In today’s society there seems to be increasing pressure to attain that perfect body image.
More and more both men and women are defined by their physical appearance. The construction of a self-image based on physical appearance is prevalent in both sexes and all age categories.
This is a potentially life-threatening problem for many people who develop eating disorders because of a negative body image or other problem.
The week of Feb. 23 through March 2 was declared “Eating Disorders Awareness Week.” There did not seem to be a lot of information dispersed during this week to bring attention to the problem of eating disorders, however.
Considering the prevalence of this problem perhaps there should be a more concerted effort to bring it into consciousness.
“In the United States, conservative estimates indicate that after puberty, 5-10 million girls and women and 1 million boys and men are struggling with eating disorders including anorexia, bulimia, binge eating disorder or borderline conditions,” said the National Eating Disorders Association web site.
Eating disorders are problems for both men and women, although they are most closely associated with women.
Often the cause of eating disorders is related to a desire for a perfect body, low self-esteem or the need to feel in control.
For instance, Nikki* correlates her eating disorder to a low self-esteem and a desire to gain control over her life. Since she could not control the events in her life she sought control through a rigorously restricted diet that developed into an eating disorder.
Nikki* says that she would go for days without eating and then go on eating binges. One of the worst times for her was the holidays. She says that she would go on binges and then leave early so her family would not know about her purging herself. She also says there were times when, “even if I just ate 1/3 a bag of popcorn I’d make it come back up.”
Nikki* does not believe that she will ever be “cured” of her eating disorder but she has learned to control it in a healthy manner through a local support group.
Sometimes the media is blamed with the negative construction of self-image in men and women.
It is rare in advertising and other media sources that diverse groups of realistic people are depicted. Instead, people are taught to believe that there is one highly idealized image of an attractive male or female.
“Media messages screaming ‘thin is in’ may not directly cause eating disorders, but they help to create the context within which people learn to place a value on the size and shape of their body. To the extent that media messages like advertising and celebrity spotlights help our culture define what is beautiful and what is ‘good,’ the media’s power over our development of self-esteem and body image can be incredibly strong,” according to the NEDA.
Often society’s perception of attractiveness is based on what the media is projecting.
As a society we have allowed the media to dictate what is fashionable, how men and women should be shaped, how tall we should be and what our hair and skin should look like.
Think about it. When was the last time you saw an advertisement for clothing depicting an unattractive model? Below are some statistics from the NEDA revealing media influence in society:
* A recent survey of adolescent girls shows the media is their main source about women’s health.
* It is estimated that 60 percent of Caucasian middle school girls read at least one fashion magazine regularly.
* Women’s magazines have 10.5 times more advertisements and articles promoting weight loss than men’s magazines.
A 20-year study of one adolescent magazine revealed that:
* All articles included statements that weight loss would improve attractiveness.
* Becoming more attractive was listed as a reason to exercise in 74 percent of articles about fitness.
The media should become more responsible in depicting diverse images of people. While this will not eliminate eating disorders, it will decrease the base for comparison that many people develop between themselves and unrealistic media images.
For information on how to affect change in the media’s depiction of body image and attractiveness visit the National Eating Disorders Association and their Media Watchdog Program at: www.nationaleatingdisorders.org.
There are three main categories of eating disorders. These three types are anorexia nervosa, binge eating disorder and bulimia nervosa.
* Anorexia nervosa is found in approximately 1 to 2 percent of American women and girls.
It is characterized by a refusal to eat in order to keep a body weight that is near the minimal norm for height, age and body type.
There is an intense fear of being fat whether the individual actually is overweight or not.
The chances of recovering from anorexia increase with early diagnosis.
Some of the signs for anorexia are: great weight loss, development of food rituals, constant avoidance of meal times, rigid exercise, withdrawal from friends and activities, loss of menstrual periods in girls and women and an intense preoccupation with calories, fat grams, weight gain and eating restrictions. Because the sufferer is denying himself or herself food they are also denying necessary nutrients that the body needs to function.
Some of the health consequences of anorexia nervosa are: increased risk of heart failure, osteoporosis, muscle loss and weakness, kidney failure, fatigue, dry hair and skin, hair loss and the growth of downy hair, or lanugo, on the body.
* Binge eating disorder is a newly recognized category of eating disorders. It is estimated that around 25 percent of obese individuals in the general population suffer binge eating episodes.
This disorder is characterized by frequent episodes of eating large amounts of food in a short amount of time whether the individual is hungry or not. Feelings of depression or loneliness and a lack of control often accompany these binges.
Some of the health risks of binge eating include: high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, secondary diabetes and gallbladder disease.
* Bulimia nervosa is an eating disorder that affects 1 to 3 percent of middle and high school girls and 1 to 4 percent of college age women said the NEDA.
Bulimia nervosa is characterized by out of control eating of large quantities of food regardless of hunger and often in secret. There is usually some form of purging after a binge incident to take off the calories taken in. This can include self-induced vomiting, laxative or diuretic abuse, fasting and/or compulsive exercise.
Like anorexia nervosa, the earlier bulimia is detected the greater the chances of recovery.
Some of the warning signs for this illness include: signs of purging and binge eating like disappearance of large amounts of food and frequent trips to bathrooms after meals, rigid exercise, swelling of cheeks and jaws, calluses on hands and knuckles from vomiting, tooth discoloration, creation of complex schedules or rituals to allow for bingeing and purging, withdrawal from friends and activities and general behaviors indicating that weight loss and food control are primary concerns.
This disease can also be very harmful to the body. The binge and purge cycles can affect the digestive system by leading to electrolyte and chemical imbalances in the body.
Some of the health consequences of bulimia include: irregular heart beats and possibly heart failure, gastric rupture resulting from bingeing, inflammation and rupture of esophagus from frequent vomiting, tooth decay, chronic and irregular bowel movements and constipation, peptic ulcers and pancreatitis.
To find out more about eating disorders or if you feel like you or someone you know has an eating disorder, visit the National Eating Disorders Association at www.nationaleatingdisorders.org or call toll-free 1-800-931-2237. You can also visit the ETSU Counseling Center in the Culp Center.
* Name has been changed for privacy. All statistics are taken from the NEDA research on their web site www.nationaleatingdisorders.org.

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