Hollywood’s influence

Aside from family and peers, one of the most influential entities in a teenager’s life is the media. Teenagers tend to emulate the appearances of the beautiful men and women they see on TV. And among all the people appearing on television, the people that teens idolize most are the Hollywood stars. It is very easy to blame the people on Hollywood for our children’s eating disorder. After all, they are the reasons why our kids become anorexic–because they want to become as skinny as Paris Hilton or Keira Knightley. But the thing is, these Hollywood stars are celebrities, and it is their job to look good. They have their own personal trainers and nutritionists because it is part of their jobs. They cannot be entirely blamed for all the cases of anorexia nervosa or bulimia all over the world. Since we cannot really control the subliminal message that the Hollywood is sending to our kids, the most that we can do is to guide our teens and educate them about the hazards of having poor eating habits. They should also be made to understand that being beautiful is not synonymous to being slim.