We have all heard the typical stereotypes of the “perfect body.” Who really has a perfect body anyways, and what does it look like? Are all girls supposed to be tiny and twig like, and are all guys supposed to be macho muscle men? No, and if this were true then that’s how we would have been created, but were not, so be proud of who you are. Thanks to media and today’s culture people are destroying their bodies. We cannot put all the blame on the media though, psychological and mental disorders such as depression, anxiety, guilt, the loss of control, and the need for attention, are among some of the factors that can lead to eating disorders. The three disorders commonly referred to are obesity, anorexia, and bulimia. Each disorder is dangerous to the body, and in many cases can lead to death. Eating disorders affect 70 million people worldwide, and in a single persons life approximately 50,000 people will die because of this terrifying disease.
Obesity is the increase in body weight caused by excessive accumulation of fat. It can be caused by many factors including the ingestion of excessive calories, inactivity, and insufficient exercise. Overeating may also result as a pattern established by family and cultural environments, leading to an emotional dependence on food. Some experts, however, may say that obesity is based upon genetics and physiology, rather than a behavioral or psychological problem. There are many myths regarding obesity, for instance, those who are obese eat more than the non obese. A study in 1979 proved that 19 out of 20 obese individuals eat the same amount as the non obese. People believe that obese individuals are emotionally disturbed, but although they deal with immense social pressures, they do not posses more or less emotions then others. Body fat is said to be unhealthy but in actuality some body fat is beneficial. Another myth is that the obese are at greater risk of cardiovascular disease. This is true with yoyo diets which cause weight to fluctuate throughout adult life. It is thought that obese people are lazy and unfit, but many do exercise and live longer than those who are thin, unfit, and do not exercise. Everyone gets “fat” with old age. Weight increases with age because people become less active, metabolism slows, and you loose muscle mass. Obesity is not untreatable; radical treatments include shutting the jaw, stapling the stomach, and intestinal bypass operations.
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.
Look in the mirror. Do you like what you see? Most of us have come to appreciate ourselves for who we are. While other’s struggle to achieve the perfect body. They strive to be what is depicted in fashion magazines and movies. The never ending obsession to be the perfect size zero. This inevitably can lead to eating disorders. Eating disorders can cause someone to have an unhealthy image of themselves and food is the enemy. In a national survey at the Mclean Hospital in Massachusetts it was estimated that over 9 million people suffer with eating disorders. They can struggle with anorexia, bulimia or binge eating. A study conducted by the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders states that most of these diseases start before the age of twenty. Another growing problem in the United States is obesity. Over 60 million Americans suffer from this disease, this according to the American Obesity Association (gale opposing viewpoints: eating disorders 2010).
Researchers and doctors find eating disorders to be very complicated to figure out due to the many different factors leading to eating disorders. The majority of these issues derive from media images portraying the “perfect” bodies bringing people to believe that they need to change their eating habits to become that “perfect” image. On average, people waste around 31 hours a week on the internet and spend anywhere from two to four hours a day looking up cosmetic surgery procedures and investigating dietary and weight loss plans in an attempt to get that model worthy body (The Telegraph). Men and women should be proud of whom they are and not be envious of others so much as to want to change their entire appearance; God made us all perfect through his eyes; why would anyone want to change that uniqueness about them?
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.
Despite the fact that many people think of an eating disorder as being an unhealthy quest for a perfect body, eating disorders are not about vanity and not really about weight. The causes of eating disorders are not known with precision but are thought to be a combination of genetic, neuro-chemical, psycho-developmental, and socio-cultural factors. Eating disorders are complex, psychological illnesses where people try to control conflict and stress in their lives by controlling food. The food, weight, and body image issues are identifiable symptoms of deep-rooted, often difficult-to-identify problems.
The third most common disorder in adolescent is eating disorder (Reijonen, 2003). There are three types of eating disorder. The prevalence rate of eating disorder has been increasing over the past 50 years. They are anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder. These disorders start as early as adolescence that can cause psychological and medical problems. All three have similar etiology such as biological and sociocultural factors that develops the eating disorder. Even though the three types of eating disorder can overlap with similar characteristics, each type of disorder, there is a specific treatment that works best for one and not the other.
When you think of the words “eating disorders”, you automatically picture someone who is thin. This is partly true because people who suffer from anorexia or bulimia are relatively thin, but what you did not know is that there is also an eating disorder that affects mostly those who are obese and it is called binge eating. Eating disorders are any of several psychological disorders characterized by serious disturbances of eating behavior (Merriam Webster, 2014), the best-known eating disorders are bulimia nervosa, binge eating and anorexia nervosa (Yancey, 1999). Not only do eating disorders have the highest mortality rate than any other mental illnesses, but it is estimated that in the U.S. twenty-four million people of all ages suffer from an eating disorder (ANAD). Eating Disorders are not just something that appear overnight and they certainly cannot be prevented, there are several factors that influence these disorders but with help and treatment they can be treated.
What was once classified as a physical medical condition is now diagnosed as a psychological mental disorder. Eating disorders distort the perception of the human body causing the person to obsess with the idea of losing weight and body image. This not only causes serious physical harm, but mental and emotional harm as well. Many teenage girls develop eating disorders due to their idea of skinny being the equivalent to beauty and being strong. The novel, Wintergirls, by Laurie Halse Anderson, demonstrates the life and struggle of a girl dealing from the conditions of an eating disorder. Eating disorders affect a person's physical appearance, and control the thoughts and actions of a person.
Americans live in a pressure-packed society. This pressure creates a vast away of problems. People in our society are influenced on what others are doing, how they act, and what they look like. Celebrities have a huge impact on people throughout the world, as people living in our society, we would like to act and look like the famous do. Many throughout the world focus on looking there best, and staying in shape for impression and satisfaction. In the following, anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and what they are will be discussed.
A disorder is a disturbance in physical or mental health functions, or to derange the physical or mental health or functions of something. [dictionary.com] Almost 24 million people of all genders and ages suffer from eating disorders in the US. [“ANAD”] There are three major forms of eating disorders that most people are unfortunately familiar with; anorexia (also known as anorexia nervosa), bulimia (bulimia nervosa), and binge eating. Anorexia is the starving of ones self, bulimia is making yourself throw up after eating something, and binge eating is a short period of excessive eating. They all are an obsession and have horrifying effects on the body and interfere with normal daily routines. The continuation of them can sometimes result in severe damage to vital body organs or even sometimes death. Another eating disorder I have recently discovered is orthorexia which is the obsession with eating only healthy or “pure” foods; this also believe it or not has damaging effects on your body and daily lifestyle and takes a big chunk out of your pocket. The worst part about all of these are almost nonexistent in foreign countries, American’s have created an unrealistic image for what we should look like. Another thing that can come along with eating disorders is a high rate for depression. Most eating disorders are more common in woman then in men.
An eating disorder is a serious health condition involving extremely unhealthy dietary habits. There are a number of accepted eating disorder treatments that depend on the symptoms and severity of the illness. The most effective treatments involve both psychological as well as physical issues with the ultimate goal being a healthy dietary lifestyle. The team approach to treatment involves professionals with experience in eating disorders that usually includes a medical provider, mental health workers, registered dieticians and case managers. These individuals work together in hopes of avoiding a life threatening situation.
Anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and compulsive over-eating are extremely serious illnesses that must be recognized before they can be treated. The media is blamed for so many distorted images of the body. People are beginning to refuse the idea, however, that thinner is better. Body shapes are known to go in and out of style. In the 1800s, plumpness was a sign of wealth and class. Thinness became a sign of beauty in the 1970s with the British super-model Twiggy. There are many treatments for eating disorders today. One of the hopes of many psychologists is that humans will begin to feel happy about the way they are, even if it is a little bigger than the media portrays as ideal.
Eating disorders are sweeping this country and are rampant on junior high, high school, and college campuses. These disorders are often referred to as the Deadly Diet, but are often known by their more popular names: anorexia or bulimia. They affect more than 20% of females between the age of thirteen and forty. It is very rare for a young female not to know of someone with an eating disorder. Statistics show that at least one in five young women have a serious problem with eating and weight (Bruch, 25).
Social pressure to have a perfect body is experienced by many women and young girls. The perfect body has been constructed by society and by the media and women and girls is expected to conform to it. “The American Anorexia and Bulimia Association states that: 1000 American women die of anorexia each year and that people with eating disorders have the second highest fatality rate of the psychological disorders”. Women are dying each year because of body image disturbance disorders and discovering the link between media images and perfect body image could be helpful in finding a successful intervention.
What do I do now that you’re gone? Well, when there’s nothing else going on, which is quite often, I sit in a corner and I cry until I am too numbed to feel. Paralyzed motionless for a while, nothing moving inside or out. Then I think how much I miss you. Then I feel fear, pain, loneliness, desolation. Then I cry until I am too numbed to feel. Interesting pastime.