilst you are eating.
In a society with a mixture of those who suffer from anorexia or bulimia, and those who suffer from obesity, it is no longer an issue about the importance of keeping yourself fit and healthy; ironically it has become an obsession with food. People who suffer from eating disorders are controlled by food, even those who do not eat much; they are constantly concerned about the amount of calories they are consuming each day. Those who are suffering from obesity are also thinking about how much food they are consuming each day, and more often than not the majority of these people do not wish to eat as much as they do. They have an unhealthy relationship with food, and their love of food is fuelled by images and advertising through the media. Adverts on the television by businesses such as Pizza Hut, McDonalds and KFC promote unhealthy, fast food as a quick, easy and tasty way to get through the day, with adverts for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Pizza Hut have a deal in which you can buy a family meal and get cinema tickets free, so you can have a gluttonous evening bingeing on pizza and popcorn. It is not only unhealthy for us; it is unhealthy for our children.I also searched for websites supporting obesity, and could not find any at all. They were all websites on how to lose weight with a positive attitude, most of them created on behalf of the NHS.
I find it hard to understand why there are so many websites promoting bulimia and anorexia, eating disorders that are just as dangerous as being extremely overweight, yet there are none supporting those who wish to continue to be overweight. To support either side of the scales would be idiotic, as it poses serious health risks to the party involved. The heart is put under so much pressure when you are either very underweight or overweight. The Pro Ana Mia website merely brushes these health risks aside as unimportant in the quest to be thin. These websites are dangerous! Girls who are as young as twelve use them, and at this age they are extremely vulnerable to bowing to the pressures of our society, a society in which beauty is everything.
Sources used:
fran06 said
I totally agree, I believe that the new age of consumerism which is sadly decending on us at a higher pace every second has lead to individuals being pressurised into consuming media propaganda much more efficiently. The way the media can manipulate their mass audience effotlessly in contempoary Britain has become a scary but undeniable fact.
melkennedy said
I was really interested in the issue that you brought up about the severe lack of support websites for those who are overweight and found a very few little things like dating websites for ‘Chubby Chasers’ but what made me even sadder was why do these overweight people have to seek support online? It suggests that they are not receiving this support in their offline worlds which is even sadder and proves how far the media has turned us against the overweight!