Question:
One of the most problematic and ubiquitous health issues that college students face is dissatisfaction with their bodies, and the deleterious behaviors that result from this dissatisfaction (e.g. dieting, unhealthy weight loss, over-exercising, binge-purge behaviors...). We often talk about the statistics and diagnostic criteria for eating disorders, but we rarely talk about the vastly more common restrictive eating and excessive exercise behaviors that many college students (both women and men) engage in. Nor do we always examine the environmental messages that contribute to these sub-clinical, yet still dangerous, behaviors.
Observe the images presented in the media you consume, messages sent in television, movies, and advertisements, and conversations among the people you interact with regularly. Choose three examples, one visual image, one media message, and one in-person conversation that reflect the thin ideal for women or the muscular ideal for men.
In a few paragraphs, describe the content and context of these messages and how you responded to each one. Discuss the values reflected in each message, how each message contributes to an unhealthy preoccupation with bodily appearance, and how each message might affect a typical college student.