Eating Disorders And Societal Pressure: Understanding The Connection

From social media to advertising, we are often inundated with idealized images and often-misleading narratives about health and wellness. Constant exposure to this content can create unrealistic expectations that fuel body dissatisfaction and self-esteem challenges, often triggering unhealthy practices and disordered eating behaviors. 

Below, we’ll explore the link between eating disorders and societal pressure and provide insight into how you can navigate these challenges to foster a healthier relationship with your body. With a healthier mindset toward self-care and a critical awareness of media and messaging, you can build resilience against harmful influences and embrace your body and health.

Understanding body image, self-esteem, food intake, and eating disorders

Body image and self-esteem are crucial to our overall well-being, each playing a significant role in how we feel about and care for ourselves. While a healthy sense of self can promote positive self-care and eating habits, concerns related to body image and self-esteem can contribute to mental health challenges that may trigger disordered eating behaviors.

Self-perception can be influenced by family, friends, and peer groups, as well as broader cultural forces like advertising and social media. For example, constant exposure to idealized depictions of beauty through the media can lead to unrealistic expectations and body dissatisfaction, while cultural messaging equating thinness with success could fuel deeper self-esteem concerns.

Eating disorders and societal pressure toward weight loss: What the research says

Research consistently shows that the societal emphasis on appearance—driven by mass media, cultural norms, and social interactions—can lead to body dissatisfaction and unhealthy behaviors. Compounding the issue is the rampant misinformation surrounding health and wellness, often perpetuated by commercial interests and unverified advice spread on social media and other platforms.

The Tripartite Influence Model: Parents, peers, and media

The Tripartite Influence Model is a key theory that identifies parents, peers, and media as the primary sources of external pressure contributing to body dissatisfaction and the development of eating disorders. 

• Parents: Parents and caregivers can influence a child’s body image through their attitudes and behaviors surrounding weight, appearance, and food. A parent's own focus on dieting or weight control can contribute to a child’s internalization of certain narratives, while parental criticism of a child’s appearance or habits may trigger body dissatisfaction or unhealthy behaviors.
• Peers: Peer groups can play a crucial role in shaping body image. Friends and classmates can influence body image through direct comments, comparisons, or attitudes toward weight and appearance. This may be especially pronounced during adolescence, when peer pressure and the physical and emotional challenges of bodily changes may intensify insecurity and self-doubt.
• Media: Mass media, social media, and advertising often promote certain beauty standards. Constant exposure to idealized body types can lead individuals to internalize these ideals, resulting in body dissatisfaction and challenges with self-esteem. Media also tends to perpetuate misinformation about health and wellness, further complicating the issue.

These influences occur through internalization of societal beauty ideals, where individuals strive for unrealistic body standards; social comparison, which can lead to feelings of inadequacy when measuring oneself against societal ideals; and direct feedback, where comments from parents, peers, or media can undermine self-esteem and influence eating behaviors.

How media portrayals influence body image

Research shows that media exposure can negatively impact body image through social comparison, especially in teens and young adults. For example, teens who form parasocial relationships with TV characters often compare their bodies to these idealized figures. They may notice a gap between their body and an ideal body shape seen in the media, which could contribute to a negative body image and psychological factors that contribute to disordered eating.

One study examining college students’ consumption of  linked it to disordered eating, a strong drive for thinness, and body dissatisfaction. Even when the researchers accounted for an initial interest in fitness and dieting, they still found a relationship between media exposure and disordered eating. 

The impact of social media on eating disorders and mental health

Social media platforms are often filled with content promoting idealized body types, diets, and fitness routines, and constant exposure to such content can negatively affect mental health. Research has repeatedly linked social media exposure to body image concerns and eating disorders—particularly in young people. 

In addition, research has established a correlation between eating disorders, depression, and anxiety. These mental disorders are known to co-occur with eating disorders, often exacerbating the severity and complexity of the condition.

Eating disorders in athletic communities

Eating disorders are notably prevalent in athletic communities, with up to 19% of male athletes and 45% of female athletes affected by disordered eating or eating disorders. Eating disorders are especially common in sports that emphasize leanness and weight control, such as gymnastics, wrestling, ballet, and distance running. Also, athletes may face unique challenges in seeking treatment, as the pressure to perform can conflict with the goals of eating disorder recovery.

Examining weight loss messaging in media

Health and fitness media can promote unhealthy weight management ideals. One analysis of women’s magazines found that 84% of articles used persuasive techniques to make readers feel confident they can achieve unrealistic body goals quickly and easily. However, these messages often promote impractical strategies, potentially leading to frustration and unhealthy behaviors.

Health At Every Size (HAES): Best practices for maintaining whole-person wellness 

While media and culture may focus on physical attractiveness, the Health At Every Size (HAES) paradigm instead emphasizes self-acceptance, intuitive eating, and joyful movement. This whole-person, weight-neutral approach to health encourages positive habits without the pressure of achieving a specific body size, potentially reducing the risk of disordered eating. Here are some tips for embracing the HAES approach:

1. Implement healthy mental hygiene practices.

Mental hygiene refers to the practices that support mental well-being. To improve mental hygiene, consider limiting screen time, curating your feed to reduce exposure to triggering content, or deleting stress-inducing apps. You might also set boundaries with people who may negatively impact your mental health, as well as engage in self-care activities that bring you joy and balance.

2. Consult your doctor about issues related to weight, food intake, and exercise.

When making decisions about food or exercise habits, it tends to be best to consult a doctor rather than relying on information from unverified sources. A doctor may perform any necessary tests, measure your body mass index, and recommend a plan that aligns with your health goals and needs. If you choose to research health topics online, you might look for information from public health authorities or established medical publications.

3. Shift the focus from weight loss to healthy habits.

While body composition can be a consideration, it is only one facet of health: wellness can also be measured by metrics like energy levels, mental health, and cardiovascular fitness. When seeking to improve health, consider focusing on building sustainable sleep, exercise, and nutrition habits that support all aspects of mental and physical well-being rather than fixating on losing weight. 

Eating disorder prevention through media literacy

Media literacy can be an effective way to limit the degree to which media exposure influences body image and self-esteem, allowing you to critically evaluate the messages you encounter rather than internalize them. 

• Develop critical thinking skills: You might question the motives behind media messages and consider how they may influence your perceptions. This may help in identifying potentially harmful content.
• Seek multiple perspectives: It may also help to expose yourself to a variety of viewpoints and sources to avoid getting trapped in a narrow or distorted understanding of health and beauty. 
• Recognize and challenge unrealistic standards: You might try to identify when a portrayal of a certain body type may be an expression of society’s idealized beauty standards. 
• Curate your feed: Another strategy is to follow and interact with accounts that make you feel good. You can use content preference controls (e.g., “not interested”; “don’t show me this again”) to filter content that may be triggering.
• Educate yourself about media manipulation: It may also help to learn about misleading claims in advertising and explore how images can be altered using beauty filters and photo editing software.

When to consider eating disorder treatment

If you are engaging in eating or exercise behaviors that are negatively impacting your health and well-being, it may be an indication that you need to seek professional support to address these concerns before they become more severe. You might also watch out for the following symptoms of an eating disorder:

• Persistent preoccupation with food and body image
• Dramatic weight changes
• A tendency to restrict food intake, binge-eat, or purge
• Compulsive or excessive exercise
• Dizziness, fatigue, gastrointestinal issues, or menstrual irregularities
• Depression, anxiety, shame, or hopelessness related to body image
• Inability to stop unhealthy behaviors

To get started on the path to recovery, you might make an appointment with a doctor to discuss your situation. A doctor may refer you to providers who specialize in treating eating disorders. You might also consider reaching out to a licensed mental health professional for additional support and guidance in managing your symptoms and developing healthier coping strategies.

Online mental health support for eating disorders

Eating disorder recovery can be complex, requiring frequent and ongoing mental health care. Through online therapy, you can attend weekly virtual sessions with a licensed therapist offering evidence-based ED interventions like cognitive-behavioral therapy for eating disorders (CBT-ED) and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT).

Numerous studies have found online therapy to be effective, and it tends to be more affordable than in-person therapy without insurance. With online therapy, you can attend therapy by phone, video call, or live chat, in addition to using in-app messaging to communicate with your therapist in between sessions. An online therapist may use the Eating Attitudes Test or other instruments to assess your risk of an eating disorder in order to form a treatment plan.

Takeaway

External pressure from parents, peers, and the media can influence body satisfaction and self-esteem, potentially triggering disordered eating behaviors that can progress into eating disorders. Constant exposure to idealized body types and persistent weight loss messaging in the media often play a central role. If you’re experiencing symptoms of an eating disorder, you may benefit from connecting with a licensed therapist, whether in person or online. To take the next step toward recovery and connect with a licensed therapist at BetterHelp.