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The general public seems to have an unhealthy obsession with celebrities - their lifestyles, relationships, and particularly their weight and body shape, which is only perpetuated (some may say even caused), by the media.
The media is constantly bombarding us with images of celebrities with extremely thin bodies. Models, actors, singers, presenters, socialites and reality TV stars often appear in magazines and on television looking very thin - sometimes even emaciated.
Getting fat then thin again
Celebrities are scrutinised when they put on a few pounds as well as when they lose them. For some reason it is interesting to watch those who appear to 'have it all' get fat and then thin again.
For example, a particularly hot present day topic seems to be celebrities having babies. After a celebrity gives birth, the paparazzi are usually hot on their tails ready to snap them so the whole world (which appears to be waiting with baited breath) can see how long it takes them to lose their baby weight and emerge super slim with all baby weight banished.
It seems that some celebrities actually give in to this pressure, being seen in public only a few weeks after giving birth to be enviably gorgeous and impossibly skinny. This is setting an unrealistic level of expectation for 'normal' mothers, who don't have an army of nannies in tow to look after their newborn while they focus on their strict diet and exercise regime.
The image of physical perfection
Having babies aside, in the celebrity world nothing less than perfect is acceptable for the catwalk or red carpet. Celebrities face intense scrutiny and every small imperfection is noted and brought to the world's attention. The celebrity must go to great lengths to look as good as good as possible to be noticed for the right reasons.
Fortunately for them, they have the means to do this. Personal chefs, trainers, assistants, plastic surgery, beauty treatments, you name it; they have everything they need at their disposal to whip them into the desired size and shape.
The resulting image of physical perfection that celebrities project is unobtainable for the majority of people, many of whom are secretly wishing they too could look like this. This is thought to contribute to women's (and men's) feelings of dissatisfaction about their own bodies, which may lead them to make unhealthy diet choices. Dieting is one of the contributory factors in the onset of eating disorders.
Messages from the media
In summary, celebrities endeavour to look the way they do because of the immense pressure they face from the media to look good, and it is the media that bombards the general public with their images.
So is the media responsible for eating disorders? It would be foolish to answer this question with a definitive 'yes' as it is known eating disorders arise from a number of interrelated, complex issues. However, the media certainly has an important role to play in the messages impressionable, young people receive about the cultural ideal of physical perfection.