Eating disorders have become a huge problem in our society today. According to anad.org, The National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders, more than one half of teenage girls and about one third of teenage males practice unhealthy behaviors to lose weight. This includes skipping meals, taking drugs, vomiting, etc.

It is also said on the same website that only one in 10 men and women with eating disorders receive treatment, and an estimated 30 million people of all ages and genders suffer from an eating disorder of some kind. So why has this become such a common thing?

A huge reason for the rise in eating disorders is related to the pressure from the media and society telling us all we have to look a certain way. Businessinsider.com did an interview with the CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch, which, as we all know, discriminates against anyone who does not fit the “Victoria’s Secret model” standard of beauty.

CEO Robin Lewis told Business Insider that “he does not want larger people shopping in his store, he wants thin and beautiful people.” But when did a size 00 become more beautiful than an average woman who is between a size 12 and 14?

The average Victoria’s Secret model is between 5 foot 8 inches tall and 5 foot 11 inches tall, and weighs no more than 120 pounds at the absolute heaviest, according to thevangelz.com. If your Body Mass Index (BMI) is under 18.5, you are considered underweight and it is recommended that you speak to your doctor to be sure there are no underlying health problems, according to Webmd.com.

I picked a random Victoria’s Secret model off of its website who is 5 feet 10 inches and 116 pounds. This would put her BMI at 16.6 — under the unhealthy 18.5 BMI, under the BMI in which it is recommended you see a doctor to check for health concerns, yet we are told this is what “beauty” is? I would call this standard a sickness, not beauty.

Obviously, there are women who are naturally small and I am not saying it is not beautiful. There is a difference between genetically skinny and dangerously skinny. Our society has gotten so wrapped up with rib cages and flat stomachs that we have completely disregarded what it means to be healthy. We have become so consumed by that little number on the scale that we refuse to take a minute to look in the mirror and ask ourselves if we feel beautiful, regardless of what the scale tells us.

Something needs to change in the media, in our society and within ourselves as individuals so women, and men as well, stop feeling the need to put themselves through these horrifying eating disorders to feel attractive. Maybe if Hollywood would lay off on the Photoshop and the drug industry would lay off on the diet pills, the temptation would not be so great. It would be nice to go back to the time where Marilyn Monroe was seen as beautiful at a 12 pant size, 8 dress size and only 5 foot 5 inches tall.

The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the writer and are not representative of The Slate or its staff as a whole.

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