Eating disorders are an epidemic in the U.S. The problem with this is that not many people are aware of, or understand, eating disorders. In the textbook Women's Voices Feminist Visions, Shaw and Lee define eating disorders as compulsive disorders that include a variety of behaviors. Among these behaviors are self-starvation (anorexia nervosa), binge eating with self-induced vomiting and/or laxative use (bulimia nervosa), uncontrolled eating or binge eating (compulsive eating), and fear of being inadequately muscled (muscle dysmorphia).
Below is an infographic that illustrates how widespread eating disorders are and how many Americans suffer from them. Eating disorders create numerous disadvantages for people who suffer from them.
These people are often seen as lesser beings and because of that, they often start to think even less of themselves. Even the families of those affected by eating disorders often are unsupportive and critical, mostly because they don't know how to deal with the issue. While commonly affecting young women, eating disorders are widespread and can impact people of all ages and sexes. It is estimated that 10 million women and 1 million men in the United States suffer from an eating disorder, and the statistics are growing. Our social problem differentially affects members of different social groups because beauty norms, the representation of women in pop culture, and eating disorders are three things that woman of every social group has to face on a day-to-day basis. This is not just people who are actually over weight. It is also for those who are not over weight at all, but feel they have to be very small to fit into today’s society. This affects them by making women of all races and ethnic backgrounds to conform into something that they feel they should have to be, just to be able to fit in. It also affect members of different social groups by making one type of ideal women in the public eye that people feel they should look like. This idea of an ideal woman makes those who are small and skinny seem fat and overweight, and those who are bigger than the average size, embarrassed and ashamed of their size. When looking in magazines, you mostly see skinny and thin white women, instead of women who are Hispanic and or African American. This affects ethnic backgrounds of all women because it doesn’t matter what race you are, beauty norms and how women in pop culture are betrayed in the media is something that all races have to deal with. An intersectional understanding of identity reveals about the nature and scope of this problem because if you know and understand how ones race, class, sexuality, and ability as well as sex and gender can affect how they are proceeded in today’s society then you understand the concept. Whether the person is a male or female really plays a big part in the intersectional understanding of one’s identity because gender is “constantly created and re-created out of human interaction, out of social life and is the texture and order of that social life” (WVFV, 126). This shows that gender is truly constructed throughout life, and as people go on through their lives they either accept who there are or try to conform to something that they think is acceptable. I believe what truly causes the problem of body image issues and eating disorders is the media. |
All types of media contribute to this, including commercials,
television shows, and magazines. Some organized efforts that others have made in the past to combat this problem are putting on fashion shows with a diverse presentation of models, and speakers coming out and talking about how, as woman, we need to start uplifting each other to show that all races and sizes are beautiful. I believe in many ways these efforts have been successful, but in some ways people are still missing the big concept. People should really love who they are and not worry about what the media has say. Focus on being yourself, big or small. True beauty comes from within. This problem happens in the U.S., but has some global dimensions as well. However, you find more people with eating disorders in the United States, because body image rates in the United States are very high. The United States media creates expectations for people to look a certain way. “Up to 24 million people of all ages and genders suffer from an eating disorder (anorexia, bulimia and binge eating disorder) in the U.S. Eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of any mental illness” (www.anad.org). This is just an example showing that eating disorders and issues about how you look are more common in the United States. This infographic illustrates that eating disorders are not limited to the United States. (Click to enlarge) Body image/eating disorder awareness is important today because people, mostly women, are starving themselves. They do this because they believe that they are too big or they just want to look like the women that are in the magazines. Some people are just not satisfied with their own look. Average people should care about the epidemic of eating disorders it causes people to die. These people starve themselves just because they want to be
something the media presents as “beautiful.” We as people of the United States of America should help one another, especially if you know someone that has an eating disorder or is thinking about starving themselves to look good.
“She wishes for thinness when stricken by envy at the sight of a thin This shows that people look at other people, wanting to look like them and be accepted by society. This is wrong; they should want to look like themselves. They shouldn’t be forcing themselves to eat green salad all the time with fat-free dressing and going to bed wishing they looked different. No one should hate their body.
People who are focused on gender justice should pay attention to eating disorder awareness and body image issues. People are dying because they are not happy with their body parts, weight, and overall physical appearance. It’s not that gender justice isn’t important, but sometimes we need to look at the bigger picture. People who focus on gender justice could actually help people with their eating disorder. Feminists are a good example of people who could help with this issue. Feminism is fighting for equal right political, economic, social rights, by creating movements and empowering women. If we can get more feminists to reach out to the general public about eating disorders and body image issues, it would be wonderful. They could empower and encourage the people who suffer from this epidemic. |