It has been scientifically stated and believed by many that we, as Americans have a strong and potent fear of being or becoming overweight. There are, in fact, numerous people today who are obsessively worrying about their weight or size, therefore causing them to go on diets, and various other weight loss regimens in hope to seek relief of either losing weight or preventing it. What many people fail to realize is the fact that such weight consciousness tends to strongly effect American society, weight loss industries, and multi-million dollar businesses. There are many
reasons which could perhaps be attributed to this fact, all of which revolve around weight loss and obesophobis`, which is known as excessively or irrationally fearful of being obese or fat. When you think about weight loss in American society, you almost always cannot help but to think about the tremendous effect that the media has individuals and their specific diets. There are, of course, two sides to every story and this belief is strongly evident in the case of media and weight. On one hand, or from one person’s perspective, the media can have a drastic, negative effect on American society.
With the constant advertising of fast foods and unhealthy ways of living that are ever so present the further into the future we delve, it is perhaps obvious to many people that the media is strongly enforcing the wrong message when it comes to what types of foods should make up an individual’s diet. There are always numerous displays for burgers and fries on billboards. You constantly hear how delicious a particularly fattening item on a menu is broad casted on the radio. And, what about those commercials that show you a certain type of food that may not be exactly the correct choice for
a healthy lunch? Of course, that is only thinking from one person’s perspective. From another point of view, the media can be said to have somewhat of a positive influence on the type of food that people eat. Their are now restaurants and even fast food chains which offer salads and low-carbohydrate meals for individuals who prefer to eat on the healthier side. With so much controversy over how much impact the media has over the media, the dyer need for such additions to be made to fast food services and restaurants has become strongly evident amongst managers of such places.
Regardless of whether or not media may have any effect, it is still strongly evident that weight consciousness in America has gotten out of control. Whether people are becoming far too obese, which has been stated as an increasingly serious problem amongst Americans, or they are becoming too skinny, which is also a severe health concern, both of these things are persistent and growing problems that the world is facing today. There are many health concerns that can be derived from being too much overweight. While you should be aware that you do not have to look like a super model, one should not consume too
many calories or grams of fat for their own body. Over consumption of food can lead to obesity, heart or cardiac problems, high blood pressure, and diabetes. Thus, leading to a shorter life span. Not eating enough can also result in serious health concerns including eating disorders known as anorexia and bulimia. It can also lead to kidney problems as well as many other medial problems. Therefore, neither worrying about weighing too much or worrying about weighing too little are healthy ways of living you’re life. Anorexia nervosa is actually a psychiatric diagnosis that is ever so often derived from weight consciousness.
It is an eating disorder characterized by low body weight and body image. With anorexia, there is an obsessive fear of being or becoming fat. This type of weight consciousness can actually be fatal. Like a lot of eating disorders, anorexia nervosa is a debilitating disorder that does much harm to the human body. People who have such disorders often continue to lose weight by performing strenuous and lengthy workouts, starving themselves, or purging themselves. A person with anorexia can weigh less than 80 pounds and still feel like they are fat. Another eating disorder that can be strongly derived from weight consciousness is bulimia.
Bulimia is the result of overeating and then a strong sense of guilt and regret which then urges the person to purge themselves, or force themselves to throw up. By doing so, they are eating food but not having to digest it. Many people who are bulimic suffer severe health problems including damage to the esophagus. This is caused by the constant flow of stomach acid from the stomach out of the mouth. A person who is constantly weight conscious and chooses not to eat can eventually have serious health issues associated with starving themselves. Whereas, a person who is not at all weight conscious
may suffer further down the line in life with health problems associated with eating too much. It is possible to maintain a healthy diet by simply eating the correct amounts and servings of foods and by exercising. In conclusion, there is a quite a lot of weight consciousness going on in American society. Various reasons could be attributed to this fact, whether it be because of the media or not. Nevertheless, excessive weight loss and weight gain is a serious and growing health problem in the United States. It continues to grow and drastically effect the lives of millions of people today.