Body Image Eating Disorders and Obesity by Thompson

The book breaks down the stereotype of what an eating disorder really is. In today’s society having an eating disorder means that you have some kind of “psychological frailty or illness” (1). When thinking about those that have eating disorders typically it is “young, middle to upper class, heterosexual white women” comes to mind (1). Their motivation is to take on the unrealistic appearance of models and reach the “standards created by advertisers and clothing designers” (1). The author in no regards is trying to down play women that have eating disorders because of the pressure of the media but is showing that there are other people and reasons for having eating disorders. This image that we currently have leaves out “women of color, working class women and lesbians” (1).

The majority of these women develop eating disorders as a result of, “racism, sexism, homophobia, classism, the stress of acculturation, and emotional, physical and sexual abuse” (2). Many of the women in this book have been raped, discriminated against and lived in violent households where they witnessed the father beating the mother. On average “one in every thousand women die from anorexia each year” (3). The main reason for this is, “heart and multiple organ failure” (3). The author uses the life of eighteen women from different backgrounds to explain how they began having eating disorders.

The book is separated by six sections. It starts off with stereotypes of eating disease orders, to how these eating disorders began then develops to how these women are dealing with this problem now.

The first three sections go straight to the topic but the last sections goes deeper. I am certain that the author’s purpose for her organization of the book, is to pro...

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...eir later years. Even though, this book is interesting is fails to give hope of a better future for other women.

Even the women that go to meetings for their eating disorder are often discriminated against. Some even find to programs too unforgiving and judgmental which leads to a decrease in meeting attendance and sometimes relapse. I would recommend this book if someone wanted to know the personal stories of minority women with eating disorders. It would not serve as a good source of information if someone wanted to know the signs, statistical information or wanted to seek help. However, Ms. Thompson did make a good point when she stated that there some form of “change in the social conditions that support violence and injustice” (127), Personally, I did enjoy reading about the lives of these women but feel like this book does not serve them justice.