Report

Questionnaires and types of questions – I created a questionnaire about body image, which is linked to anorexia and I handed out 10 copies to my Peers. It
included an open question, a yes/no question and multiple choice questions.
They were all in the same age range and of the same race. Half of the
Respondents were Female and the other half were Male. The graph on the right
shows the results for question number 4. The most common answer was 8 on the
scale. Nine out of the ten Respondents answered “Yes” on question number 5.

On question 6, seven of the Respondents said that they felt that many Models
looked unrealistic because they were edited. Six out of the seven who mentioned
that they felt like many Models were edited mentioned the word “Photoshop”,
which is a common software sued to edit Bodies and this shows that they are
aware of how Models are edited.

In conclusion, most Respondent’s body confidence was over 5, which meant “Ok”
and the vast majority of them felt like many Models in advertisements appear
unrealistic due to them being edited.

World wide web (WWW) – According to the NHS, anorexia is an eating disorder where Someone thinks that they are overweight even though they are not.
Anorexia causes People to become underweight and they try to become as thin as they can. Both Males and Females can get anorexia, but it happens more often
with young Women and it usually starts when they are in their teenage years. Symptoms of anorexia include

Having a strangely low body mass index (BMI) Eating not very much Not eating Food seen as fattening

Periods stopping for Women who have not been through menopause yet Periods not starting for Girls

Feeling dizzy Hair loss Having dry Skin Taking Medication to stop feeling hungry
What causes anorexia is unknown, however, the chances of getting anorexia and other eating disorders will rise if

People have criticised you for your weight, eating habits or the shape of your Body You have been sexually assaulted

You have anxiety, low self-esteem, an obsessive personality You’re a Perfectionist Feel pressure from the job you are doing such as a Model or a Dancer

You or Someone in your Family has had a history of Drug addiction, depression or eating disorders

Anorexia doesn’t just affect the mind, it affects the Body as well. It can cause problems in the Bones and Muscles such as Osteoporosis and feelings of weakness
and tiredness can arise. It can also cause fertility problems and cause a lack of sex drive. It can cause health problems involved with the Heart and Blood Vessels
including Poor circulation, having a heartbeat that isn’t regular, low Blood pressure, Heart failure and Oedema (Swelling in Feet, Hands and/or Face). People
suffering from anorexia can recover, and this happens by getting psychological treatment. The most common types of therapy for People over 18 include cognitive
behavioural therapy (CBT), Maudsley Anorexia Nervosa Treatment for Adults (MANTRA) and specialist supportive clinical management (SSCM). Anorexia
Sufferers under 18 are offered Family therapy like CBT or adolescent-focused psychotherapy.

Books – I looked at two Books to find some information on anorexia. I chose a Book titled
“PSYCHOLOGY FOR AS LEVEL” by Michael W. Eysenck and Cara Flanagan. The other Book I used was
titled “PSYCHOLOGY: THE SCIENCE OF MIND AND BEHAVIOUR FIFTH EDITION” by Richard Gross. In
Gross’s Book, I found out that

▪ Anorexia “Has the highest mortality rate of any psychiatric disorder” and that 13% to 20% of anorexia
Sufferers die from the disorder
▪ Anorexia can cause depression and a lack of socialising
From Eysenck and Flanagan’s Book, I found out that

▪ “Over 90% of Patients with anorexia nervosa are Female”

▪ Studies have shown that genetics may play a role in the likelihood of having anorexia
▪ Studies have shown that anorexia may be caused by the levels of Serotonin
▪ The fear of becoming pregnant could cause anorexia as not eating can stop ovulation

Programme ratings – There have been TV programmes in the UK that discuss anorexia. One documentary
was called “Louis Theroux, Talking to Anorexia” that was shown on BBC TWO, and it shows real life Women with
anorexia and what their life is like living with the illness. Based off 125 IMDb Viewers, the TV programme got
7.6 out of 10 stars. Another example was a short TV series on BBC Three called “Overshadowed”, which is
about a Teenage Girl with anorexia. Based off 44 IMDb Viewers, the TV show got 7.5 out of 10 stars. An
episode of the channel 4 series “Dispatches” titled “Wasting Away: The Truth About Anorexia” discussed anorexia
and the negative effects it causes. A Columnist for The Guardian called the episode a “Heartfelt film” and Barney
Harsent of theartsdesk.com gave it 4 out of 5 stars.

Response to advertising campaigns – A Writer named Hadley Freeman for The Guardian noticed that The Daily Mail had written an article on anorexia but
not far away from that article was another article discussing which Female Celebrity has the best “Bikini Body”. She also pointed out that both The Daily Mail and
The Sun blamed “Pictures in Magazines” in both their articles about anorexia. She concluded that the media is not to blame for eating disorders, although she
strongly dislikes the way how Women’s bodies are judged in the media.

Gender demographics – About 0.9% of Women in America will get anorexia and 11% of British Males suffer from an eating disorder. 19 out of 100,000 Men
suffer from anorexia nervosa.
Age demographics – According to the NHS, 6.4% of Adults in the UK suffered from anorexia in 2007. Around 1 to 5% of Female Adolescents and young Female
Adults suffer from anorexia. The average age when anorexia starts is 17.

Advertising effectiveness – Advertisements related to beauty have been found to affect how Men and Women view their
Bodies. Teen People Magazine found out that 27% of Girls feel like the media tells them they need to have a perfect Body. A
study by American Academy of Paediatrics in 2000 found that 69% of Girls said that what they view as the perfect Body is
influenced by Models in Magazines. A sample of Graduate and Undergraduate Students at Stanford were asked how they felt
about how they looked after viewing Women's Magazines and 68% of People in that sample said they felt worse about the
way they looked after viewing Women's Magazines.

These effects have also caused Women and Girls to lose weight as a study found that 47% of Girls losing weight said they
were doing so because images in Magazines was a reason. However, 29% of the Girls asked in the study were overweight. A
study was done where Women who had previously had eating disorders viewed advertisements with both average sized
Models and very thin Models. The advertisements with the very thin Models did not cause the Women to have more anxiety
but after looking at the average sized Models, the Women felt relieved and their anxiety decreased.

Discussion – I had a discussion with two other People about anorexia. The People I talked to said that they feel like if Someone doesn’t have much control in
their life, they might try and control their diet a lot. I feel like low self-esteem could be a cause for anorexia because for example, they could have been insulted
because of their Body and this can lead to low self-esteem. If they were only insulted once then this probably wouldn’t cause them to have a distorted view of their
Body but if it has been happening for a long time, especially if it started when they were younger then this would most likely cause them to have a distorted view
of their Body. If exercising becomes obsessive, then it could lead Someone to feel like they need to lose weight when it is unnecessary. We all agree that anorexia
is dangerous because it can lead to big health problems and sometimes even death. We feel like treatment needs to start early on by outside intervention as the
Person with anorexia would refuse help. We also feel like there is not enough treatment services to access.

By Annie Magner.