It’s that time of year again. January 2015; The New Year, the new you, and “celebrities” seem intent on making money from dietary supplements and ‘tummy-blowing DVDs,’ but are they fueling teen eating disorders?

As social media allows fans to get closer and closer to their idols, it’s almost impossible to escape the media presence and body image. The new teen idols are the stars of reality shows like Geordie Shore and Made in Chelsea and the use of social media allows girls (and boys) to follow all aspects of their lives; from her wardrobe to her eating habits. A constant daily reminder on social media that another TOWIE star has dropped 2 dress sizes and is happier than ever thanks to a new diet technique, or images of the dietary supplements “Vicky Pattison” is replacing her food. Looking at the profiles of these girls who are ‘retweeting’ celebrity diet secrets or thanking these celebrities for the dietary supplements they ordered, it’s clear that many of these girls are under the age of 18.

During adolescence, your body is undergoing many changes during puberty, and during this important transition period, getting the right nutrients is imperative in order to thrive. Eating disorders can result in being underweight at this important time in your life and can lead to low energy, nutritional deficiencies, a weakened immune system, delayed periods, and damage to future fertility.

Having suffered from anorexia/bulimia nervosa in the past, I know the difference the media can have on a child’s eating habits. I suffered mostly around the age of 13, I used to go through periods of starving myself before overeating and making myself vomit. Exercising a lot also kept my weight down, but I also used this as an excuse for my skinny appearance. My eating disorder was fueled by the constant images I started seeing of my perfect bikini body on the cover of magazines combined with my lack of self-esteem. Luckily I was able to fight the condition on my own in about a year and it wasn’t until a couple of years later that I realized that I had even suffered from an eating disorder. Now 20 years old and a “normal weight” at 120 pounds, I’m trying to tone up and lose some weight, but this time by eating my 5 a day, replacing snacks with low-calorie options, and exercising more regularly.

Watching celebrities lose massive amounts of weight in just a few months, I can’t help but wonder if this promotes extreme and often short-term solutions to weight loss. A worrying idea considering the teenagers who avidly follow these stars. Instead, the promotion of a healthy, balanced diet and regular exercise are crucial. The principles of healthy eating must be upheld; in particular eating five servings of fruits and vegetables a day, the importance of breakfast, and basing meals on starchy carbohydrates. In addition, joining a team sport can help teens lead a healthy, active lifestyle, as well as increase social interaction and develop personal skills.

As the age at which girls in particular begin to worry about the appearance of their bodies is rapidly decreasing each year, it is important that we as a society teach from an early age that the importance of body image is not about how you look. good on the outside but to feel good. inside, both physically and mentally.