Media can impact people's lives in many ways, whether it's fashion, movies, literature or hobbies. One of the impacts is the way women perceive their bodies. Movie stars and models feel pressured to attract attention and look good in order to have a good career in their respective fields. People tend to judge a person's appearance based on their body composition. The result of this “judgment” is that Hollywood is getting lean. Since models and actresses serve as people's role models, people tend to want to be like them. The result of this seemingly harmless pattern of behavior is an increase in eating disorders. According to the National Eating Disorder Association or NEDA, an eating disorder consists of extreme emotions, attitudes, and behaviors related to weight and eating problems. There are three main types of eating disorders: anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder (BED). Anorexia nervosa is characterized by starvation and excessive weight loss. Bulimia nervosa is characterized by a cycle of binge eating and compensatory behaviors such as self-inflicted vomiting designed to negate or compensate for the effects of the binge eating. Binge eating disorder is characterized by recurrent binge eating without regular recourse to compensatory measures to counter the binge eating disorder. While there is disagreement over whether there is a link between Hollywood and eating disorders, there is no debate over whether the amount of binge eating is significant. reported cases are increasing. In a report released by the American Academy of Pediatrics in November 2010, it was found that the number of children under the age of twelve hospitalized for eating disorders increased by 112% between 1999 and 2006. people...... middle of paper ......causes. In conclusion, I don't think the media is to blame. I believe that eating disorders can be caused by many factors. While I don't have an opinion on the exact cause of eating disorders, I can say that I don't believe they are caused by the media, just made worse. Works Cited Andrist, Linda C. "Media Images, Body Dissatisfaction, and Disordered Eating in Adolescent Girls." Adolescent Health March 2003, 28th ed., sec. 2: 119-23. Print. Smolak, Linda, Michael P. Levine and Ruth Striegel-Moore. “Media as Context.” The Developmental Psychopathology of Eating Disorders: Implications for Research, Prevention, and Treatment. Print.Strasburger, Victor C., Amy B. Jordan, and Ed Donnerstein. “Effects of Media on Child and Adolescent Health.”. 2011.