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AlexKing
ProfessorCaesar
WRA140
23February2015
GenderandEatingDisorders
Societysconcernoverbodyimagehaspersistedasatimelesscharacteristicthroughout
history.Inthe19thcenturywomenworecorsetstoappearslimmerandtoaccentuatetheir
hourglassfigures.Today,womenandmenalikehaveturnedtomoredrasticmeasuresofshaping
theirbodyimagethroughtheirdevelopmentofeatingdisorders.Eatingdisordersaremental
conditionsthatarecharacterizedbyrestrictingfoodintake,rapidweightloss,andseverechange
ineatingbehaviors
.AccordingtoFairburn,proffesorofpsychiatryatOxfordUniversityandPJ
Harrison,doctoratWarnefordhospital,therearetwoprimarytypesofeatingdisorders:anorexia
nervosa,andbulimianervosa.Anorexianervosaisdefinedbyarapiddeclineof15%ofones
originalbodyweight,pairedwithsevererestrictionsoffoodintake.Thosewhosufferfrom
anorexianervosaoftenhaveadistortedimageofonesappearanceandweight.Furthermore,
theyalsoassociatebulimianervosawithfoodrestrictions,however,itisaccompaniedbya
periodofbingeingwhereoneconsumesover1000caloriesinonesitting.Thisdisorderismore
commonthanitscounterpart,andunfortunately,ishardertorecognizebecauseitisnotoften
evidentinonesexternalappearance(Fairburn,Harrison).
(1).

Itsimportanttorecognizethat
EatingDisordersaffectnotonlywomen,butmenaswell.
ManyexpertssuchasUniversityof
Coloradosweightlosscenterdirector,Schoen,andChamerblincollegesnursingdirector,
Greenberg,wouldagreethattherearevastsimilaritiesbetweenmenandwomeninregardsto

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eatingdisorders,suchasthedetrimentaleffectstoonesbody,andcommoninfluencessuchas
peersandthemedia(Greenberg,Schoen).
(1).
However,itcannotbedeniedthattherearestriking
differencesineatingdisordersbetweenmenandwomen.Menandwomenseatingdisorders
differinthreeways:first,theprevalenceofthesedisorderswithineachgendervary
dramatically,second,thecausesofeatingdisordersdiffer,andlastly,thefrequencyoftreatment
variesbetweengenders.
Onemajordifferencebetweenmenandwomeninrespecttoeatingdisordersisits
prevalence.AccordingtotheNationalAssociationofAnorexiaNervosaandAssociated
Disorders,24millionpeoplesufferfromEatingdisordersintheU.S.Ofthisgroup,only10
percentareestimatedtobemale.Thatmeans90percentofpeoplewitheatingdisordersare
females(EatingDisorderStatistics).Thatsahugediscrepancy.Despitethefactthatmenare
farlesslikelytodevelopeatingdisordersthanwomen,itsacommonmisconceptionthateating
disorderssolelyaffectfemalesandthereforearewrongfullyperceivedasawomenscondition.
However,thisisnotthecase.
AccordingtoKjelsas,doctorofneuroscience,Bjornstrom,doctor
ofpsychiatry,andGotestam,professorofscienceandtechnology,oneoutofeveryfour
bulimics,andoneoutofevery10anorexicsaremen(Kjelsas,Bjornstrom,Gotestam).
(1).
Althoughthisisasmallpercent,relativetothatoffemales,itisstillanimpactfulnumberand
shouldnotbeignoredbyhealthcareprofessionals,themedia,peers,andparentsalike.One
explanationforthisdiscrepancycouldbethatmenarelesslikelytoadmittohavinganeating
disorderbecauseofitsfemalestigmawhichwillbediscussedfurtheron.
Thecausesofeatingdisordersofmenandwomenvaryaswell.
AsstatedbyPolivyand
Herman,membersofthedepartmentofpsychiatryandpsychology,respectively,atthe

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UniversityofToronto,whilebothmenandwomenareaffectedbythemediaandpeers,the
pressurestheyfeelfromthesevarioussourcesdiffer(Polivy,Herman).
(1).

Menaremorelikely
tofeelsocietalpressurestomaintainamuscularandtonedbody,whereaswomenusuallydesire
tobethinandslender(Greenberg,Schoen).Bothofthesemotivationscanleadtothe
developmentofeatingdisorders.Anotherreasonmenmayturntounhealthyeatinghabitsis
basedonthedesiretoimprovetheirathleticperformances.Forexample,inwrestling,weightisa
hugefactor.Wrestlersfeelpressuresfromcoachesandpeerstofitintoacertainweightclass
whetherthatbetogainortoloseweight.Thepressuresadolescentboysfeeltoasserttheir
machonessandtosucceedinathleticsaretwoprominentcausesthatleadtothedevelopment
ofeatingdisorders.Ontheotherhand,womenaremoreinfluencedtostrivetoachievesocietys
idealfigure,andoftenuserestrictiveeatingasmeansofcontrol(Greenberg,Schoen).Unlike
men,womenarefarlesslikelytobedrivenintotheseunhealthypracticesbecauseoftheirdesire
tolookmuscularorsucceedinathletics.Instead,theyaremorelikelytoidolizeVictoriaSecret
models,andexpresstheirdesiretobestickthinsothatboyswillbeattractedtothemandtheir
peerswillacceptthem.
Lastly,thefrequencyoftreatmentdiffersdramaticallybetweenmalesandfemales.First
andforemost,menarefarlesslikelytobediagnosedwitheatingdisorders,andarefarlesslikely
toseektreatmentthanfemalesare(Greenberg,Schoen).Onepossibleexplanationforthe
disparitybetweenthediagnosisoffemalesandmalescouldbeduetothefactthatitismuch
hardertoidentifyamalewithaneatingdisorderthanitisafemale.Typically,itisphysically
evidentwhenafemaleisunderweight,butwhenanunderweightmalewithsignificantmuscle
toneistested,doctorsaremorelikelytoviewthisasahealthybodyimage(Greenberg,Schoen).

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Additionally,menoftencangiveseeminglylegitimatereasoningfortheirweightlosssuchas
pointingtohealthriskssuchasprovidinganexcusethattheywantedtoloseweighttoavoid
heartdisease,anddiabetes(Greenberg,Schoen).Anotherreasonforthisdiscrepancyisbecause
theteststhemselvesarefavorabletowardsdiagnosingwomen.Thelackofamenstrualperiodis
oftenaredflagthatwomenareunderweight.Itsnotalwayssocutanddrywithmen.Asecond
reasonmenarelesslikelytobetreatedforeatingdisordersliesinthefactthattheyarefarless
likelytoreporthavingadisorderinthefirstplace.Becauseofthestigmathateatingdisordersare
afemaledisorder,menfeelembarrassedandashamedtoownuptohavingaproblemwith
theirweight(Greenberg,Schoen).
Eatingdisordersareseriousconditionsthatdonotdiscriminatebasedonrace,ethnicityor
gender.Itisimperativethathealthcareprofessionals,coaches,andfamiliesalikerecognizethat
menarevulnerabletoeatingdisorderstoo.Withthisawareness,eatingdisordersinbothmenand
womenwillbemoreeasilyrecognized,anddoctorswillthinktwicebeforeacceptingamans
excuseforrapidweightloss.Whileitcannotbedeniedthatbothwomenandmenfacesimilar
psychologicalandphysicalburdensfromthedevelopmentofeatingdisorders,eatingdisorders
varybetweengendermorethanmostpeoplethink.Theprevalence,causes,andfrequencyof
treatmentallpresentlargedisparitiesbetweenthegenders.Inordertoorientsocietytoproper
recognitionandtreatment,thesedisparitiesmustbenoted.
Icreatedsourcesandwiches,whichIdidnothaveinplacebefore.Ialsochangedmyaudience
sectionofmyMAPS,hereistheoriginal:
Audience.

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IthinkthatmytopicwillbeinterestingtotheMSUWomensCouncilseeingasitisrelatedto
genderanditsintersectionwitheatingdisorders.Iwillbesuretoincludeinterestingresearch
fromthesourcesIhavegatheredandaddressthingsoutsideofstatingtheobviouswhich
theylikelyalreadyknow.
...andhereismyrevisedafterlookingattheMSUWomensCouncilwebsite
Audience.
AfterlookingattheMSUWomensCouncilwebsiteIthinkmypaperwillbeinterestingtothem
becauseontheirwebsiteoneoftheirpasteventsdealtwithwomeninthemedia.Eating
disordersasmentionedinmypaperislargelyaffectedbymediasourcessuchasfacebook,
twitteretc.ThereforeIthinktheywouldfinditreallyinterestingtogetafurtherperspectiveon
genderandeatingdisorders.Further,theirmissionistoenhancethequalityofwomens
lives..Discussionaboutgenderandeatingdisorderscouldbereallyhelpfulinbringing
awarenesstotheissuessurroundinggenderdifferencesandeatingdisorders,andinturn
helpdriveourcampustowardasafer,andhealthiertomorrow.

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WorksCited
Bakalar.NationalsurveyfindsEatingDisordersontheriseHealth&ScienceInternational
HeraldTribune.
TheNewYorkTimes.
(Feb6,2007)Web.24Feb.2015.
EatingDisorderStatistics.
NATIONALASSOCIATIONOFANOREXIANERVOSAAND
ASSOCIATEDDISORDERS.
(2015).Web.23Feb.2015.
Fairburn,ChristopherG

Harrison,PaulJ
."EatingDisorders."

TheLancet
.

361.9355
(Feb1,
2003):40716.Web.15Feb.2015.
Greenberg,StefanieTeri,andEvaC.Schoen."MalesandEatingDisorders:GenderBased
TherapyforEatingDisorderRecovery."
ProfessionalPsychology:ResearchandPractice
39.4(2008):464.
ProQuest.
Web.19Feb.2015.
Kjelss,Einar,BjrnstrmChristian,GtestamGunnarK."PrevalenceofEatingDisordersin
FemaleandMaleAdolescents(1415Years)."EatingBehaviors5.1(2004):1325.
Peate,Ian."DangerouslyMisunderstood:MenandEatingDisorders."BritishJournalof
HealthcareAssistants5.8(2011):3837.23Feb.2015.
Polivy,Janet

Herman,CPeter
."CausesofEatingDisorders."

AnnualReviewofPsychology
.
53
(2002):187213.Web.15Feb.2015.

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