Fiji

English 101 AB
12 October 2009
Bad Influence on the Untouched
In 1999, the media presented the topic about the effects of American television onadolescents. Columnist Ellen Goodman decided to follow that trend, and write an article referring to the idea of how western culture changed its own weight-beauty standards, consequently, creating anepidemic of eating disorders. Goodman validates her point of view with the example of Fiji, an isolated island located in the South Pacific. Fijians, before television, looked at a thin person with pity,and as having social problems. In contrast, after television reached the island, many of its native were developing eating disorders, as the result of not feeling thin enough compare to their new“box” standards. I agree with Goodman’s obvious main idea, although, her ways of expressing it are quite weak.
I can not take this article as valuable, it is clear to me that Goodman did not put muchefforts in defending her opinion, she touches a very delicate subject in a superficial way. “Maybe we ought to worry a little more about what girls learn…”, it is a must to worry about what our youthlearns. Furthermore, Goodman mentions only girls, even though girls have higher rate of anorexia, boys suffer it as well. Nowadays, males are wearing tight skinny jeans, and T-shirts as a fashiontrend. The more skinny you are, the more these type of clothes would look good on you. Television shows are full of lean six packs male actors, some of them playing the role of vampires-heroes, which manymay want to imitate for their seductive message. I was anorexic, and my co-workers from the model agency too. I was taking pills and alcohol to not eat, and some of my co-workers were using the “fourC’s diet”: Cigarettes, Cocaine, Champagne and coffee. Thus it would not surprise me if the boy-anorexia-rate is increasing. In her defends, her column has a limited space to write, therefore, not…