We see it every time we turn on our phones, open our laptops or watch television: the “ideal” body.
This concept of unattainable beauty has plagued women and men alike for decades, causing an estimated 24 million people in the United States to suffer from disorders such as anorexia, bulimia and binge eating, according to the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders (ANAD).
The majority of those suffering from these disorders are teenagers and young adults, who are far more likely to be swayed by the messages given out by me- dia outlets. The eating disorders induced by these message lead to death in roughly 4-5 percent of cases, according to ANAD, which is far too great a number to be ignored.
Alongside the messages sent by these media outlets, social media and blogging sites such as Pinterest and Tumblr have also created havens for these unhealthy habits. The trend “thinspiration,” or “thinspo,” fills pages with pictures of emaciated women with protruding hipbones and ribs.
These images support the fabricated ideal of thin, dainty women, and they cause young women to believe that they should try to attain these body types through whatever means necessary, even those that could hospitalize them.
Another trend has emerged recently, and although its message can be helpful and positive at times, the underlying messages can be just as harmful. The “fitspiration” or “fitspo” trend displays lean, muscu- lar figures with abdominal definition that few people can realistically obtain.
When young media consumers spend hours each day scrolling through sites that feed them these unrealistic bodies, they begin to believe this is the normal body for any in-shape person.
With messages such as, “Would you rather be covered in sweat at the gym or covered in clothes at the beach?” people become discouraged by the appearance of their own body. If you cannot be comfortable with your body as it is now, however it may be, what makes you think you will be more comfortable just by “getting fit” or “getting skinny?” Healthy looks different on everybody.
As someone who jumped onto the “fitspiration” bandwagon for a month or two, I can attest that these images and messages can cause unhealthy relationships with food and exercise.
People who view these messages too often become obsessed with what they eat and how much they eat, and some even consider a day to be good or bad based on whether they made it to the gym. Counting calories eaten and burned can become an obsession to many of those who undertake “fitspiration” as a lifestyle change.
The “fitspo” trend affects men as well, sometimes more so than “thinspo” does. These images depict men with almost zero body fat, washboard abs and numerous other physical attributes which rely heavily not just on hard work and clean eating but often, favorable genetics.
Although coverage of these topics rarely address the body issues presented to men, they are certainly present, and they are just as dangerous to them as they are to women.
Some may believe that an obsession with fitness does not pose as terrible a threat to the minds and bodies of young people as an obsession with thinness does. They say that so long as people strive to become athletic, there can be little harm in their behavior.
But, as with any obsession, the “fitspiration” drive can cause people to choose athletics over social activities, academics and friendships, and it becomes commonplace for them to ignore signs of injury or illness in an attempt to perfect their bodies no matter the cost.
When the drive to become fit swallows up any other thoughts, surpassing all other aspects of life, it cannot be considered “getting healthy.” There is so much more to physical health than achieving that “perfect” body, and there is no reason to forsake mental health in pursuit of it.