Dear Dr. Wes and John: In your opinion, do you believe media play a role in how many women have anorexia or bulimia? How about being overweight? Do you think women get the idea that they must look like the stick-thin models so they will “fit in” or be able to get a hot boyfriend? Do media portray overweight women to be “bad” people in society?

Dr. Wes: Eating disorders are very complex. I have attended research and training seminars on this topic, and the only things everyone agrees upon is that every case is different and there is no one thing that causes someone to become anorexic, bulimic or to overeat. Clearly the media play a role by encouraging a golden mean of feminine beauty as the thin 16-year-old girl. If you don’t believe me, simply take a look at most magazine covers in any given month. We sell sex in our society in the image of teenage girls – regardless of the real age of the model – and then we complain that girls and young women try to live up to that image. It is really rather disturbing. Moreover, if you notice what media teenagers buy, it is always “one up” in age. So at this point very young teens, and even “tweenies,” are buying Seventeen and Elle Girl, while the mid-teens have already moved up to Cosmo. The same is true for TV as kids “watch up” to learn what the next development phase holds. And a great deal of that message is “be thin and pretty, thin and pretty”: like a mantra.

However, to prove the hypothesis that media are at the root of eating problems, you’d have to see more kids with eating disorders than we have, and they would have to be free of other problems. That simply isn’t the case. There are usually specific family dynamics associated with eating disorders that may also present themselves in other types of behavior, such as cutting, secret substance abuse, anxiety and even obsessive compulsive behavior. Typically these families have high achievement orientation and low conflict resolution, and they are raising kids who are fairly high achievers and appear on the surface as the “really good” kids. Instead of acting out, they turn inward and try to control other aspects of their lives. That’s where the media play in. These kids, already disposed to do something to themselves, see this illusion of a perfect body and say, “Hey, I can do that.” This is admittedly a very short explanation for a very large issue, but it gives you a general flavor of the problem and clarifies that getting rid of Elle and “Laguna Beach” isn’t going to solve the problem.

To oversimplify an even more complicated issue, I think the media may also be creating unintended problems in a more subtle way and with benevolent intent. There is growing focus on obesity, which is by all estimates a national epidemic and a serious threat to the health of millions of adults, children and teens. This may have the dual effect of waking up some folks and saving their lives, and making others feel even worse about themselves, which in turn makes them LESS likely to try and find a healthier lifestyle.

So the bottom line is this: Healthy weight is easy to figure out, sometimes difficult to achieve and rarely well-covered in the media. It depends on many factors and how each person looks at and invests in those factors, which parents would do well to consider long before their kids hit the vulnerable teen years.

John: There’s no doubt our commercial media convey a warped female image. The images we see on magazine covers represent a few dozen (handpicked from a sample of 3 billion) women who have been completely made-over twice – first by professional makeup and hairstylists, then with digital-imaging technology. The complete process can be viewed on the YouTube clip “Evolution.” The media have started to pick up on the backlash, but that hasn’t stopped them from broadcasting the same old thing. The Associated Press, for instance, recently ran an article claiming sexed-up images hurt young women’s self-esteem, but then illustrated the article with a photograph of four swimsuit models’ backsides.

As Wes notes, anorexia and bulimia aren’t caused solely by our media’s imaging. Tendencies toward perfectionism, biochemical factors, low self-esteem and mood-swing intolerance seem to be risk factors as well. But whatever its cause, doctors agree the condition is serious. The teen years are supposed to be a period of physical growth, and cutting of the body’s supply line can permanently stunt its maturity. Low blood-sugar levels reduce your ability to think clearly and prevent you from developing new lines of thought. This will make other life problems even more difficult to conquer. Over time, anorexia has been linked to osteoporosis, bruising and immune deficiency. The effects of starvation on the body add up, and one in 10 anorexics eventually die from it. If you find yourself struggling with eating issues, please tell a responsible adult. Psychologists have seen others with this problem, and they can help you if you seek help first.

It is often tempting to abandon a friend struggling with a psychological disorder, but those with eating disorders are in dire need of communication. Girls need to reassure friends with image problems and lend an ear to those who feel overwhelmed or ostracized. Guys need to be sensitive to the feelings of the other sex and stop comparing their girlfriends to the women they see in pornography. To find the most reliable tool in combating this epidemic, just look in the mirror.

Next week: John and Wes discuss the most underrated skills or attributes for teens.

– Dr. Wes Crenshaw is a board-certified family psychologist and director of the Family Therapy Institute Midwest. John Murray is a Free State High School senior. Opinions and advice given here are not meant as a substitute for psychological evaluation or therapy services. Send your questions about adolescent issues to doubletake@ljworld.com. All correspondence is strictly confidential.