Media Analysis: Relationship Between Eating Disorders and Western Culture

Media Analysis: Socio-cultural Issues and Eating Disorders
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Media Analysis: Socio-cultural Issues and Eating Disorders
Western culture has recorded an increase in eating disorders, especially among the youth. One of the primary contributors to these problems is the media. It creates false beliefs and ideals about body image and eating, prompting vulnerable populations to fall into disordered eating. This essay analyzes an advertisement poster of LeBron James, the famous American National Basketball Association (NBA) superstar, and the song Mrs. Potato Head by Melanie Martinez. It also reflects the impact of western culture on eating disorders.
Advertisement: McDonald’s
McDonald’s is the world’s leading fast-food chain headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. It primarily produces junk food like French Fries, fried chicken, sausages, caramel frappé, chocolate shakes, hotcakes, and many others. In 2010, the NBA superstar, LeBron James, signed a deal with McDonald's to market its products. This was a calculated tactic by the firm's marketing department to give customers the impression that LeBron James always eats at McDonald’s, and that is where he obtained his physique. Although the company's primary goal was to increase profit, the ad was misleading, considering the disadvantages of junk food. Customers, especially young people, started to think that junk food is effective and bodybuilding when, in reality, it is unhealthy and contributes to eating disorders. Consumption of junk food increases one's obsession, subjecting individuals to binge eating. People with binge eating problems often consume excessive amounts of food without considering nutritious food. Junk food is also highly rich in fat and cholesterol, which increases the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and stroke. Using celebrities to advertise these foods influences consumers to resort to them regardless of their negative impacts. Because of the ad, many people face problems related to eating disorders.
Figure 1: Advertisement Poster for McDonald’s
Music Video: Melanie Martinez - Mrs. Potato Head
Melanie Martinez’s song, Mrs. Potato Head, strongly demonstrates the pressures experienced by women in contemporary society to attain beauty and the role played by men in perfecting a women's body. According to the song, women can modify their bodies, like Potato Heads, to achieve a specific appearance. The video begins with young Martinez watching a television ad for diet pills while eating cookies. The ad claims that women who want to attract men must have a trim, thin waistline, prompting Martinez to stop eating the cookies immediately. Another advertisement that markets wig follows. The latter states that wigs give women a perfect look if worn. Martinez is then seen stuffing her bra with tissues to make her breasts appear larger, applying makeup to her face, and swallowing a diet pill. The use of diet pills throughout the video indicates how females are determined to attain the perfect human body through irregular eating and dieting. This could lead to eating disorders. Today, many women are influenced by female celebrities and social media influencers to change their eating habits. They want to achieve the perfect body displayed by other women in the entertainment industry. When they realize the secret behind an attractive body is diet pills, they do not hesitate to use them regardless of their negative impacts.
Relationship between Eating Disorders and Western Culture
The prevalence of the eating disorder is significantly high in Western cultures. Recent studies have shown that more than 25 million in the United States alone experience this condition (Kolar, 2016). The reasons Western cultures are highly vulnerable to eating disorders have been of great concern. The McDonald’s advertisement by LeBron James and Martinez’s Potato Head song indicates that the rising rates of eating disorders in the western culture are primarily due to influence from celebrities through whom big companies use to market their products. American culture, for instance, defines by the type of food eaten. Over one-third of Americans eat fast food daily, with young males and females dominating the consumption of these foods.
The heavily capitalist regimes of western society consistently ...