I remember after one dance class my teacher called me over to speak privately with me, to tell me that I needed to lose weight if I was ever to become a professional ballerina. I was 7 at the time, and yet I have carried those words close to me for 12 years now. This time last year I had lost 20% of my body weight and I had not had my period in over a year, but it wasn't good enough. I would set deadlines for myself, like "I just need to be thin until prom, or senior week, then I'll let myself eat normally again." But every time I would continue on, narrowing my food options so that certain foods were actually evil to me. Eating candy and fat wasn't even an option to me, but I remember people constantly asking, "why can't you just eat it?" One particular night, my parents gave me a dreaded Ensure to drink because I had not eaten all day. I sat in front of them at the dinner table holding the drink sobbing because I could not physically bring myself to drink it. The more they encouraged me to eat, the more I refused. I'm recovering now after hospitalization, but it is still a struggle everyday (Katie’s Story1). Society promotes a distorted body image causing men and women to become anorexic. In order to better understand anorexia we need to learn what anorexia is, what the main causes are and the long-term effects. We also need to know why people are anorexic, why society shouldn’t use distorted body images, and the benefits of stopping anorexia. Anorexia Nervosa is an eating disorder that can have fatal consequences. Anorexics consume very restricted amounts of food and start to starve themselves. Eventually these people will become dangerously thin and malnourished, but still see themselves as overweight and continue to not eat.... ... middle of paper ... ...f to eat certain foods because they're “evil” or will “hurt your ‘perfect’ figure”. Never should men or women be told that to be in a certain sport you have to so skinny that it’s causing critical and long term effects on your heart and bones. Personally i’ve always been a small girl, but thats do to exercise! Not starving myself, or throwing up after meals. I do work for my figure, but in a healthy way. If you want to change the way you look; make sure it’s something you want to do, not something you're doing out of peer pressure or someone else’s view of how you should look. You can be 100 pounds or 300 pounds, you're going to be judge either way. But you need to push that aside and make sure you’re healthy before trying to please someone. Live up to your natural beauty! embrace the way you were made! Don’t let anyone push you around because of the way you look!
Marisa Meltzer from “The Last Feminist Taboo” describes her journey in life with family members giving excessive pressure towards Melter from losing weight and created opposite effects on her health. Which was not the right decisions she has made to get revenge back to her parents in return. When people give negative feedbacks there are always choices people can make to either accept or reject the ideas of another person’s statements. The positive decisions such as accepting the feedbacks from others to resolve the issue or refuse to believe in her parent’s criticism that she is overweight and prove it to them by doing something healthy in her lifestyle. She states her essay in a way of gaining weight was
Anorexia Nervosa has been a problematic disease many women suffer from. The article “The Slender Trap” was composed by Trina Rys who is a stay at home mother with a husband and one daughter. Rys writes the main reasons a woman may develop anorexia from. She states that the psychological pressures, expectations of friends and family and influences of the media all are factors when a woman is inflicted with the disease. I strongly agree with Rys persuading argument that anorexia could be caused by an unknown identity and the overall main focus of the ideal image of a woman. Although, I believe Rys requires a stronger argument on whether food restrictions executed by parents are a major step to developing the harmful illness. She seems to put emphasize on mainly women but does not shine any light on men.
Many causes are attributed to anorexia, and scientists have studied the personalities, genetics, environments, and biochemistry of people suffering from this disorder. Women most often share various traits--although the more that is learned, the more complex each individual case becomes--low self-esteem, feelings of helplessness, and a fear ...
Out of all mental illnesses found throughout the world, eating disorders have the highest mortality rate. Anorexia nervosa is one of the more common eating disorders found in society, along with bulimia nervosa. Despite having many definitions, anorexia nervosa is simply defined as the refusal to maintain a normal body weight (Michel, 2003). Anorexia nervosa is derived from two Latin words meaning “nervous inability to eat” (Frey, 2002). Although anorexics, those suffering from anorexia, have this “nervous inability to eat,” it does not mean that they do not have an appetite—anorexics literally starve themselves. They feel that they cannot trust or believe their perceptions of hunger and satiation (Abraham, 2008). Anorexics lose at least 15 percent of normal weight for height (Michel, 2003). This amount of weight loss is significant enough to cause malnutrition with impairment of normal bodily functions and rational thinking (Lucas, 2004). Anorexics have an unrealistic view of their bodies—they believe that they are overweight, even if the mirror and friends or family say otherwise. They often weigh themselves because they possess an irrational fear of gaining weight or becoming obese (Abraham, 2008). Many anorexics derive their own self-esteem and self-worth from body weight, size, and shape (“Body Image and Disordered Eating,” 2000). Obsession with becoming increasingly thinner and limiting food intake compromises the health of individuals suffering from anorexia. No matter the amount of weight they lose or how much their health is in jeopardy, anorexics will never be satisfied with their body and will continue to lose more weight.
As defined by the National Eating Disorders Association, “Anorexia Nervosa is a serious, potentially life-threatening eating disorder characterized by self-starvation and excessive weight loss.” (NEDA). The term “Anorexia Nervosa” literally means “neurotic loss of appetite”, and could be more generally defined as the result of a prolonged self-starvation and an unhealthy relationship regarding food and self-image. It is characterized by “resistance to maintaining body weight at or above a minimally normal weight for age and height”, “intense fear of weight gain or being “fat”, even though underweight”, “disturbance in the experience of body weight or shape, undue influence of weight or shape on self-evaluation, or denial of the seriousness of low body weight”, and “loss of menstrual periods in girls and women post-puberty.”(NEDA) Among women on a range of 15 to 24 years old, AN has been proved to have 12 times the annual mortality rate of all death causes, and from premature deaths of anorexic patients, 1 in every 5 is caused by suicide, which gives a rise of 20% for suicide probability. (EDV)
Anorexic and bulimic people are often perfectionists, with unrealistically high expectations. They frequently lack self-esteem, with their feelings of ineffectiveness and a strong need for other peoples’ approval. Causes There is at present no generally accepted view of the causes of anorexia or bulimia. Most authorities believe the problem to be psychologically based, possibly stemming from family and social pressures, or other forms of stress in our modern environment. Where a high value is placed on slim-ness, women are most likely to be judged on their appearance, against a heavy background of high carbohydrate junk food promotion.
Over the years the rise in body image dissatisfaction has grown as both male and female progress to adulthood. This factor can be contributed to societal standards that the media presents to the public daily. These standards continue to rise making the body image more difficult to attain. With these standards comes the push to seek the “perfect body”. This myth of true beauty commonly found in today’s society, is the price that adolescents buy into often sacrificing their health. The perfect body can often present a distorted view of one-self leading to unhealthy methods of weight reduction. The most common methods for weight reduction are the diseases Anorexia and Bulimia. The similarities and differences between Anorexia and Bulimia will be used to prove that the society’s pressure to fit a certain mold contribute to the onset of the disease.
Anorexia nervosa is a life threatening eating disorder defined by a refusal to maintain fifteen percent of a normal body weight through self-starvation (NAMI 1). Ninety-five percent of anorexics are women between the ages of twelve and eighteen, however, “…in the past twenty years, this disorder has become a growing threat to high school and college students”(Maloney and Kranz 60). Anorexia produces a multitude of symptoms, and if not treated, anorexia can lead to permanent physical damage or death.
Anorexia has many negative effects as well. According to the University of Maryland Medical Centers article Eating Disorders, “Anorexia nervosa can increase the risk for serious health problems such as: hormonal changes including reproductive, thyroid, stress, and growth hormones, heart problems such as abnormal heart rhythm, electrolyte imbalance, fertility problems, bone density loss, anemia, and neurological problems.” Anorexia can severely affect a person internally. The continuous lack of nutrients can leave an anorexic person extremely frail. The heart in particular can grow so weak, that heart failure occurs. Eating disorders can lead too permanent health damages can stay with a person for the rest of their life.
Binge-eating disorder is defined as an eating disorder in which a person frequently consumes large amounts of food while feeling out of control and unable to stop. Almost everyone overeats every once in a while but for some people overeating crosses the line to binge-eating disorder and it becomes a regular occurrence. Many people who have this disorder may feel embarrassed about eating large amounts of food in front of others however the urge and compulsiveness of this disorder continues to affect their eating habits. Binge-eating disorder is estimated to affect approximately 1-5% of the general population and also tends to affect women slightly more often than men. Binge-eating disorder is often associated with symptoms of depression and people diagnosed with this may often express distress, shame, and guilt over their eating behaviors.
The World Book Encyclopedia defines anorexia as, "one who avoids food for psychological reasons". Most "experts" believe that those who suffer from anorexia are starving themselves to avoid growing into adults. It is also common knowledge among these experts that anorexics "want to gain attention and a sense of being special". People say that anorexia doesn't stop at affecting the victim at hand; instead, it surpasses the anorexic. Which means that anorexia affects the personality of the person; that it branches off to affect other parts of that anorexics life. Body image obsession, self-devotion, attention grabbing, selfishness, are all attributes which keenly describe anorexia in the eyes of the media and most hospital institutions. It is that view point which affect modern societies view eating disorders, and anorexia in particular.
I had found so much of my comfort in food at times when I was stressed, despite my generally smiley appearance. I have never found another word to properly express how I actually felt during any of this other than stressed. Ultimately, the fear of constant approval from peers and relatives caused me to not diet, but take away the only source of comfort I had. In 8th grade, I heard a peer whom I am now very close with mentioned they hadn’t eaten a lot the entire summer for one reason or another. Which led me to the idea to stop eating and lose weight. It was horrible at first, so I lessened the pain by eating only at dinner. As this went on though, I got less hungry. The stomach pains weakened as school days turned to school weeks, as they formed into two years of living off bare minimum. I reduced my portions in half and snacking became less of an enjoyment and turned into a horrid guilt. It got to the point where friends grew concerned and ask me about bringing me
Most of you probably already know what anorexia is, however in case you don't anorexia is basically a disease involving self-starvation. Anorexia victims have a very low "ideal" weight. It might begin as a normal diet carried to extremes, reducing their food intake to a bare minimum. Rules are made of how much food they can eat in one day and how much exercise is required after eating certain amounts of food. With anorexia, there is a strong almost overwhelming fear of putting on weight and they are preoccupied with the way that their bodies look. Anorexia sometimes involves use of laxatives, diet pills, or self-induced vomiting to lose or to keep weight off (http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/diseases/facts/anorexianervosa.htm). Anorexics may show symptoms such as extreme weight loss for no medical reason. Also, many deny their hunger, chew excessively, choosing low calorie foods and exercising excessively (http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/health).
This source is valid because the source is very professional and has evidence to back up any claims.
Thesis: In order to be able to get a clear understanding of what anorexia nervosa is, it is important to learn what characterizes it, what effects it has on a person, and how the disorder can be treated.