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Lauren Plog
Prof. Marshall
English 101
November 25th, 2014
Social Medias Effect on Eating Disorders
Social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr, etc.) use has increased since 2000 (Smith).
Since then, the number of people hospitalized for eating disorders has also increased. This paper
deconstructed major trends in social media in connection to unhealthy body image and eating
disorders. It was found that social media trends such as Thispiration, Fitspiration, and cyberbullying all had direct impacts on body image and self-love which are known to be at the root of
eating disorders. There was a correlation between the usage of social media and the rise in eating
disorders in the U.S., but further studies should be conducted to prove causation.
In todays society, social media plays a much more significant role in our everyday life
compared to the role it played in years past. As a teen in college, it is rare that I come by a peer
who does not have a Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram. Everywhere I go, I see people checking
forms of social media. Just as social media has become more prevalent, the number of
individuals with an eating disorder has rapidly grown over the past few decades. Many blame the
mass amount of social media that is incorporated into our lives for the increase in eating
disorders. In this essay, I will analyze facts concerning eating disorders and social media to
answer the following question: To what extent can society blame certain social media accounts
and cyber bullying on social media for the increasing rate of individuals suffering from an eating
disorder?
Social medias changing role in our lives is a very obvious one; it is a part of almost
everyones everyday life. In contrast, the change in eating disorders is a much quieter change. To
provide you with some insight on the situation, I will provide you with some facts and statistics.

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From 1999 to 2006, the hospitalization rate for eating disorders increased by 18 %.(A) This
statistic can be correlated to the dates when Myspace and Facebook first started. Today, there are
approximately 24 million people in the United States who suffer from eating disorders meaning
that nearly half of all Americans know of someone with an eating disorder. (A) This number
proves how eating disorders are becoming more and more of a problem. There are several
different types of eating disorders, but there are three that are the most common: Anorexia
nervosa- a pattern of self-starvation, Bulimia nervosa-the pattern of bingeing and purging, and
Binge eating- defined as overeating commonly leading to obesity. (Simon) Each type of eating
disorder is harmful in its own way.
One of the biggest arguments against social media is that is showcases unrealistic body
types, leading both men and women towards a more negative body image. Which can, in turn,
manifest itself into an eating disorder. There are thousands of women involved in a cybercommunity that share pictures of unhealthily skinny women with eating disorders called
thinspiration. In attempt to motivate women to attain an extreme level of thinness, women
share stories, thoughts, and photographs-often with sayings such as be the skinny friends or
Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels. These sayings can have a harmful effect on ones body
image and feelings of self-worth. In Stuart Greenes essay, Argument as Conversation: The
Role of Inquiry in Writing a Researched Argument he states that writers want you to think and
feel in a certain way. (Greene 82) Thinspo participants are writers in the sense that they when
post on these sites, they want to leave their viewers thinking that these women are who they
should look like, and leaving their viewers motivated to change their habits in order to attain this
ideal body type. Creators of these social media accounts also encourage women who are
devastatingly thin to keep up with their unhealthy habits in order to maintain this arbitrary

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standard of beauty. One way they do this is by idolizing certain people and expressing their
attraction and or jealousy towards them.
One could argue that even though there are numerous social media accounts encouraging
women to possess an unhealthy lifestyle, there are also plenty of accounts that promote a healthy
lifestyle and body image. For example, Fitspiration accounts encourage a healthy balanced diet
as well as regular exercise- seemingly innocent. Within these post that seem harmless there are
unfortunately some messages that could be potentially dangerous. For example, It is okay if you
arent perfect but you should at least try to look like the women in these photos, health is about
how your body looks, and Men will like you more if you look like these women are some
messages that can come from these posts. The pictures that these accounts post are mainly of
womens thin, tanned, oiled bodies with no heads. Their bodies are often photo shopped in order
to look flawless- making it extremely hard for women to actually attain these types of bodies.
These unrealistic pictures can potentially create dissatisfaction for many womens body images.
These accounts also put a strong emphasis on weight loss. They frequently post tips to
lose body fat and a healthy amount of body fat is necessary for both the body and brain to
function. Charlotte Hilton Anderson, author of The Great Fitness Experiment writes that
Fitspo may be Thinspo in a sports bra. (BR) There are thousands of Thinspo accounts that post
pictures of incredibly frail females in hope that it will inspire other women to take drastic
measures in order to look like the women in these photos. Fitsporation has the same objectivemotivate women to try to attain these almost impossible bodies by constantly sending out the
message that they are not perfect yet and that it is okay but this is the only attractive body type.
Again, these types of social media accounts put pressure on women to achieve a certain
appearance. Getting fit is one thing, but aspiring to look like someone else and not loving ones

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body is something else entirely- fitspiration lacks the encouragement to love ones body, but
instead to change it to an ideal body that is again, unhealthy.
Another reason as to why the increase in social media use and increased prevalence of
eating disorders could be linked is the issue of cyber-bullying. With social media, cyber-bullying
is becoming ubiquitous. It allows for users to attack others with little-to no consequences.
The comments often negatively pinpoint ones appearance or body. Andrew Sullivan, a blogger
for the New York Times writes in his essay Why I Blog that the feedback was instant,
personal, and brutal (Sullivan 134) about comments that were left on his blog from readers.
Social media makes it very easy for anyone to voice their opinion and often times, the comments
are often unpleasant and unnecessary. The same type of feedback is easily, and unfortunately,
often left on many peoples social media accounts.
Before social media, these comments would have had to be said to someone in person;
now people hide behind their computer and phones screens when they make these comments
giving them a false sense of confidence. Social media allows bullies to remain anonymous. This
leads to an increase of negative comments made towards others.
When analyzing statistics, a correlation between cyber bullying and eating disorders can
be seen. A survey done by Beat, a UK based non-profit organization showed that cyber-bullying
was a primary cause in 75% of eating disorders. This increased by 67% since their last survey in
2010. (The Bella Vita) After four years of high school, I have seen cyber-bullying occur
countless times- at least weekly. I also saw the effects it had. I watched cyber bullying induce
anxiety, depression, and sometimes poor body image on my friends, peers, and myself.

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I encountered a time where I was cyber-bullied my freshman year of high school. An

older girl was mad that my parents would not hold the homecoming after party at my house and
voiced her anger in a very hurtful, inappropriate way on Facebook. In this instance,
social media enabled her to be hurtful without having to say it to my face. I remember being
devastated because all I wanted was to be liked. I went through a period where I was very sad
and self-conscious. Experiencing cyber-bullying as well as witnessing it has made it very easy to
see how people often blame the rise in eating disorders on social media.
Bullying has been around for quite some time, and its effects are well known, so why is
cyber bullying linked to the increase in eating disorders? With more ways to bully others behind
closed doors thanks to social media, the comments have increased both in quantity and in
crudeness. The ability to hide behind a username has made it not as scary to make negative
comments on someones appearance. The multiple authors of Transliteracy: Crossing Divides
state that transliteracy is not a new behavior but has only been identified as a working concept
since the Internet generated new ways of thinking about human communication.(CITE) This
idea can be applied to cyber bullying as well. Social media has enabled cyber bullying to occur
as a new form of bullying.
Even though it may seem clear that many eating disorders are caused by social media,
there are some outstanding circumstances when it comes to those who suffer from one. Often
times, people who have an eating disorder also have other outstanding psychological issues that
they face as well. These issues are often the cause of the eating disorder. For example, those who
suffer from Anorexia also have extreme anxiety or depression. (Simon) This leads to the idea
that people are predestines in some sense to develop and eating disorder at some point in their
lives, leaving no room to blame anything other than their biological makeup for their disorder.

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Also, people with genetic factors that predispose them to anxiety, perfectionism, and obsessivecompulsive disorder are much more vulnerable to develop an eating disorder. (ANRED) Social
media is known to induce and or worsen anxiety as well as stress. The increase in stress and
anxiety often triggers an individual to develop an eating disorder or some sort.
Social media can easily increase an individuals stress or anxiety levels through cyber
bullying as well as certain social media accounts. Therefore, the increased stress or anxiety could
potentially act as a trigger to develop or worsen an eating disorder. It is almost impossible to say
that social media causes individuals to have an eating disorder due to the fact that genetic factors
are generally the cause. However, social media can be easily correlated to the rising number of
individuals suffering from one. The stress and anxiety that social media can potentially create in
an individual can be a trigger for that same individual to develop an eating disorder if they have
the biological makeup that makes them more vulnerable to develop one.

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Works Cited
1. A. Facts About Eating Disorders: What the Research Shows (n.d.): n. pag. Web.

2. "ANRED: What Causes Eating Disorders?" ANRED: What Causes Eating Disorders? N.p.,
n.d.
Web. 05 Nov. 2014.
3. BR. "Why "Fitspiration" Isn't so Inspirational." BEAUTY REDEFINED. N.p., Apr.-May
2013. Web. 07 Nov. 2014.
4. "Genes Load Gun But Environment Pulls The Trigger Psychology Essay." UKessays.com.
11 2013. All Answers Ltd. 11 2014 <http://www.ukessays.com/essays/psychology/genesload-gun-but-environment-pulls-the-trigger-psychology-essay.php?cref=1>.
5. Greene, Stuart. "Argument as Conversation: The Role of Inquiry in Writing a Researched
Assignment." Participating in Cultures of Writing and Reading. N.p.: Bedford/St.
Martin's, n.d. 82-92. Print.
6. Simon, Harvey. "Eating Disorders." University of Maryland Medical Center. N.p., June-July
2013. Web. 05 Nov. 2014.
7. Smith, Craig. "How Many People Use Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, ITunes and 700 of the
Top
Social Media and Digital Services (November 2014)." DMR Digital Marketing
Ramblings. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Nov. 2014.
8. The Bella Vita. "Bullying and Eating Disorders." The Bella Vita. N.p., July-Aug. 2013. Web.
07
Nov. 2014.