Genre Analysis – Eating Disorder among Teenagers and how Social Media plays a central role.

Introduction

In this genre analysis I will discuss how social media has an impact on developing eating
disorder among teenagers today. As a society we are very dependent on social media, almost
every teenager has access to a device that allows them to connect to the internet. I think this
topic is very important to talk about because there is more awareness about mental health than
ever. I hope people reading this will get an understand on how important it is to identify the
symptoms of this disorder. I believe talking about this issue will open a door for conversation
that will potentially have positive outcomes. I will be using two different sources; a typography
source, “The spectrum of eating disorder in adolescence” by the Journal of Psychosomatic
Research, and an iconography source, the song “Mirror Mirror” by Eleanor Holmes.

Structure and delivery

According to “The spectrum of eating disorder in adolescence” by the Journal of

Psychosomatic Research. “Most girls feel too fat at some time during adolescence. Weight and
age have been shown to be important determinants, the feeling of being too fat being much
commoner in fat girls and rising in prevalence through the years of adolescence in girls.” When
you are a teenager you are going through a lot of hormonal changes which affects the self-
esteem of many teenagers. Adding to that teenagers go through a lot of social pressure in order
to fit in. In addition, the young generation look up to celebrities that are “perfect”. This causes a
lot of insecurities and traumas. Some of these insecurities may lead to eating disorder such as
anorexia, bulimia, and ortorexia.

There are many people who are trying to create awareness such as singer/songwriter
Eleanor Holmes. She wrote a song called “Mirror Mirror” that expresses the mindset of a person
experiencing eating disorder. Holmes wrote “Dreaming of happiness and peace but what she
doesn’t know she’s fighting a losing battle what she doesn’t know is she’s her own enemy”. This

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is a reflection of how teenagers sometimes do not know how to seek help.

Audience and purpose

I really want this genre analysis to be read, everyone could benefit from this. Specially
parent who are raising kids that may develop eating disorders. This is a very important topic
because these illnesses kill millions of people yearly. I hope that people who are reading this will
learn about the symptoms and erase the stigma of seeking professional help.

Rhetorical issues: ethos, pathos, logos

The article “The spectrum of eating disorder in adolescence” by the Journal of

Psychosomatic Research, contains both ethos, pathos, and logos. The ethos is presented clearly
where the article is found at google scholar, which is a trustful source. The article is a part of the
Journal of Psychosomatic Research that includes several articles about the same topic that is
discussed. The author of “The spectrum of eating disorder in adolescence” is George C. Patton
which is working at the Children`s hospital in Melbourne. Because of his position and credibility,
the article is reliable. The article also contains citations and references if needed. Use of citations
and good sources makes the article being presented more professional. The logos is also
presented in a good way where the article contains statistics and numbers that makes the
statements logic and obvious. The journal contains data from the latest years which makes it
very relevant and trustful as well. Its arguments also contain good analysis which makes the
argument more effective and reliable. By contrasting earlier statistics with today's data, people
will understand social medias impact on these illnesses today. The article also includes data
directly from adolescents that have been experiencing these types of illnesses. The pathos is
presented where young adolescents are speaking out about their experiences around this illness.
By including thoughts and true stories from teenagers, an emotional tone will develop among
the audience. Numbers and statistics can also be a source that creates emotion and feelings.

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 On the other hand, we have the song “Mirror Mirror”, by Eleanor Holmes. The song has a
strong credibility where the song lyrics is writing from her own experiences. Eleanor died at the
age of 15 years old because of her issues with low self-worth and depression. Her stories and
messages are presented in a very reliable way by the fact that she passed away because of these
illnesses. People may take this more seriously when they understand these illnesses significant of
self-worth. The logos are presented where Holmes uses actions that teenagers' experiences
today. Teenagers look at themselves in the mirror every day and struggle with the thoughts
around being perfect. This mindset is also very common among teenagers today. This makes the
song more logic and will convince the audience easier. By using examples of every day's
situations, people can look at the situation from their perspective. This may create an emotional
tone where the audience can put themselves in the same position and understand how the
illness is working. Including sudden words in the song lyrics will also create feelings among the
audience. In the fourth paragraph of the song Holmes wrote “What you show her is deadly
you´ve killed that little girl”. This sentence is very straight forward where it includes the word
“deadly” that creates a very serious tone. By accusing the illness of killing a girl, people will get
an understanding of how dangerous this illness can be.

Conclusion

According to “The spectrum of eating disorder in adolescence” by the Journal of

Psychosomatic Research. “Recent surveys have found very high rates for the prevalence of
feeling too fat in teenage girls, raising the question of whether concerns about weight have
become even commoner in adolescence. By looking at these statistics we get an understanding
on how social media may have played a big role in making this illness more common than ever.
Social media is developing more and more every year, which makes this pressure develop even
more as well. In the song “Mirror Mirror”, by Eleanor Holmes we notice several situations that
are very common today. By using previous experiences, Holmes message is presented in a
reliable way. Using common examples like for instance “the mindset of perfection among
teenagers” where she mentions the mirrors as an important factor, today`s generation will find

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themselves in the same situation. We must understand that these issues will develop even more
if we don’t make action in preventing these issues.

References

Patton, G. C. (1988). The spectrum of eating disorder in adolescence. Journal of

Psychosomatic Research, 32(6), 579-584.

(2016). Retrieved from https://genius.com/Eleanor-holmes-mirror-mirror-elles-song-

lyrics