"Don't Believe Everything You See"
             All across the country, people strive to have the perfect body and to be the perfect weight. These people get their ideas from the media, and because of the images they see everyday, they cause themselves harm because they think that they need to be just like the person in the picture. The media causes the public to obtain an eating disorder so that they can try to fit the ideal body image that they are subjected to in everyday life by means of television, magazines and even the internet.
             In many television advertisements, thin and "beautiful" models grace the screen and sell beauty products. In these commercials beauty is being equated with being thin and flawless. These ads portray women who have a weight that is well below average, and have no imperfections. It is almost impossible to attain this look however, the women watching these ads at home do not realize that. It is also almost impossible to avoid these advertisements, unless one was to commit themselves to a television free life.
             Ads like these are viewed during shows that are aimed towards teenagers and the younger audience. This is the age when women are most vulnerable to pick up an eating disorder, and these ads make it that much easier. Such shows include Beverly Hills 90210, Melrose Place and Dawson's Creek. Although eating disorders are more common in industrialized countries, the less developed parts of the world are becoming Westernized with the introduction of new technology that is available to the rest of the world (Etiology). A study was done in 1999 on the effects of television images on women's body ideals and self-esteem that demonstrated the unhealthful effects of the media. In 1995, the island of Fiji had no television. The people on the island had the ideal body set as round, soft and plump. After television was brought to the island, and the shows that were aimed towards American teens were shown,...