(Editor's note: The name of the woman recovering from anorexia nervosa has been changed to Carrie.)
With glossy images of famous faces on countless magazines, television programs and movies, one is bombarded with of beauty and perfection.
Marilyn Massey-Stokes, associate professor of health, exercise and sport sciences, said media representations of celebrities and models may influence susceptible adolescents, causing them to strive to achieve a certain body image.
Many young boys and girls become anorexic to get their coveted body shape, Massey-Stokes said.
"Media is a strong contributing factor in eating disorders, with regard to body image," she said. "Media also ties in with unrealistic expectations we have regarding body image," she said.
Some people are not aware that many magazine pictures are retouched and airbrushed, Massey-Stokes said.
"I had a young lady sitting in my health class who had never heard that models' pictures are airbrushed," she said. "If she didn't know this, I know that 11- and 12-year-old girls are looking at these pictures thinking, 'This is real,' and they've got to understand that (the images) are not real," Massey-Stokes said.
Children must understand that they need to eat well and be physically active for their own well-being, not so they can be a certain size or body shape, she said.
"Kids need to be aware that media play upon weaknesses," Massey-Stokes said. "I think teaching kids about the media and helping them develop media literacy can make a difference in a variety of behaviors, including anorexia," she said.
It is imperative for children to be media literate, Massey-Stokes said.
"They need to know magazines are not real, and they don't have to be like that," she said. "We all come in different body shapes and sizes," Massey-Stokes said.
What is most important, Massey-Stokes said, is teaching people to love and be comfortable with who they are and what their body size is.
Massey-Stokes said she is aware of Web sites that instruct people on quite the opposite - how to be anorexic.
"I do not like those Web sites, and I think they are dangerous," she said. "To learn how to engage in anorexic or bulimic behavior is fuel to the fire, so to speak," Massey-Stokes said.
Information found on such Web sites can add to an already negative body image, she said.
Media influence is presenting unrealistic images to girls who are feeling vulnerable anyway, Massey-Stokes said.
"You shouldn't try to mold yourself into some preconceived notion of what is beautiful," she said. "It's a no win situation," Massey-Stokes said.
Jimmie Reeves, professor of visual communications, said he has no doubt there is a link between eating disorders and images in the media.
"(Anorexia) has almost become a sort of epidemic among young women," he said. "The image of beauty that is circulated now in advertising, particularly in women's brand name clothing, is virtually unattainable by most women," Reeves said.
While there are young men with eating disorders, he said men are not exposed to the same pressures women face.
For a woman to be valued, she must be concerned with her appearance, Reeves said.
"If you're a woman, looks are everything, and once those go, your worth is gone," Reeves said.
The ideas that good looks are the only things that attract men to women, but not vise versa seem to be emphasizd in society, Reeves said.
"Men can be charming and witty, but they do not have to be good-looking to have currency in a sort of sexual commerce -- it's a classic notion of a double standard," he said.
While media literacy regarding body image is valuable to children, Massey-Stokes said children also need to be aware of the characteristics of eating disorders.
According to the National Eating Disorders Association Web site, anorexia nervosa has four primary symptoms, which are: resistance to maintain body weight normal for height and age, intense fear of gaining weight, denial of seriousness of low body weight and loss of menstrual periods in girls.
Possible health consequences are severe dehydration, muscle loss and weakness, reduction of bone density and hair loss.
Carrie, a Texas Tech graduate who suffers from anorexia, said she experienced similar health problems as a result.
"I went four years without a period, and so I suffered a bit of bone damage due to the lack of calcium," she said. "I messed up my back and joints due to my over-exercising and also developed asthma as a result," she said.
Carrie said she would tell anyone with an eating disorder to seek professional help.
"I tried to fix myself," she said, "but I wouldn't recommend this to anyone."
For more information about eating disorders or how to approach someone with an eating disorder, call the Center for the Study of Addiction at (806) 742-2891.
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