The American culture’s glorification of the underweight female figure, which is perpetuated by the media, causes low self-esteem, distorted body image, and disordered eating habits in women. Singularly, any one of these factors would be harmful, combined they have devastating effects.  This is affecting not only women’s health, but also their economic and social advancement. 

            Interestingly, the sudden glorification of the underweight female figure followed the women’s movement of the 1960’s.  In her book The Beauty Myth, Naomi Wolf describes this as a “violent backlash against feminism that uses images of female beauty as a political weapon against women’s advancement” (1989).  This actually echoed the slim, boyish ideal female figure that became popular in the 1920’s following the first wave of feminism by which women gained the vote. 

            However, the second wave of obsession with thinness, following the second wave of feminism, was far more powerful.  Indeed, the number of diet related article in magazines rose 70% from 1968 to 1972.  The number of diet related articles also rose from 60 in the year 1979 to 66 in just the month of January in 1980 (Wolf 1991).  In a few years time after the passage of the equal pay act, the percentage of high school girls dissatisfied with their bodies rose from 50 to 80% (Wolf 1991).  In 1950, before women left their traditional roles, store mannequins very closely resembled the average woman with hip measurements of 34 inches. By 1990, even though the average hip measurement increased to 37 inches, the average mannequin’s hip measured 31 inches (RaderPrograms 2000).  Also prior to the woman’s movement, Marilyn Monroe reigned as the undisputed epitome of female beauty.  At 5 feet 6 inches and 135 pounds, she fit the height and

weight measurements of the average American woman (RaderPrograms 2000).  However, models today weigh less than 98% of American women and fit the weight criteria for malnourishment as determined by the World Health Organization. (Eating Disorder 2000).  

This sudden demand for rail thin bodies is no better exemplified than by Twiggy.  “In the mid-1960’s, a 17-year old, 5-foot-6-inch model weighing 97 pounds entered the American fashion scene…Her name was Twiggy” (Hesse-Biber 1996).  Based on her height and weight measurements, Twiggy shows symptoms of anorexia nervosa.  This trend has not vanished.  The average body mass index of models today is 17.2.  Between 20 and 25 is healthy, and anything below 18.5 is considered malnourished.  (These figures are determined by the World Health Organization.)  Even popular models such as Nikki Taylor, and actresses such as Julia Roberts fit the weight criteria for anorexia (RaderPrograms 2000).

 Even more alarming is that our culture has become so accustomed to the undernourished female figure that model Gisele Bundchen was chosen as Vogue magazine’s model of the year, in part, because she “strays from the rail thin image.”  However, at 5 feet 11 inches tall and 115 pounds, Gisele is 25% below her ideal body weight (RaderPrograms 2000).  DSM-IV, the standard resource used in diagnosing psychological disorders, states that maintaining a weight at least 15% below ideal body weight is a symptom of anorexia.  

            This cultural trend has devastating effects on women’s health.  In short, if the body is starved, as it is with anorexia, it will all but shut down.  Menstruation ceases.  (In

fact, if today’s average mannequin were a real human woman, she would probably have ceased to menstruate due to her extremely low level of body fat (RaderPrograms 2000).)  Heart rate slows.  Hair may stop growing, or the body may develop a fine body hair called lanugo in an effort to conserve heat.  Keeping the body at an unnaturally low weight can also result in irregular heartbeat, anemia, swollen joints, deterioration of muscle tissue, and in the most extreme cases kidney or heart failure (Rader 2000).

            Personality changes occur as well.  Depression is common among eating disorder sufferers.  As are weakness, social withdrawal, and an increased temper which can lead to self-abuse and physical harm (Rader 2000).

            Binge eating associated with bulimia can also cause the stomach to rupture.  As sufferers purge food through vomiting they bring stomach acids into the mouth putting themselves at risk for tooth erosion, cavities and gum disease.  This also injures the esophagus, and can permanently scar the mouth (Rader 2000).           

            This information is readily available to the public.  So, why are educated women who have access to more privileges than any other generation of American women allowing such an unhealthy ideal to persist?  We can perhaps find the root of the problem in our culture’s expectations of female children.  At the earliest age, they learn the importance that our culture places on female beauty.

“From earliest childhood, Nancy Henley (1977) has shown, women are encouraged to become adept at presenting the body to others for evaluation. Freshly polished shoes, ruffled dresses, ribbons and bows, intricately braided hair, and ladylike posturing, all work to elicit favorable attention from others…Male children, conversely, are praised if they pay little attention to physical appearance, and by implication, little concern for the pleasure of another’s gaze.” (Spitzack 1990).

Girls learn, then, that attention to beauty is an important part of womanhood.  And, since this beauty is determined by the approval of others, it makes girls and women susceptible to whatever standard of beauty mass culture can throw at them.  Also, since attention to beauty becomes an integral part of femininity, in order to feel womanly a woman must adhere to cultural definitions of beauty no matter how unhealthy.       

            This vulnerability becomes crucial as girls enter adolescence.  Just as girls begin to notice their bodies developing curves and retaining body fat to ensure reproductive health, they also begin to be bombarded by media images of underweight, and often degraded women.  Not only are these the only women that mass culture presents to girls through the media, but this body type is associated with success, love and happiness. 

This is most prevalent in popular magazines.  In fact, Seventeen, the most popular girls magazine, is aptly described as follows: 

“Seventeen is the world's most popular magazine for the modern teenage girl. Every month, you'll read about the hottest fashions trends for teens, beauty and style tips, relationship advice, and the latest news on today's biggest heart throbs. Staying cool has never been this easy!” (Mentormerc 2000)

Since all of these issues relate back to weight and beauty, the pressure on young girls to maintain a socially acceptable appearance seems to encompass everything important in life. 

            American girls, then, react accordingly.  In fact, of the 5-16 million people afflicted with eating disorders, 90% are women and 86% of anorexia sufferers are under the age of 20  (Rader 2000).  “About half of female teens think they’re too fat, and almost 50% are dieting” (Maynard).  Not to mention that, 51% of girls as young as nine feel better about themselves while adhering to a diet, and 81% of ten year old girls are afraid

of being fat (RaderPrograms 2000). (Fear of gaining weight is one of the symptoms of eating disorders.)

             These trends carry over into womanhood hardly fettered by education, or independence.  91% of surveyed college women had dieted to control their weight, 22% diet often or always (Eating Disorder 2000).  (Repeated attempts at dieting is one of the symptoms of eating disorders.)  “On any day, 25% of women are on diets, with 50% finishing, breaking or starting one” (Wolf 1991).  The diet industry makes \$33 billion per year (RaderPrograms 2000), and respondents to one survey said they would rather loose ten to fifteen pounds than be successful in work or in love (Wolf 1991).  One survey found that 61% of respondents were ashamed of their hips, 64% were ashamed of their stomachs, and 72% were ashamed of their thighs (RaderPrograms 2000).  (Embarrassment about body weight is one of the symptoms of eating disorders.) 

  Many women also have a distorted body image.  One study showed that women, on average, overestimate the size of their hips by 16% and their waist by 25%, yet this same group of women was able to correctly estimate the size of a box (RaderPrograms 2000).  Also, studies show that although only one in four women are actually overweight, three out of four women estimate themselves to be overweight (RaderPrograms 2000). One survey showed that 75% of women aged 18 to 35 believed they were fat, though only 25% of them were actually overweight, and 45% of the underweight women surveyed believed themselves to be fat as well (Wolf 1991). 

The idea that no woman can be too thin has caused even underweight women to consider themselves overweight.  Psychologists agree that a negative body image, such as this, is directly related to self-esteem (Maynard 1998).    This effect is increased as women try to fit the cultural ideal, inevitably fail, and then devaluate themselves even more (Neal 1997).  This can affect all areas of a woman’s life.

In fact, low self-esteem has been cited as one the reasons that women still are not earning as much as men.  “’When it comes to defining our worth financially,’ one study concludes, ‘we have severe doubts about ourselves.’” (Wolf 1991).  Many women have a difficult time separating their worth from their weight. 

 This is further encouraged by the ways in which our culture rewards women for adhering to cultural standards of beauty.  “Fashion modeling and prostitution are the only professions in which women consistently earn more than men” (Wolf 1991).  Miss America also out earns the average American woman.  Ten years ago she made \$150,000, received a $42,000 scholarship and a $30,000 car (Wolf 1991).  This year’s Playmate of the Year was awarded \$100,000, a Porsche, plus other prizes (Inside Edition). 

There are many questions surrounding the direct link between our culture’s undernourished ideal and disordered eating, distorted body image and low self-esteem in women.  One study by Kristen Harrison concluded that “exposure to thinness-depicting and thinness-promoting media significantly predicted symptoms of women’s eating disorders” and that “reading fashion magazines in particular is significantly related to a woman’s drive for thinness and her dissatisfaction with her body”  (DeGrout 1997).  This is especially significant considering that the vast majority of magazines targeted at women and girls are fashion magazines.

A study of Fiji reports similar findings.  In 1995, researchers were not able to detect symptoms of eating disorders in Fijian women.  In fact, in their culture, being extremely thin was a sign of apathy, and was looked down upon.  Later that year, western television programs were introduced in Fiji for the first time.  When researchers returned in 1998 they found that 29% of Fijian women showed symptoms of eating disorders (Monteath 1997).

By being constantly exposed to images of the undernourished ideal figure, women become trapped in a vicious and unhealthy cycle.  As women try to fit into the standard society has given them (which is impossible since most models show symptoms of eating disorders and are much more genetically predisposed to have lean figures than the women trying to emulate them) they inevitably fail, lowering self-esteem even further.  Prolonged exposure to the undernourished ideal also causes most women to loose sight of what a healthy female figure looks like, which leaves them even more vulnerable to the unhealthy ideal.  The undernourished ideal actually begins to look healthy. 

Whether this phenomenon is a direct reaction to women’s liberation or an amazing coincidence, it is difficult to dispute that it is a byproduct of our culture, and as such, we must take responsibility for it.  Also, as this obsession with thinness and subsequent destruction of women is cultural and not biological, we have the power and the responsibility to stop it.