Food
Norway
Eating Disorders
By Johanne
The last decades there has been a growing number of people with eating disorders. A
study shows that about one out of 25 girls and women will, at some point, experience
an eating disorder. Most of them develop the disorder while they are still teenagers,
often before reaching the age of 18. The statistics are clear, but what are the causes for
the increase in number of people struggling with eating disorders?
The beauty ideal today is very different from what it was before, with women like
Marilyn Monroe considered iconic. We live in a society heavily influenced by the media.
The media chooses what they show their readers or viewers. In gossip magazines or on
their web pages, you can read about how famous actors or models have gained weight.
The way this is written about often makes it seem like the person has committed a
horrible crime of massive proportions. The models used in commercials are often on the
brink of being underweight. These are also the people we are told are the most
beautiful. It is therefore hard to blame the men and women that bow down to this
pressure in order to look and feel good.
Many that develop eating disorders feel the need to be in control of something. At some
point they lost, or felt like they lost, the control of their lives. The need for control is
blinding, and many find that feel of control in regulating what they consume. You can
read online, under tags like thinspo, how people also take pride in being able to restrict
their eating and hiding it from the people around them.
Some may also feel that they are some sort of burden. Nobody wants to feel this way,
so they might want to lessen themselves in size and significance. Considering that, most
people with an eating disorder have a contorted self-image and often struggle with low
self-esteem, it seems logical that they do not want eyes seeing their way.
The reason for eating disorders vary from person to person, yet it is just as ruining for
the persons self-image and health. The main reason is quite possibly the pressure to
look beautiful. The beauty ideal today is to be thin and petite, therefore many “normal”
people also want to look this way. Another main reason is probably the judgement
towards known or famous people introduced by the media.
Sources:
Green, Laci (March 10, 2012). (Retrieved October 10, 2013), from http://
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ik19cU1UKb4
Eating disorders among children. (Retrieved October 10, 2013), from http://
children.webmd.com/features/eating-disorders-children-teens
Økning av spiseforrstyrelser. (Retrieved October 10, 2013), from http://
www.regjeringen.no/nb/dep/hod/dok/nouer/1999/nou-1999-13/10/13/4.html?
id=353044