Eating Disorders Essay -- essays research papers

Imagine a thirteen-year-old girl who weighs 60pounds because she is starving herself. Every timeshe looks in the mirror, she sees herself as fat.Picture her parents watching their daughter literallydisintegrating into beautiful air. This is the life of a familydealing with an eating disorder. Eating disordersare a major problem with the young people oftodays society. While anorexia and bulimia aresociological problems plaguing the worlds youth,there are also other eating disorders. This "fatphobia", or fear of being over-weight, disturbspeople to the point where they are in a way,committing suicide. Eating disorders have been termed the diseaseof the 1980s. An eating disorder is defined as "adangerous and intense striving to become thin(Macionis 350). Even though it has been foundthat "95% of people who suffer anorexia orbulimia are woman, mostly from white, relativelyaffluent families" (Macionis 350), "thepre-occupation and obsession with food are not confi ne to women" (Meadow 24). Although somemen also deal with eating disorders, most researchhas been done on women. In 1985, 95% ofwomen felt they were overweight, while only 25%were actually considered medically overweight(Marshall 124). By the age of thirteenapproximately 53% of females are unhappy withtheir bodies, and by the age of eighteenapproximately 78% are unhappy (Marshall 124).Are culture could be seen as a narcissist society.Narcissism is a preoccupation with ones self, aconcern with how one appears to others, and with vivification up to an image (Meadow 127). It seems thatappearance is an important factor in our everydaylife. According to Michael Levine, who in 1987said, "Our culture transmits powerful messagesthat, just as men locoweed not be too rich, women cannot be too thin" (Macionis 350). While all womenwant to look as perfect as "Barbie", for some itjust isnt possible. For women, being slender isalmost synonymous with being successful(Macionis 3 50). It is also thought that 40% of theadult US population is importantly overweight(Meadow 24). Some experts feel that eatingdisorders are reaching epidemic proportions andestimate the national rate to be as high as 12% ofwomen (Meadow 24). In fact, according to thePhoenix Gazette on November 7, 1985, "... ...with aneating disorder. If you suspect that your child oranyone you know has an eating disorder youshould never tell them their crazy, hip-hop them,gossip about them, follow them around to checktheir eating or purging behavior. You should alsonever ignore them, reject them, tell them to quit the absurd behavior, or feel you need to solve theirproblems (teenhope.com 3). Some things youshould do are to listen with understanding,appreciate their openness and the risk they took totell you, support them and be available. two ofthe most important things you should do are toalways give her hope, and continuously, but gentlysuggest counseling.Roughly two million young women suf fer fromthe symptoms of anorexia nervosa or bulimia(Meadow 127). Eating disorders are caused by astriving to "look good". This need to "look good"is so bad that in the mid(prenominal) 1980s 477,000 estheticsurgeries were done, that was up 61% from 1981(Marshall 127). Although not all is known abouteating disorders, we must keep studying them, andthe effect society has on cause these problems,so we can someday be able to control and preventthese diseases.