IELTS essay about anorexia, its causes and possible solutions

Essay topic

Nowadays many people are diagnosed with anorexia. What are the causes of this? What can be done to improve the situation?

Sample response

Fashion and lifestyle magazines are promoting unrealistic and impossible beauty standards. Wafer thin models adorn billboards all over the world. As a result, many people, especially teens now equate beauty with thinness. They refuse to eat because they are worried that they will become fat. In medical parlance, this disorder is called anorexia and it has become a major cause for concern.

Food is our fuel. If our body does not receive the right amounts of nutrients, it will not be able to function properly. Nutritional supplements can never be a substitute for food. Studies have shown that vitamins and minerals that the body receives through supplements are not absorbed properly. By contrast, the body can easily absorb the nutrients in foods. This undermines the importance of eating right.

While anorexia can be considered as a psychological disorder, it is a byproduct of our obsession with beauty and thinness. Fashion magazines and designers have their own reasons to promote thinness. If everyone is of the same size, it helps the mass production of clothes and other accessories. This will increase their profits. Unfortunately, teens who adulate super thin models and who refuse to eat do not realize that they are doing a disservice to their body.

Creating awareness about this menace is the first step to stop it. The government and the media can do a lot. In my opinion, the government needs to ban publications and commercials that promote impossible and unhealthy standards of beauty. Parents need to be vigilant too. They can easily spot the eating disorders in their children. If they feel that their children are not eating properly, they should consult a doctor and a counselor. Anorexia is not an incurable condition. Youngsters who are counseled against its ill-effects are more likely to adopt healthy eating habits.

To conclude, creating awareness about health and beauty is the first step towards combating anorexia. Youngsters need to realize that thinness is a sign of malnutrition, and not beauty. The government, doctors, media and parents need to make a concerted effort to dispel myths surrounding beauty.

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Manjusha Nambiar

Hi, I'm Manjusha. This is my blog where I give IELTS preparation tips.

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