Do images of skinny models have an impact?

In the present, looks seem to be everything. If you don’t have “that” look in the celebrity world, then you are probably not that important. The media focuses on skinny celebrities; the skinnier you are the more publicity you get. But this has an effect on people, especially children and teenagers…

Most celebrities in the public eye are skinny and they are also role models to teens and children. People will do anything to be them even if it means they starve themselves or continuously eat to make themselves throw up. Anorexia and Bulimia are two eating disorders that very recently have been sensationalised by the media. It has created a moral panic as children as young as seven have been diagnosed with these disorders, which has been the cause of skinny models everywhere in the media. Even these made up terms in the media such as “Size Zero” and “Manorexia” have contributed to the moral panics as they have labelled these common problems with exaggerated names.

Many catwalk models are extremely thin. As they’re in the limelight they are seen as role-models, who should be promoting a healthy lifestyle. Instead they are promoting the wrong thing and the media injects this idea to people who also believe its right. This relates to the Hypodermic Model theory that the media impose ideas to their audiences. Also the media effect idea that means people will copy what they see.

Images of skinny models have become “normal” or OK ting to see or even look like; society has become desensitised to it. People who are very skinny or have been diagnosed with the disorder may feel relieved to see celebrities just like them, causing catharsis.

Overall I do believe that images of skinny models. These images have put ideas into people’s heads and now children, women and even men are suffering.