Eating Disorders: The Skinny on Skinny

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Recommended: the problem with eating disorders

“Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels” (Moss). Skinny is beautiful. Bones are perfection; collar bones, prominent ribcage, concave stomach, hip bones and legs that do not touch no matter what position. All of this is achievable because happiness lies in the empty stomach. These are the ideas and ideals that bombard the eating disordered mind. These are the ideas that society projects and then questions why eating disorders are on the rise. Eating disorders were first recognized in the 1960’s and since then have branched out into subsections. Anorexia nervosa in the starving of oneself to be thin. Bulimia is the cycle of binging and purging food in order to lose weight. Binge eating is overeating as a way of comfort. Orthorexia is the extreme obsession with being healthy, and “EDNOS” is a patient who could fall into two or more of these categories. Eating disorders are the primary result of overstimulation of media displaying overly thin women as the ideal; it can be worsened by genetics and social settings. Since 1960 the amount of cases of eating disorders has risen drastically. Since 1960 technology has increased as well. With this new technology social media has become increasingly popular leading to overstimulation of pictures portraying emaciated young women as “perfection” (Salter). Eating disorders are especially prominent in young females; and young minds are often easily influenced by what is normalized to them (Park). When a young brain is opened up to ideas and words that idolize “skinny”, it will undoubtedly become similarly obsessed with “skinny”. Harvard Medical school recently did a study on media’s effects on eating disorders: “Scientists…studying the social influences contributing to eating disorders focuse... ... middle of paper ... ...ders." National Eating Disorder Association (NEDA). N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Mar. 2014. Herizons [Winnipeg] Feb. 2008, Vol. 21 No. 3 ed. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 24 Feb. 2014. "Kate Moss in Quotations." The Independent. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Mar. 2014. "Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels." -Kate Moss Kirkey, Sharon. "When Obestiy-Prevention Programs Backfire." Postmedia News 31 Mar. 2013: n. pag. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 24 Feb. 2014. Mankiller, Wilma. "Eating Disorders." The Reader's Companion to Women's History. N.p.: n.p., 1998. N. pag. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 23 Feb. 2014. Matthews, Glenna. "Eating Disorders." American Women's History: A Student Companion. N.p.: UP, 2000. N. pag. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 18 Feb. 2014. "New Genes Connected to Eating Disorders." Times Health and Family 8 Oct. 2013: n. pag. Times Health and Family. Web. 3 Mar. 2014.

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