Eva transitions between being an insider and an outsider. When she is in a homosexual relationship with Maya she is considered by society to be an outsider, but when she is in a heterosexual relationship with Cheese she is considered to be an insider. She is always comfortable with the person she is, but society views her differently which results in her transitioning between an insider and an outsider, showing the way in which these definitions often produce a lot of gray area. Throughout the story, she has trouble with society’s classification of people. There are certain things you can’t change and the views from society are one of those things. It is revealed that at some point in her life she has had an eating disorder, which reflects the way society still has some hold on her. Eva says, "Daddy I've been eating for years. We eat together sometimes" (159). Although Eva now has control over herself, allowing her to be an insider, she would have considered an outsider during her time of anorexia. This is extremely interesting because she stopped eating in order to fit into the mold that society has deemed as acceptable, but in return became an outsider for doing something that society required in order for her to be considered an insider. Also, the waiter “taking the opportunity to glance down her dress” (147) is something she doesn’t have control over. She is constantly trying to be in more than once place. She is able to exert control over herself and is comfortable with her sexuality. She is a confident person who feels comfortable with the way she looks. Her journey consists of her independence. She wants to be independent and strong willed. Eva choosing to not be with Cheese or Maya shows that she is strong enough, and loves herself enough to be alone and not in a relationship. She overcame her insecurities and is moving on with her life for herself, not for someone else which shows agency and control over her body and actions.

Eva is the main character in the short story Jellyfish. She is the daughter of William, whose roof recently collapsed inside his apartment. William needs to find a new place to live and wants Eva to move in with him. In the short story, Eva struggles with her identity. She appears to be comfortable with herself, but throughout the story she changes her appearance and who she is with. In the beginning of the story, Eva is with Cheese. Cheese is the first boy to ever make her feel beautiful, yet she doesn’t want to be with him. She then decided to date Maya, but eventually leaves her. Eva goes from a heterosexual relationship to a homosexual relationship. 

In this Yoplait commercial, the woman talks about eating a slice of cheesecake while jogging in place. She is trying to justify eating a piece of dessert. This portrays a horrible message to women. It encourages women to not eat and to be as skinny as possible. 

Eva’s father and ex-boyfriend both comment on how she is eating. She replies that she has been eating for years. This implies she must have had an eating disorder in the past. Eva’s lack of eating was an attempt to exert control over her own body. At the same time, it was socially enforced by society and the media all around her. She wanted to look good for herself, but the definition of “good” is what society viewed as good looking, forcing us to question whether or not our choices are made based off of society's influence or from our own agency and opinion. An example of this is the way in which Eva's control over body via her eating disorder only took place because the media was encouraging her to do so. Society doesn’t have that hold on her anymore; she is a strong woman comfortable in her own body. Eva doesn’t dress up for someone, but rather for herself. When she was getting ready for lunch she dressed as she pleased and “she hadn’t bothered straightening her hair for her father’s benefit” (141).

This image is a popular photo floating around the internet these days. It shows the transition throughout the years of what society deems beautiful. Women continue to get skinnier and skinnier because they have so much pressure from society to be like all the woman in the media. The lady in the Yoplait commercial comments on how the other woman has lost weight, but that isn’t necessarily a good thing. It sends out a message that one should always try to lose weight, but in reality one should just be comfortable in their skin regardless of size.

The previous YouTube video and advertisement are of white women because statistics show that the prevalence rate of eating disorders in black women isn’t as high as the prevalence rate in white women. White women suffer from anorexia and bulimia more so than black women. In this graph, black women don’t place in the statistics of anorexia, and white women are nearly doubled than black women in the binge eating category. In the bulimia category of the graph, white women are over five times more prevalent than black women in having the disease.

 





Does the media affect us psychologically, to the point that one would starve themselves to look beautiful? Why do you think that black women are less likely to have eating disorders than white women?