Many teenage girls today suffer from eating disorders. This trend is alarming.
To cure the problem, it is better to look at the causes.
Misleading images conveyed by the mass media should be blamed. Both television and magazines seem to praise slim girls only, implying that 'fat is a fault'.
They are likely to equate fatness with laziness, selfishness, dirtiness and poor discipline. Teenagers under the influence of mass media are embarrassed if they feel too fat, and do anything to lose weight, leading to eating disorders. The extreme case is anorexia.
Peer pressure also contributes to the problem. Many young people do not like to play with fat people, thinking they are not worthy of having friends. Some teenagers even refuse to talk or dine with fat people.
Worried about being isolated, teenagers go on crash diets in order to be slim and make friends.
