Here, you’ll find “just the facts”: studies and reports from many leaders in the fields of eating disorders, body image, and communications/media. In presenting these facts, we hope to help you become aware of the growing problem of body image dissatisfaction, as well as the extent to which women’s body image and the development of eating disorders in women are influenced by culture and media.

We also hope that you will find this section helpful for your school/college papers, grant proposals, and research. In return for the hard work (more than 50 hours!) we put into compiling these facts, please 1) mention you found them on the About-Face web site to spread the word about our work and 2) do not plagiarize or copy words directly from this section. Use the facts to inform your own thoughts on the topic!

As you read these statistics you may notice that they sometimes seem contradictory, which usually means there’s a need for more research. The field of body image and eating disorders is growing and expanding, with many dedicated professionals conducting research and treatment.

A huge “thank you” goes out to the many therapists, health-care providers, teachers, parents, and friends who combat body image and eating disorder problems by creating change in our society.

Our facts were first compiled in 1998 by Elisabeth Dittrich, PhD. They were updated in 2007 by Marcella Raimondo, MPH and PhD student.

Just the Facts:

1. Body Image
   1. What Is Body Image? Body image facts
   2. Body Image and Dieting (including info on dieting during adolescence, dieting impact on eating disorders)
   3. Body Image and Mental Health (including impact on psychology, shame, depression, self-worth, attitudes, self-esteem)
2. Media
   1. Media Effects on Young Women
   2. Sexism and Stereotypes of Women
   3. The Thin Ideal
   4. Weight Bias
3. Eating Disorders and Disordered Eating
   1. General Facts
   2. How Many People Have Eating Disorders?
   3. What Causes Eating Disorders?
   4. How Eating Disorders Affect an Individual: Short-Term and Long-Term
   5. Anorexia Nervosa
   6. Bulimia Nervosa
   7. Binge Eating
   8. Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (EDNOS)
   9. Excessive Exercise (including information on the female athlete triad)
   10. Physical Costs of Eating Disorders
   11. Financial Costs of Eating Disorders
   12. Socioeconomic Status, Ethnicity, and Eating Disorders
4. Cosmetic Surgery
   1. General Facts
   2. Trends and Demographic Data
   3. Consumers Attitudes Survey 2008
   4. Breast Implants for High-School Graduation
   5. Extreme Makeover: Primetime Cosmetic Surgery
5. Obesity
   1. General Information on Obesity
   2. Childhood Obesity
   3. Weight Loss Status Among “Overweight” and “Obese” Adults
   4. Weight Loss Marketing
   5. Weight Bias
6. References

Note: The information on the About-Face web site is provided for informational purposes only and is not intended to treat or diagnose an eating disorder or other conditions. It cannot replace a psychologist’s or physician’s diagnosis. The About-Face staff cannot provide a diagnosis or other personal advice, but we would be happy to send you information and assist you in finding appropriate resources.

This information is also not a substitute for medical and/or psychological treatment. Although the information provided on this web site is intended to be as accurate and reliable as possible, it is possible that the information may not be up to date, may be incomplete, and/or may contain inaccuracies. (We worked very hard to provide accurate information. Please let us know if you find anything incorrect by e-mailing us at info@about-face.org.) Therefore, as a condition of using this web site, users agree that how information provided by this web site is used is the user’s sole responsibility and not the responsibility of About-Face.