Michelle Schraudner
Life Editor
Many celebrity gossip sites display headlines like, “Christina Aguilera Shows Off Amazing Bod in New Music Video,” or “Kate Debuts Post-Baby Body.” In a culture where eating disorders run rampant, telling women that wearing a bikini is the same as flaunting their body could be seen as both untrue and dangerous.
“The media really creates its own definition of beauty,” said ISU dietetics intern Colleen Webb. “It’s really sad. It’s really a shame to see young people sacrifice their health, their physical and their emotional health, and their happiness in order to chase this unattainable ideal of beauty.”
These headlines from UsMagazine.com and People.com, respectively, state that women are flaunting their bodies. Rather than implying that the women are intentionally parading their bodies around, the gossip sites present the information as though it were fact.
Many women will agree that shopping for a swimsuit is a singularly esteem-crushing experience. Yet by glancing at a grocery store newsstand, they are told that wearing a bathing suit will inherently earn them the gazes and scrutiny of anyone.
Nearly 20 percent of college students have eating disorders, according to a 2006 survey by the National Eating Disorders Association. “US Weekly’s” Reader Profile webpage says 19 percent of its readers are females aged 18-24 years old, or college-aged.
Idaho State University has developed resources to help students with eating disorders and low self-esteem.
“Food has always been very closely tied to our emotions. Food is always going to win, it’s physiological,” Webb said.
ISU’s Wellness Center offers nutrition counseling for students. Students concerned about their physical health can also participate in the Wellness Center’s free fitness assessment.
The university also has free mental health therapy in the form of individual, couple or group counseling.
At the Janet C. Anderson Gender Resource Center, students can check out books on surviving eating disorders in college. Titles like “The Hungry Self” are readily available for perusal.
“Our relationship should be positive. It should be happy and fun and comfortable,” said Webb. “When you start putting all these restrictions on yourself, telling yourself that you’re not good enough, then it just becomes this negative relationship and it’s just this constant fight with food.”
Gossip magazines may have a serious impact on the development of eating disorders.
