Healthy choices

Growing up in a culture where super-skinny stars are splashed across the covers of magazine, Chelsea McDowell understands why some teenage girls develop eating disorders.

"Every time another singer, actress or model is in the spotlight, many swear up and down that they want to look like that, no matter how skinny that Hollywood star is," she said.

The Jackson High School senior has seen teenage girls develop eating disorders to comfort their stresses, break-ups or to escape from other parts of their lives. "They felt like it was the only factor in life that they could control," McDowell said.

According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 1 in 10 young women suffer from an eating disorder.

Nicholle Hinkle, a senior at Jackson High School, also believes a majority of eating disorders are motivated by the media.

"They show slim girls on television, which in turn causes teens to want that image," Hinkle said. "My opinion about the super thin Hollywood celebrities is [they are] sickening. They are so thin it almost looks as if they are sick and weak."

The American Psychological Association worries that young girls are being bombarded with images from the media which depict young women as sexual objects. These images are contributing to health problems such as eating disorders and low self-esteem, said Dr. Eileen L. Zurbriggen, chairwoman of the APA Task Force.

"The consequences of the sexualization of girls in media today are very real and are likely to be a negative influence on girls' healthy development," she said.

Central High School sophomore Katie Hall agrees the media and Hollywood celebrities send out the wrong message to teenage girls.

"There's a big difference from being healthy and fit, to being gross and looking like you might break in half if you bend over," Hall said.

Zurbriggen believes schools should teach media literacy skills to all students and should include information on the negative effects of the sexualization of girls in the media.

"As a society, we need to replace all of these sexualized images with ones showing girls in positive settings -- ones that show the uniqueness and competence of girls," Zurbriggen said.

The local teenage girls provide what they believe is the perfect body image:

McDowell: "A perfect body image is one that fits the girl, not what the girl wants to fit in. To be happy with every inch of your body, to be happy enough to succeed without embarrassment and to be happy with style is a perfect body image in my eyes."

Hall: "I think young people should stop worrying so much about how much they weigh, and start worrying about how they feel. If you are active and eat a healthy diet, then it doesn't matter if you weigh 140 pounds or 100 pounds. You may have a bigger body type and you should feel good about yourself for living a healthy life. Everyone's different."

Hinkle: "In my eyes the perfect body image for a teen girl is whatever makes her comfortable. Girls don't need to compete to try and be what they're not. They shouldn't have to try and impress people."

jfreeze@semissourian.com

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