MGP+Lynn

= The Scary Side of Dieting: Have women and girls of the 21st century become too obsessed with body image and dieting? =



** P **** reface: **
For my Multi-Genre Project, I wanted to research a topic that I was truly interested in, and since this project would be taking up a lot of time, I wanted to choose a topic that I could consistently write strongly about. So, I ended up settling on the topic of dieting. Over the summer, I went on a diet and lost quite a lot of weight. I noticed how dieting had affected me and became more interested in this topic. I realized how I have always cared a lot about my body since around 6th grade and I wanted to find out if other girls felt about their bodies as I did. Thus, my key questions is "have women and girls of the 21st century become too obsessed with body image and dieting?" I always knew that most girls and women were extremely unsatisfied with their bodies, but this project taught me the severity of our discontent. This was useful in the long run because it has helped me to become more aware of the world around me and that even I should be less obsessive about my body image.

GENRE 1: RESEARCH PAPER
My first genre is a research paper that answers my key question in a more formal, informative way than the other genres. This genre required the most facts and research, and therefore was the best way to answer my key question factually. While researching for this paper, I learned a lot of background information that helped me to finish Genre #2 more easily. Through this genre, I was able to clearly and directly convey my answers to my key question and my opinions to the audience. Some characteristics of a research paper are formal language, a thesis, and objective voice.

 “I’m so fat. I think I’ll go on a diet” are two sentences that frequently come out of the mouths of many, many females. It is natural to feel unsatisfied with one’s body, but have the women and girls of the 21st century taken it too far? Dieting is defined as controlling the consumption of food to maintain a certain weight and is often referred to with a negative connotation because of its connections to eating disorders like bulimia and anorexia. A variety of people worldwide express concerns over these problems, but there are still others who are not taking this issue very seriously. Based on numerous evidences and statistics, researchers have verified that women and teenage girls of the 21st century all over the world are indeed preoccupied, to an extreme point, with their body image and consequently dieting. Body image is directly related to dieting: people with negative body image are obviously the ones who constantly pursue dieting. Unfortunately, the already high number of people with negative body image is steadily increasing. Looking skinny is currently a fad that is so emphasized in society that even mothers are advising their daughters to diet. According to Ann F. Caron, a Greenwich, Connecticut psychologist, "…many moms take their daughters to diet clinics when they are five or 10 pounds overweight.” Also, numerous mothers throughout the world may make cutting remarks on their daughters’ bodies or directly encourage and pressure their daughters to lose weight (Bell).

It can be proven through statistics that women have become obsessed with dieting. Based on a study by Seattle’s Eating Disorders Awareness & Prevention (EDAP), around 50 percent of the teenage girls in America are currently dieting. Girls express a fear of being fat even at the mere age of ten. 81 percent of girls surveyed admitted to this, and 51 percent reported having a better body image while dieting (Bell).

Negative body image has been spreading globally. A perfect example is the island of Fiji. People of Fiji in 1995 believed that the perfect body for women was “round, plump, and soft,” than just stick-like and bony (Allen). After American shows and movies were introduced, however, the percentage of dieting women in Fiji increased to 69%. To make things worse, the percentage of girls who vomit for weight control went up by 12% (Butterbaugh). Dieting and dissatisfaction have also spread to Asian countries. For example, even though an average 20-year-old Japanese woman weighs around 115 pounds at a height of 5 ft. 4 inches, many Japanese women risk their lives by taking possibly harmful diet pills. Taiwan is another country that shows how cases of women dieting have steadily increased and proves that dieting and body image have become obsessions. Before, being a little overweight had been commonly accepted as a symbol of success. However, a study from 1999 showed that 51.4% of the 1,057 Taiwanese female students surveyed were disgruntled with their bodies, and a majority of them were making an effort to change their bodies for a slimmer frame. Another study in 2000 showed how even schoolgirls of ages 10 through 14 were concerned about their body weight. Out of the 843 girls surveyed, 38% admitted trying to lose weight on purpose (Yun-fen Che).

Although dieting can be healthy, many of our modern day females are resorting to detrimental ways to lose weight. They are relying on eating disorders to maintain a certain weight. Dr. Sue Bailey of the Eating Disorders Clinic in Washington D.C. supports this statement by saying that "Bulimia almost has celebrity status, the 'in' thing to have.” In one of Bailey's studies, the data from the research research revealed that about 2 million women and 1 million teenagers in America are bulimic or anorexic. In another survey, Bailey uncovered that 28 percent of eighth graders of Washington D.C. would throw up to stay skinny. Many girls reported to have begun dieting from age 13 due to dislike of their bodies since the age of 10 (Farley). The rampancy of eating disorders clearly show how women and girls have taken dieting to extremity.

Although it is healthy to decrease intake of junk foods and avoid obesity, women and girls of the 21st century have taken their quest too far. Everywhere, females of all ages all clearly worry about their physical image. Because of women and girl’s vulnerability to a negative body image, many females become fanatical about losing weight and dieting.

Works Cited: 1. Bell, Alison. "Mothers Can Pressure Teenage Girls to Diet." //Teen Decisions: Dieting//. Ed. Auriana Ojeda. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2003. //Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center//. Gale. Korea International School. 2 Sep. 2009 < HYPERLINK "http://find.galegroup.com/ovrc/infomark.do?&contentSet=GSRC&type=retrieve&tabID=T010&prodId=OVRC&docId=EJ3010305205&source=gale&srcprod=OVRC&userGroupName=krkis&version=1.0" __http://find.galegroup.com/ovrc/infomark.do&contentSet=GSRC&type=retrieve&tabID=T010&prodId=OVRC&docId=EJ3010305205&source=gale&srcprod=OVRC&userGroupName=krkis&version=1.0__ >. 2. Allen, Kate. "Feminism and Women's Magazines." //The Feminist eZine//: n. pag. Web. 2 Sept. 2009. < HYPERLINK "http://www.feministezine.com/feminist/fashion/Diet-Grrl.html" __http://www.feministezine.com/feminist/fashion/Diet-Grrl.html__ >. 3. Butterbaugh, Laura " __HYPERLINK "http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3693/is_199906/ai_n8844817/"__ __Fiji put TV on a diet__". Off Our Backs. FindArticles.com. 02 Sep, 2009. __HYPERLINK "http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3693/is_199906/ai_n8844817/"__ __http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3693/is_199906/ai_n8844817/__ 4. Yun-fen Che. "How Do Young Women Make Sense of Beauty and Body Image?" HYPERLINK "http://210.71.44.174/html/B3/file/fhkaj-8614.pdf" __http://210.71.44.174/html/B3/file/fhkaj-8614.pdf__ 5. Farley, Dixie. "When Thinness Becomes an Obsession." FDA Consumer, Vol. 20, May 1986.

GENRE 2: Diary Entry
My second genre is diary/journal entries written in first person. These diary entries take on the point of view of an ordinary, high-school teenage girl living in America. The purpose of this genre is to personally tell the story of how any typical female can become sucked into an obsession with body image and dieting. I thought using diary entries would answer my key question would reveal more about how girls and women feel as they diet and what induces them to start and go to extreme ends. Characteristics of diary entries may include informal language, use of many different tenses, and also the use of connectives.

Journal Entry #1 I just came back home from cheer camp! It was really hard, but so worth it because I had so much fun learning all these new things about cheer and I can feel myself getting more fit. But one thing I don’t get is why the upperclassmen cheerleaders are so obsessed with dieting! I think they’re all fine the way they are, but at the camp, they all kept talking about how they were all so obese and needed to shed some pounds fast. Even my friends are starting to consider dieting already. I could never diet; it just sounds so hard. I’m satisfied with my 5 foot 7 and 125 lb. body. I don't what our world is coming to! Beautiful, young girls obsessing about their bodies when they don't need to. We're young; we should just eat and be happy!

Journal Entry #2 Today was just a horrible, horrible day! I know my mom didn’t mean it in a cruel way, but it hurt when she told me that I was gaining weight and that I looked better when I was skinnier. I can already feel those few extra pounds I gained, but did she really have to point it out?! She even suggested that I start dieting...I feel so pressured right now. All my friends who dieted are all losing weight and they all look gorgeous while I just look so dumpy next to them. The seniors in our squad are all smoking hot! I seriously feel like the ugliest, fattest girl in our squad. It also doesn’t help that whatever channel I go to on T.V, there’s always so many beautiful people on the shows. I’ve made up my mind:I’m finally going to go on a diet. Right now, I’m 130 pounds, but I will be 110 before anyone knows it.

Journal Entry #3 Dieting isn’t so bad once you get used to it. It’s actually pretty easy to eat less junk food and food in general now, and I just don’t really need food that much anymore. I’m finally 110 and I feel great! Everyone’s complimenting me on how hot I look and the guys are liking it too. All this is helping me get even more motivated to lose more weight and I've seriously never felt better about myself. I can feel my self-confidence just oozing out of me! I think this is all helping me get better grades and even do better on the squad. I'm dancing with more confidence and it's helping me stand out. I think I might even have a chance of getting into Varsity next year! Okay, so I know I said I was just going to lose to 110, but losing a little more won’t hurt, right? Losing weight's helping me improve my life. A little more might bring even more special changes.

Journal Entry #4 Wow, at first I thought I had lost so much weight, but actually, what I have accomplished is just nothing! There are just so many skinny girls in our squad and I seriously have to catch up to them. Otherwise, I’m literally going to be the fattest girl in our squad! It makes me feel fat. You know what, I AM fat. I know eating disorders aren’t healthy, but then all the girls either throw up or starve themselves at our school. Not just the girls in our squad, but seriously about 80% of the girls at our school. It can’t be too bad, could it? I’ll just do it for a little while, just until I get to about 90 or 100 pounds. I think I should lose a little more. I'm starting to lose my confidence and I can feel myself slipping a little....

Journal Entry #5 Oh my God! WHY AM I SO FAT?! I'm still at 110 pounds. I don't know why, but it feels as if I can't lose any more weight. I'm not sure if the bulimia's helping...It gets me so hungry that I overeat at lunch and especially dinner, but when I throw it all up, I feel really skinny. All my friends are telling me to snap out of it, but I can't. It's not my fault that I can't stop caring about my body. Oh, how did this all start? It's so depressing being unsatisfied with my body, but I don't know how to stop this. All i know is that I have to lose more weight. I have to go down to 90 pounds! 

Genre 3: Research Survey
My third genre is a more scientific type that takes on a statistical approach by incorporating the use of graphs and surveys. What separates surveys from my other genres is that it includes graphs and interacting with real people. In this genre I surveyed almost 30 high school girls, 13 middle school girls, and several teachers. The high school girls and middle school girls helped me decide whether girls and teens of the 21st century were obsessed with dieting while the teachers represented women of the 21st century. This survey helped me to answer my multi-genre project question with data from real life by the very people in our own community.

T**HE FOUR SURVEY QUESTIONS:** 1. Do you like your body? 2. Have you ever been on a diet? 3. Are you dieting right now? 4. Do you think girls and women of the 21st century are obsessed with dieting?

Before I actually surveyed people around the school, I expected most of the girls and teachers to be dissatisfied with their bodies, that most of them have tried dieting, and that they were currently dieting. When I was writing the research paper, many of the statistics showed that most girls and women cared about their bodies and dieting to an extreme point. Naturally, I thought this mini survey would bring about similar results to those of the surveys that I read about during my research.

**RESULTS:** Middle School Girls

High School Girls Teachers:

Among the middle school girls, only a little more than half of the girls surveyed had negative body image and once again, only a little more than 50% of the girls have dieted before. Not even a quarter of the girls are dieting currently. However, all except 15% of the girls do believe that women and girls of the 21st century are obsessed with dieting. Among the high school girls, the results are more similar to those of the surveys held around the world. Out of 27 high school girls, only one actually likes her body. 63% of the girls had dieted before and just 44% are currently on a diet. All except for one girl answered that they believe that women and girls of the 21st century are obsessed with dieting. With teachers, a third of them answered that they like their bodies. Over three-fourths of the teachers have dieted before while only a fourth are currently dieting. Only a little more than half of the teachers believed that women and girls of the 21st century are obsessed with dieting.
 * Analysis:**

The results of my mini survey were very different from my expectations. At KIS, the girls in middle school aren't exactly obsessed with their body image nor dieting. Compared to the results of surveys held in American middle schools, only a small percentage of middle school girls at KIS care about their bodies and dieting. However, in the high school girls, we can see a big difference. With the high school girls, there are way more girls who are unsatisfied with their bodies and there is a bigger percentage of girls who have dieted in the past and are currently dieting right now. However, among the teachers, the results don't really show that women are obsessed with dieting. Although only two teachers stated that they liked their bodies, there were many who stated that they sort of like their bodies, which is still better than not liking their bodies at all. There was also a pretty small percentage of teachers who are currently dieting. However, many have dieted in the past. Therefore, from the results of my mini survey, it can't really be stated that girls and women of the 21st century are obsessed with body image or dieting. Based on this survey, it can be said that young girls are not exactly preoccupied with their bodies and dieting. They are slightly interested, but too young to really care enough about physical beauty to start dieting. However, the fad of having a negative body image and dieting is most visible with the high school girls. This fad is not as clearly seen in the women. Teen girls in high school are probably under the most pressure to be skinny while women have probably given up on their physical beauty and are thus not as fanatical about their weight and bodies.

Epilogue:
From this project, I have learned a lot, not just about dieting but also more about the writing process. I've never written a research paper with in-text citations before so at first, it was quite confusing. However, this project has helped refine my writing abilities with formal papers and citations. I also learned about using note cards for researching. Previously, I didn't have to cite my source inside the paper itself so it wasn't really important to remember what information I had gathered from a source. From now on, I will most definitely be using note cards for my future research papers because I find it to be a really convenient way to make my bibliographies. I also learned a lot about dieting and throughout this project, my perspective on this topic has become more in-depth. At first, dieting was a topic that I had chosen at random, but the more I researched, the more serious it felt. Many women of this current era are going through what some may call a mental disease; so many women out there have negative body image and think that they're fat. Consequently, this is why many women diet and even resort to eating disorders. I hope that people may have learned a lot from my project, especially about the gravity of the situation. Dieting and negative body image is an international thing that has spread to women of all ages and sizes. I hope that others can take away a lot of information from my project and feel as impacted as I have been.