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Media Images of Anorexia: Effects of Moderate vs. Extreme Anorexia-Related Messages on Young Women

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Abstract

The aim of the study was to examine which type of anorexia-related messages have been presented on television and how they have affected young women in Israel. An empirical study was performed in two parts: (1) Anorexia-related stories that had aired on the news editions of commercial TV channels in Israel were categorized by code page. (2) A random sample was conducted among 291 women, aged 13–35. Every interviewee was requested to complete one online questionnaire that differed in its attached video message: an extreme or a moderate anorexia-related message. 71.4% of the tv-stories featured a young anorexic woman suffering from extreme underweight. Moreover, the extreme message resulted in higher reaction than the moderate message and less agreement with the message (rejecting anorexia and preferring that it be eradicated). Theoretical and practical implications of the findings will be discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Communication, Max Stern Yezreel Valley College, Yezreel Valley, Israel

    Dana Weimann-Saks

  2. Department of Communication the University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel

    Hadar Eliash

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  1. Dana Weimann-Saks
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  2. Hadar Eliash
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Correspondence to Dana Weimann-Saks.

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Weimann-Saks, D., Eliash, H. Media Images of Anorexia: Effects of Moderate vs. Extreme Anorexia-Related Messages on Young Women. Community Ment Health J 56, 823–829 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-019-00543-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-019-00543-0

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