Eating disorders are problematically hidden in society, but they are even more concealed in the sports world. The athletes participating in some sports have a greater risk of developing eating disorders than those playing other sports due to the emphasis that is placed on muscle development or a thin physique required for optimal performance. Bodybuilding is one of the sports whose participants are at a high risk of developing an eating disorder, as bodybuilders pursue extreme muscular development in addition to maximum body fat reduction. Although, eating disorders are a problem faced by society in general, it is a problem that goes unseen in bodybuilding and the aesthetic pressures of bodybuilding heightens the risk of an athlete developing an eating disorder. Bodybuilding is a solely aesthetic sport, as the physical appearance of bodybuilding competitors is the fundamental basis for the judges’ point-scoring criteria (Dosil). During competitions, participants flex and execute certain exercises in order to exhibit their bodies (IFBB). To win or receive a high score, the participants must develop all of their muscles to their maximum size, while keeping their body symmetrical and proportionally balanced (Thompson & Sherman). Going further, the International Federation of Bodybuilding (IFBB) states that, to prepare for a competition, the participants must train to decrease their body-fat level as much as possible. Also, the IFBB points out that one should train to remove water from underneath the skin, as it helps display the quality of one’s muscles by enhancing the density, separation, and definition. In saying such, the individual who is able to display more muscle detail receives the highest score. With bodybuilding, ... ... middle of paper ... ...d enjoy themselves and it should build their character, not make them feel less than the perfection that they are. Works Cited Becker, A. E., Grinspoon, S. K., Klibanski, A., & Herzog, D. B. (1999). Eating disorders. The New England Journal of Medicine, 340(14), 1092–1098. Dosil, Joaquín. Eating Disorders in Athletes. Chichester, England: John Wiley & Sons, 2008. Print. "Our Disciplines- Bodybuilding." IFBB. International Federation of Bodybuilding And Fitness, n.d. Web. 05 Mar. 2014. Tanny, A. (1995, November). Rx: Bodybuilding. Joe Weider’s Muscle & Fitness, 56(11), 166. Thompson, Ron A., and Roberta Trattner Sherman. Eating Disorders in Sport. New York: Routledge, 2010. Print. Vandereycken, W. H., Ina. (2008). Denial and concealment of eating disorders: a retrospective survey. European Eating Disorders Review, 16(2), 109–114. doi:10.1002/erv.857
The National Institute of Mental Health: Eating Disorders: Facts About Eating Disorders and the Search for Solutions. Pub No. 01-4901. Accessed Feb. 2002.
Research, 2016. Bordo implicated popular culture as having a serious negative role in how women of America view their bodies. These images have led to drastic increase change in life altering female disorders and eating. Not only does these images affect Americans but young men and women too which they should be fighting against it, not for
The ideal dancer is expected to be thin and well proportioned. Dancers tend to be naturally competitive and often struggle with the overwhelming attention brought to their body shape, causing many to develop eating disorders. Classical training and the high demands it requires is another cause of eating disorders (Kelly). Between 1966 and 2013, many studies have been conducted in attempt to find a ratio of eating disorders among dancers. These studies show that around 16.4% of dancers have been classified with a general eating disorder, 4% have been diagnosed with anorexia, around 2% of dancers have bulimia, and 14.9% have eating disorders not otherwise specified (Arcelus).
Powers, P.S., & Johnson, C. (1996). Small victories: Prevention of eating disorders among athletes. Eating Disorders: The Journal of Treatment and Prevention, 4, 364-367.
“Eating disorders are ‘about’: yes, control, and history, philosophy, society, personal strangeness, family fuck-ups, autoerotics, myth, mirrors, love and death and S&M, magazines and religion, the individual’s blindfolded stumble-walk through an ever-stranger world.” (Hornbacher, 4)
According to the Sports Medicine and Arthroscopy Review’s article on the female athlete triad, in the past forty years, American women have become increasingly involved in athletics as a result of laws allowing them to participate in sports. (Lebrun and Rumball) For instance, Cathy Rigby won eight Olympic gold medals in gymnastics during the ‘60’s and 70’s when these laws were just coming into effect. (Brunet) Nevertheless, there is an ugly hidden underbelly to the many benefits of women’s increased participation in sports. Many sports have very high standards for body image, which has led to the increasing prevalence of three “separate… but interrelated conditions” collectively known as the female athlete triad. (Lebrun and Rumball) Despite Cathy Rigby’s aforementioned success, an article by Dr. Michael Brunet reveals that she was severely affected by the most well-known of the female athlete triad: the eating disorder. This eventually caused her to suffer cardiac arrest twice. (Brunet) These effects are not limited to elite athletes, however; high school athletes are also affected by the triad, particularly those participating in sports “in which leanness is perceived to optimize performance” or which use “specific weight categories.” (Lebrun) The three components of the triad, osteoporosis, amenorrhea, and disordered eating, are increasingly becoming an unfortunate effect of distorted body image on sports.
Choi, Al. "Muscle Dysmorphia: A New Syndrome in Weightlifters." British Journal of Sports Medicine. British Journal of Sports Medicine, n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2014. .
Shapiro, C. M. (2012). Eating disorders: Causes, diagnosis, and treatments [Ebrary version]. Retrieved from http://libproxy.utdallas.edu/login?url=http://site.ebrary.com/lib/utdallas/Doc?id=10683384&ppg=3
Bodybuilding is a sport that tests both the body and the mind. For thousands of years, people have used it. However, only for a little over a century has it been popular. A big question asked by many in the sport is, how much has bodybuilding really changed from the silver era (the 1940s)? The answer is a lot, since the 1940s many changes have occurred. Some of these are steroid abuse, competition categories and ranks, and money (Robson). Modern-day bodybuilders have incredibly large “stacks” (slang for the steroids they use on their cycle), more opportunities to compete than they did in the 40s and even more ways to market for money. The sport of bodybuilding has been around for thousands of years and has changed more than ever in just
Eating Disorders." Current Issues: Macmillian Social Science Library. Detroit: Gale, 2010. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 20 Oct. 2015.
Eating Disorders (EDs) are a series of often life-threatening mental health disorders which are commonly used as coping mechanisms or as ways to mask one’s problems. The causes of these illnesses are still being researched, and the effects they have on a person’s physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing can often be as long as the sufferer’s life.
Eating disorders in athletes do not fit neatly into anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa, but rather a combination of both. In athletes, anorexia nervosa may often present itself as over-exercising rather than undereating. In the athletic population, it is difficult to define weight a weight loss criteria for an eating disorder dia...
Hoek, Hans Wijbrand, and Daphne Van Hoeken. "Review of the Prevalence and Incidence of Eating Disorders." International Journal of Eating Disorders 34.4 (2003): 383-96. Print.
Eating disorders are described as an illness involving eating habits that are irregular and an extreme concern with body image or weight. Eating disorders tend to appear during teenage years, but can develop at any age. Although more common in women, eating disorders can affect any age, gender or race. In the United States, over 20 million women and 10 million men are personally affected by eating disorders. There are many different causes of eating disorders such as low self esteem, societal pressures, sexual abuse and the victims perception of food. Eating disorders are unique to the sufferer and often, their perception of themselves is so skewed, they may not be aware they have an eating disorder. Media, for quite some time now, has played a significant part in eating disorders. Magazines with headlines ‘Summer Body’, or ‘Drop LB’s Fast!’ attract the attention of girls who may be insecure with themselves. Television productions such as the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show or American’s Next Top Model, show airbrushed and photoshopped women who have body types that may be unachievable. Those who are suffering from eating disorders can suffer dangerous consequences, and it is important to seek help.
Matthews, John R. Library in a Book: Eating Disorders. New York: Facts on File Inc. 1991