Parents and adults can also educate children on the need for proper nutrition and exercise in order to lead a healthy lifestyle. In a culture that is dominated with fast-food and diets that are high in both carbohydrates and calories, Americans are gaining weight at unprecedented levels. In attempts to lose weight and achieve the perfect body, many young women are developing eating disorders such as bulimia and anorexia nervosa as they try to limit their food intake. Mothers and fathers can help prevent the need for dieting and other means of losing weight by teaching their kids at a young age to eat properly, balancing their meals with fruits and vegetables and to limit junk foods and desserts. In addition, parents should try and get their children involved in sports at an early age as a means of exercise and physical activity, which are key parts to a healthy lifestyle. The “perfect” female body is an image that pervades all aspects of American culture and society. From television, magazines, and other parts of the mass media to politics and the economy, the ideal feminine figure can be found everywhere. In a country where so much value is placed in the physical characteristics of a person, many women throughout the early stages of their life struggle to maintain a sense of identity while trying to conform to society’s expectations of their bodies. American parents need to step up and educate their young girls about positive body image by explaining realistic expectations of their body and proper diet and exercise.
[FONT='Times New Roman','serif']Works Cited[/font]
[FONT='Times New Roman','serif']Gimlin, Debra L.
Body Work: Beauty and Self-Image in American Culture. Berkeley: University of California P, 2002. 5.[/font]
[FONT='Times New Roman','serif']"Reshaping America." Chart.
Everything's an Argument with Readings. New York: Bedofrd/St. Martin's, 2007.[/font]
[FONT='Times New Roman','serif']Teague, Michael L., Sara L. Mackenzie, and David M. Rosenthal.
Your Health Today: Choices in a Changing Society. Brief ed. New York: McGraw Hill, 2007. 281.[/font]
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The Renfrew Center Foundation for Eating Disorders, "Eating Disorders 101 Guide: A Summary of Issues, Statistics and Resources," published September 2002, revised October 2003, [/font]
[FONT='Times New Roman','serif']http://www.renfrew.org[/font][FONT='Times New Roman','serif']
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