The beautiful 'My Silent Undoing' by QueenAdreena
In a world where girls see over 400 advertisements a day telling them how they should look, and 40% of 8-14 year olds are dieting, it isn’t hard to see that eating disorders are a major problem. Eating disorders are estimated to affect 5 to 10 million females and 1 million males in the United States alone, binge eating disorder being the most common, affecting 3.5% of women and 2% of men, followed by bulimia and anorexia nervosa. Anorexia is the most deadly, with the highest mortality rate of any psychiatric disorder: the suicide rate is apparently up to 60 times greater than that of the general population.
In an advanced capitalist world, many more people are at risk of the causes of eating disorders such as stress, media-prompted peer pressure and (often media-prompted) low self-esteem than ever before. Eating disorders such as anorexia and bulemia in particular are spreading due to the cultural emphasis on thinness which is (especially) pervasive in western society. There is an unrealistic stereotype of what constitutes beauty and the ideal body type portrayed by the media, fashion and entertainment industries. As Dr Bryan Lask said, this 'cultural pressure on women to be thin is an important predisposing factor for the development of eating disorders.'
This week is National Eating Disorder Awareness Week. And this year, NEDA is calling for everyone to do just one thing: to help raise awareness and provide accurate information about eating disorders. I hope with this blog I've done something towards achieving this goal.
Eating disorders are so very worrying.
ReplyDeleteMost girls, and many guys, will know at least one person who has suffered from one and will see how hideous they are for the sufferer and their loved ones. Eating disorders rip away a person's dignity, confidence, mental and physical health and create secrecy, mistrust and fear.
I'm really glad you posted this blog, because it's something we all know about but no one ever tries to do anything about! I think girls should have more than the message "Not eating is bad." Kids of both genders should be educated about the wide spectrum of eating disorders and about their prevalence in the fucked up society we live in!!!
Sorry to ramble... J xxx
They really are: and they're a problem that's growing and spreading.
ReplyDeleteThey can literally ruin the sufferer's (and their friends' and family's) life, if not end it. Personally, I know several people who suffer / have suffered from one. And having that weird eating-thing myself, which is not half as bad as a real eating disorder, I can guess at the real suffering that people go through.
Yeah, I totally agree. I really think people need to hear more about binge eating disorder too, seeing as it's the most prevalent, and there is a stupidly worrying tendency at the moment for people to simply point the finger at 'fat' people and blame them for their weight. It's not always just a case of eating too much and being able to stop!
Thank you for your lovely long comment, J! ♥
xxx