Listen to this note:
The rise in the overweight population occurs in the midst of a culture that imposes thinness, an idealization that has increased with the use of social networks; as a consequence, health is at risk, since new weight loss drugs and products to look thinner, promoted by celebrities and influencers, claim that anyone can be slim, generating marked social pressure.
One-third of U.S. residents are considered overweight by traditional BMI (Body Mass Index) standards, with an estimated 2 in 5 adults being obese. Among children, 20 percent are overweight or obese, causing health experts to be concerned about the estimated numbers.
Dr. Susie Orbach, psychoanalytic psychotherapist and author of “Fat is a Feminist Issue,” explained during a briefing session carried out by Ethnic Media Services, that women live in a visual culture that faces the difficulties of being seen in a multidimensional way, generated by the stigma that exists about the female image.
"I too experience this prejudice that is inside me. I wake up every morning in the same old thing, judging myself, being afraid of my appetite, being afraid of living a life”, Orbach commented.
In this sense, she said she is worried about the younger generations who have to grow up with prejudices, because not being able to have the measures that "we should" and the projection of how others see them, generates fear; however, this may, perhaps, become a sign of strength at some point in their lives.
"I have been told that women choose to be fat and gain weight as a way to assert themselves in society, I remember being raised to belittle and that is very scary”, he commented Orbach.
Jasmyne Cannick, a commentator on racial, political and social issues, shared that she herself experienced being overweight and, being African-American, felt that it was more difficult to cope with, so she seeks to help people who experience the same situation.
Cannick said social media plays a huge role in many of the decisions that are made, as it presents how people in the United States should look, due to the different types of body sizes.
In this regard, she recalled a recent article published in the Washington Post, which discussed the major foods in the anti-diet, stating that social pressure is overwhelming; and that the media plays a clear and specific role by being accessible to anyone.
She added that beauty standards should not be the reason for a diet, but rather for caring about one's own health; eating what you want because it is good for you in every way.
Dr. Gary Goldfield, a senior scientist at the CHEO Research Institute with the Healthy Active Living and Obesity Research Group, explained that the influence of social media on adolescents has a major impact.
"Technology is a bit like the news with very little regulation, social media actually has very defined standards. During my research, it was shown that social media drives the type of food you should eat to be trendy.", he pointed out Goldfield.
Social media can be as addictive as drugs, she said, and the abuse of them is increasing public health problems, leaving young people vulnerable during adolescence, a period in which body image is more important for self-esteem than in any other period of life, as is social validation, the need for acceptance, while sensitivity to social rejection is more pronounced.
Given the constant use of social media and the desire to be accepted by everyone, bullying is very common for those who fail to meet these standards.
The number of victims of bullying has increased with the emergence of social media, putting the lives of young people who are victims at risk inside and outside of schools.
Experts agree that support and information management should be implemented and accessible to everyone in order to regulate the pressure exerted by the media and social networks to create a standardized image of thinness in order to protect people's health.
You may be interested in: Medi-Cal: New opportunities to bring quality health care to communities
