Effects of the Media on Girls I remember her standing in front of the mirror and looking at herself. How she thought she was beautiful, I don't know. Because the image I saw was of a person who looked like a living corpse. She must have weighed only 100 pounds, her hair so thin, the black bags under her eyes and her overall grayish complexion made her look dead. When she noticed me staring at her out of the corner of her eye, she slammed the door in my face. That was the big sister I knew now. She was no longer the big sister I could go to for advice or have a good laugh with. No, she was too busy with her schedule and not to mention her terrible mood swings. My older sister Jessica was one of many teenage girls who suffered from an eating disorder known as Anorexia Nervosa. Eating disorders have increased dramatically over the past 20 years among girls and have now become a major problem in the United States. Many experts have tried to find the cause of eating disorders and one of the many solutions is the effects the media has on girls. By using super skinny models and actresses, the media illustrates the message that happiness and success come with a thin body. The messages portray that to be as skinny as teen idols and models requires people to reach a weight that is unhealthy. For these girls, the message of thinness conveyed by the media contributes to their low self-esteem and body image, which leads to dangerous eating disorders. Media is an important aspect of today's culture. Nearly every household in the United States owns a television, and the average American watches 3 to 5 hours of television a day. Television is not the only…paper medium…model of binge eating followed by self-induced purging or laxative abuse. Sick people often limit themselves and then indulge in food and feel sick shortly after. The effects of this disease are damage to the teeth due to acid in the stomach, dehydration, weakness, electrolyte imbalance, bleeding and infection in the throat, digestive and intestinal problems, muscle spasms and headaches. The question you need to ask yourself is: “Is it worth getting sick or even dying to be thin?” Many girls don't see the dark side of being thin. All they see is the beauty and glamor due to all the messages they receive from the media. Because girls find it important to imitate these thin images, they spend hours and dollars trying to reduce their waist and legs through diet and exercise, all to achieve society's "perfect body image"..”