Activity Post 1 (Sociology)
- Lucila Soto
- Sep 1, 2023
- 3 min read
Updated: Oct 16, 2023
September 1, 2023
This is my first Sociology Activity Post Today. These are assignments I have been given in my Sociology class, and I wanted to share them, because these are things that affect us all, some in the same manner, others differently. I was given the task of conducting a survey on a societal issue. I first had to pick a topic that society impacts, and then make a survey and ask family/friends about this topic. I know I could not be surprised by my results, but I kind of am. Life just kind of keeps surprising me nowadays. Anyways, this is just a place for me to keep track of these assignments. Also, full results will be shown, meaning this survey was ANONYMOUS so I have no idea who said what!!
25 participants (Male/Female - Age Range: 15-22 y/o), 9 questions
Explain the social issue you selected. How do you feel society does not help with this issue and why?
I picked the social issue of Eating Disorders. An Eating Disorder is a mental health condition that connects eating behaviors to thoughts about food. Unfortunately, this is an issue that people consider “private.” However, once we look at the statistics of people who deal with this issue, we learn that many have this struggle. This means that it is not a “private” issue at all. But that doesn’t change the fact that people are quiet about this struggle. Many people deal with this social issue but aren’t very open about this struggle. Some may feel alone, even though they are not. There are multiple resources to help with this issue; however, people still don’t reach out. Some people don’t like reaching out because they feel like they will be judged, and no one likes being judged! Society has made talking about this topic “taboo.” Social Media is a huge part of this modern society and Social Media influences individuals with Eating Disorders. These are two of the reasons why society does not help with this issue. Something I saw in the responses I got, was that society has beauty standards, and these standards contribute to people having eating disorders. If society did not have beauty standards, society would help; however, that is not the case.
Report the findings from your research. Are the results similar to your own theories? Address similarities and differences between the respondents. Finally, did anything surprise you?
I got a total of twenty-five people because I wanted to see many perspectives. I asked a total of nine questions although there was one question that nobody answered because it was a follow-up. My hypothesis for this survey was that everyone would say that Social Media does influence Eating Disorders. I was correct. Everyone said YES, and this was the main similarity. I asked five open-ended questions; therefore, the responses I got were different but not in a surprising way, just correlating to the fact that everyone has contrasting perspectives. I know we all go through battles that we don’t talk about. However, I was shocked to see that some of my close ones have dealt with an Eating Disorder. Seeing people that I know have gone/are going through an Eating Disorder was a grand surprise. I will say that doing this assignment opened my eyes a lot because I saw many different perspectives.
I will upload a picture of the survey questions but will type out the open-ended answers.
What is an Eating Disorder?
An eating disorder is a disorder in which a person overeats or eats too little.
An eating disorder is any abnormal eating pattern that causes harm to the body.
An eating disorder affects one's emotions and feelings towards food. It is not a weight disorder, but a mental disorder.
When you have an unhealthy relationship with food, whether you overeat or under eat.
A behavioral condition characterized by severe and persistent disturbance in eating behaviors and associated distressing thoughts and emotions.
Fear of food.
Different patterns of eating that affect your body and your mental health.
I think it's like when people struggle to eat.
An eating disorder is struggling with your digestive system. Your body may start to respond to you not eating.
A difficulty eating or overeating due to various possible psychological reasons.
Unbalanced eating habits whether you eat excessively or not at all.
Eating disorders are serious health conditions that affect both your physical and mental health.
I'm not exactly sure I just know it's when people struggle eating.
An eating disorder can be overeating or not eating enough food.
A person who doesn't have a good relationship with and either starves, fasts, or purges in different ways to lose weight.
An eating disorder is the struggle with food whether it's overeating or starving yourself.
For me, I can't stop eating. When I get stressed I turn to food for comfort.
An eating disorder is when a person has difficulties eating daily. They have mental health problems.
When you can't eat certain foods.
I view it as when your insecurities start affecting your eating behaviors in a negative way.
An unhealthy relationship with food.
An eating disorder is when someone has a bad relationship with eating and doesn't have a proper consumption level of food.
For me I struggled with disordered eating but not necessarily an eating disorder. An eating disorder is a mental disorder that results in extreme hyper-vigilance of what you consume.
N/A.
an eating disorder is when you have trouble eating too much or too little.
What factors (Mental Health, Trauma, etc.) do you think contribute to people having an Eating Disorder? Why? Be specific.
Bullying can contribute to people having an earring disorder.
Bullying, social media, verbal abuse from parents, etc. Anything that sets an unfair expectation of how they look. Or it could be trauma and stress (wanting to control/feel something).
Mental health, negative body image issues.
Maybe they were abused about being too fat or skinny so now their relationship with food has developed into something dangerous.
It can cause a person to be unmotivated or forced. Might have PTSD with certain foods.
depression & anxiety & perfection.
Society plays a big role people will always think you're too big or too small. There's no in-between someone will always have something to say.
I think mental health because their brain is telling them to do something and they're just following along.
Maybe being starved or having depression.
I think mainly it is stress, anxiety, and insecurity as well as self-confidence that affect eating disorders the most, as these are all things that teens as well as adults struggle with today, and can force us to find a coping mechanism.
Just how we deal with them whether we find comfort or discomfort in food or just to hide and make everything seem normal.
Because of things that were said to them or just the way they feel so they stop eating or they keep eating.
I think environment plays a huge role in the contribution of people having eating disorders because people can body shame them, they can envy their one skinnier friend, or their family commenting on their body.
I think factors like depression can contribute to having an eating disorder because the person who's struggling might think that eating is not as important as what is happening. Or like I said fear of being judged by others.
Honestly, I say having depression can contribute to developing or having an eating disorder. I say this because, whenever one feels like not feeling motivated to do anything, or even eat, they can slowly start to view everything around them differently including food.
I think some factors could be Health issues or even depression or stress that can lead to an eating disorder.
Mental Health for sure and Trauma. Sometimes you just don't know how to control the thoughts that rewind in your head. The memories and constant reminders of things you wish not to remember.
I think an eating disorder can be caused by sadness, loneliness, depression, anxiety, etc.
Food trauma is like someone eating something and then they don't like how it tastes or if they saw something that they don't like on the food.
Mental health definitely plays a part. But I think the most important factors would be societal expectations, beauty standards, and social media. We see pictures of people on instagram and it plays into our thoughts of not being good enough.
Any stress, and like parents forcement to eat certain amounts. As well as media representation of bodies.
I think PTSD from family members Criticising their good consumption. Social media, friends.
A lot of it is based on societal standards that we unrealistically place on women. The primary victims of an eating disorder are young women around the time of puberty- when our bodies change and become "unflattering" to the natural beauty standard. I also think anxiety and uncertain life circumstances can cause an eating disorder. Because I have OCD, disordered eating was a way I could control something to the smallest detail.
I think people have eating disorders because it makes them feel better. When they are getting bullied or something, eating might be their comfort zone.
Mental health and definitely trauma.
What do you think develops Eating Disorders in individuals? Be specific.
Feeling self-conscious about a person's weight, comparing themselves to other people.
I've heard that people develop eating disorders to feel in control of something in their lives. or just because they've taken in the message that they are defective so they try to change themselves.
The desire to have the "ideal" body type. Eating disorders quickly become addictive and it is a terrible condition to have due to the long-lasting effects.
Having a flawed self-image will cause people to take drastic measures to achieve unrealistic standards.
Trauma. Like being forced into a certain diet. Mental health. They can unmotivated and start eating less and less. Financial they might not be able to eat "healthy" and are used to certain things. (Many things).
Social media.
Different things from constantly comparing yourself to others or society comparing you to an unattainable physique.
I think when someone wants to get "skinnier" and they think that will help.
It may be hereditary.
I think that beauty standards can develop eating disorders, specifically a need to be skinny to fit beauty standards thus developing an eating disorder is likely to feel more self-confident. Anxiety can also cause eating disorders, some turn to excessive amounts of eating to fulfill the various stresses of life.
Traumas or situations in life or maybe influences.
When people body shame other people that is what I think develops eating disorders.
Society's body images and unrealistic bodies are seen online that people want.
I believe the judgment between people, some people that eat around people and they say that that person is eating too much will probably make that person stop eating and develop an eating disorder. Or the complete opposite where the person doesn't eat and is being judged for not eating enough.
A person can develop an eating disorder by either viewing their body differently (body dysmorphia) or viewing food differently (starting to count calories).
I think when one sees their own body or others and wants to change.
Stress, not loving yourself.
To my understanding eating disorders are developed when teens have self-esteem issues.
Trauma.
I think home life can play a role too. For instance, if someone in your family or even friend circle constantly makes comments about your body then you are likely to start feeling insecure about it.
An upbringing with food brings a demand of how to eat.
Insecurity about your body from social media or your peers. Feeling guilty about eating full meals, fear of gaining weight. Or food only being your way of dealing with trauma or your emotions.
Insecurity, anxiety, and lack of control.
Someone getting bullied.
Insecurities.
How does Social Media impact individuals? (With Eating Disorders)
Comparing yourself to people on social media.
Social media sets an unfair standard of perfect bodies that not everyone can achieve. It can also do the opposite where health isn't even important anymore.
Social media glamorizes diet culture which turns into starving yourself. We are influenced by things such as the "Victoria's Secret Angel's" diet to help those "slim down their figure".
For people who struggle with their self-image, seeing "perfect" people on social media fuels their obsession with not eating food.
Seeing so many models being "skinny" and "hot" will bring someone down and make them feel they have to be a certain way for society to like them.
I think it's mostly people comparing themselves to others on the Internet, and wanting to be more like them, then making themselves believe they are only attractive if they look more like that person.
When people see models they would like to look like them.
Because it shows individual beauty at its peak, models who are surrounded by professional lighting, make-up, filtering, and technology can enhance their beauty while we all only have our cameras and ourselves. In a way this is good, as it keeps us in reality, it reminds us who we are, and that's okay, but then we feel like we have to fit these standards of beauty which are quite literally unattainable.
Creates false ideas of how one should look and creates a wormhole of comparisons for everyone.
When people see other people's bodies on social media they say like oh she has a perfect body I wanna have that body shape and they either eat so much or not so much.
Social Media impacts individuals by setting unrealistic standards for body image.
There are a lot of trends on social media and a lot of promotions of pills, and surgeries that affect how someone sees their eating habits.
There are many different types of body types all over the world. One way people can see each other more easily is on social media. Seeing people with smaller bodies, etc. can make one individual feel the urge to look like them and feel motivated to continue with their eating disorder. In other words, not considering recovery.
I believe with social media, people will see someone and feel insecure about themselves, and this could lead them to have thoughts on changing themselves causing them to either eat less or eat more.
Women on social media have perfect bodies and perfect skin and their makeup comes out better and just everything. Makes me feel like I'm not good enough when there are women who look like they do and I can't compare.
Because social media can be distracting so it makes people forget to eat.
Social Media allows people to compare their bodies to others who fit what society says is "beautiful".
Many influencers with pretty bodies also promote their lifestyle, which is unhealthy most of the time. This influences people who want to look like them. Most of the time people will promote unhealthy diets, which leads to developing an Eating Disorder.
If they see how someone's food is really bad and gross.
Social media gives us unrealistic expectations of what our bodies should look like.
Having people only post the best versions of themselves makes others feel the need to achieve the same even when unrealistic.
It creates unrealistic standards of the human body. And creates expectations that society begins to require people to have to be desirable.
We are naturally fed and promoted towards individuals online who are attractive, whether by conscious advertisers or unconscious user bias. We naturally notice ppl we think are more attractive, and gravitate towards equating their looks to their popularity. Fitness culture online is also a big part (especially with male eating disorders), as calorie counting and excessive diets can cause a skewed perception of what is healthy.
When people see other people on social media they want to be like them and have the things they want.
Society has made people feel like they need to get plastic surgery done, to make them feel prettier.
How do you feel about the topic of Eating Disorders?
I feel bad for people who have that type of disorder because it's a tough disorder to overcome.
I feel sympathy for the victims of eating disorders. I hope that they can heal and be healthy again. I also feel angry because of how messed up the world can be.
I personally don't like talking about eating disorders due to myself having one and it's very difficult to speak up about.
I feel it is upsetting that people suffer this way, but I've never experienced it myself so I don't feel a great personal attachment to the topic.
It's something that needs more attention. Good attention so people can get help.
I hate that many people how them but I also love bringing awareness to Eating Disorders, all in all coming from experience they suck but as much as you can try it takes time to love yourself and everything you come with, body, personality, looks, everything. It takes time to fully and completely love yourself; you should take that time and find that energy to fully and completely love yourself.
I feel like it's something that needs to be talked about more often.
I think that people should help other people with it if they're struggling
I think eating disorders are sad. It can impact your mental health and have a toll on the body.
It's pretty interesting
I think it's a topic that more people should be more aware of, and is something that we should root out the causes for and attempt or help to solve in our society by caring for those in the appropriate ways.
It's something that needs to be talked about because it is also very broad and not common.
I think it is a serious topic because it can affect not only your mental health but physical health
It's something that if you know a lot about, you can help someone going through it.
To be honest, when talking about eating disorders publicly it doesn't affect me however it does make me think to myself.
I feel it is something that isn't talked about often but when it is people can dismiss it as nothing but I feel it is very serious as it can affect mental health, and health issues for a good percentage of people, and could possibly lead to death.
I feel like it is something that needs to be addressed more and if someone has an eating disorder there needs to be help everywhere available.
Eating disorder is a very hard topic to talk about.
I feel good about that topic.
Touchy but very needed discussion.
I feel insecure about talking about it because personally, I've never said out loud that have it because I do not want to admit to myself that I have a disorder of any kind.
It needs to be talked about more and I think people online need to be called out when promoting unhealthy dieting.
I think it is an important topic, that people need to talk about.
I feel like it is a good thing to talk about all eating disorders.
I don't feel good about the topic, it's sad but it needs so much awareness.
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