Increasing expectations also increases the possibility for
failure. We're expected to adapt, to keep up with a multitude of social,
academic, and personal demands. And part of the reason why eating disorders
have increased greatly over the years is because although expectations are
increasing, people struggle with how to deal with all these issues. It doesn't
help that we're bombarded with ideas of body image and beauty in the media,
amongst our peers, and therefore constant self-criticism. To feel like we have
some sort of control over all this, we try to control the basics. One way is
through our intake of food. In one form or another, we all deal with these
issues and insecurities, but we deal with them differently. This can go both
ways, either not eating at all (anorexia, bulimia, etc) or eating excessively
to offer some sort of temporary comfort from all this stress. It makes me
wonder what the future will be like; it seems like these high expectations we
have for ourselves will continue from generation to generation, only increasing
over time. What will the future be like if we continue this upward trend (with
the media continuing to perpetuate images of unrealistically thin, pretty
models) but don't address the issues of eating disorders or healthy habits? I
think one of the greatest influences on this issue is the media, and if we
could somehow change the way people think about beauty and body image by what
is perpetuated by TV shows, movies, celebrities, etc. then maybe we just might be
able to properly address and fix this issue.
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