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    Eatingdisorderspaperenglishclass

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    of 9
    ftyana Aponte Aponte I Professor Rantz, Research Paper Final April 17, 2013 Eating Disorders: Who’s To Blame? Marya Hornbacher, author of the novel Wasted: 4 Memoir of Anorexia and Bulimia once said, “We tum skeletons into goddesses and look to them as if they might teach us how not to need.” If you take second to look at some of the aspects of American society, you start to notice some of the paradoxes. [A good example of this would be exactly what Hombacher talks about in her novel] The media focuses so much on having the perfect appearance that itis difficult 10 ops a cade Dont Heed Soas an Wrodocko™ Ty separate the images in magazines from real life. 6 What has changed about American society =.» one-5e that has made us value appearance over reality? Materials over selflessness? Dieting to the point of disease over a healthy fully functional body? It is true that eating disorders are linked to several psychological factors, but many experts say the fashion industry and mass media are also sk to blame.\The fashion industry has created such a gap between the average model and the \ ev average American woman and as a result, they have also created an environment that promotes \\<\ ih dangerous dieting and the kind of unhealthy eating habits that could potentially cost someone thei ite Many people look at fashion magazines and dream of one day having the “perfect body,” and they try to reach the “ideal” weight that in reality is not possible. They use drastic measures to achieve what they believe is true happiness, and destroy whatever self-worth they had to begin with, in the process. Eating disorders are an increasing issue within America and according to the Eating Disorder Hope Organization, “Eating disorders are a daily struggle for 10 million females and 1 million males in the United States.” Every day we are constantly bombarded with pictures Aponte 2 and advertisements of thin models and “fashionistas” and are expected to not only look up to them as our role models, but to look like them too; otherwise we aren't seen as beautiful. And although anorexia and obesity are both medical conditions related to eating habits and body ‘weight; they are viewed as two completely different things in society. An obese person may be seen as, “the embodiment of gluttony, sloth, and/or stupidity, while slenderness is taken as the embodiment of virtue” (Saguy 232). For some reason we associate skinniness with beauty and control, when it is the exact opposite for someone with anorexia. A person with anorexia may feel like they are in control when they refuse to eat or exercise for hours upon hours; but at the end of the day, they are not in control of who they see in the mirror. Their brains trick them into — Socef seeing something that isn’t there. Of course, the fact that the brain and several psychological factors are involved with eating disorders, makes it seem like mass media and fashion do not ? AIMS Gas hy 7 3 SPORE Mah — whe cae AG play an active role in these Ses Nery Will say that people with low self-esteem, anxiety, panic, obsessive compulsive disorders, and/ or alcoho! and drug abuse problems, are already susceptible to eating disorders; and therefore no one else is to blame. However, no one can deny the stress a young girl feels when they flip through the latest Vogue magazine and notice the extreme difference between their body and the one they see on paper. ‘The standards set for beauty are ultimately set by whatever the fashion industry promotes. And to promote extreme skinniness as the only type of beauty there is, has definitely had its toll on females today. “Twenty-five years ago, the average female model weighed 8 percent less than the average American woman... Today, models weigh about 23 percent less than the average woman” (Bennett 2). Even if multiple factors are involved with eating disorders, this still does not change the fact that fashion focuses on reaching an unrealistic level of perfection that even the models themselves cannot achieve. With today’s technology, using image-editing software, 2 Aponte 3 perfection has gone to whole new level that even after hours of getting their hair and makeup ee done, the typically 5-foot-10, 100 pound model still does not satisfy the fashion leaders of today. 9s \S enon Many will argue that image modification programs have been around for years and therefore okey peakes eX iy/\ have had no impact on the fashion industry. However, with our technology getting more and as more advanced, we've definitely grown too accustomed to seeing these “perfect” faces and bodies. “The result is a culture of kids who are being socialized to unrealistic images—who need to lear to separate the real from the fabricated,” says Cornell University historian Joan Jacobs Brumberg.(Bennett 2). How will these young girls ever be able to see the unrealistic nature of the fashion industry, if that is all they ever see? In contrast, there is actually a lot support for why the fashion industry does not promote eating disorders. Looking at just the numbers, “only about 1 percent of the American population is anorexic, while neatly two-thirds of adults are overweight or obese, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. So it's not as if skinny models have inspired an epidemic of slimness” (Bennett 1). Yes, it is absolutely true that the media today now glorifies skinniness as the absolute beauty and continually advertises diet products that are a complete waste of money. But according to history, eating disorders have always been around, “A 1987 study showed that anorexia in the United States increased throughout the 19th century and peaked around 1900...But it's clear that none of these outbreaks can be attributed to the late- 20th- and early-21st-century emphasis on skinniness (Schwarz. 1). Even looking at the history of cating disorders isa bit of a futile task thotigh. Still today is it quite difficult to get precisely accurate statistics on eating disorders because of the amount of shame it can cause someone. Increased diagnosis of anorexia or bulimia could just be the result of increased awareness. So if Aponte 4 it isn’t the skinny models of the fashion world that are linked to eating disorders, what do some researchers think it is? According to scientists, we can now link anorexia and bulimia nervosa to biological conditions such as: “high levels of estrogen in the womb; low levels of serotonin in the brain; a genetic mutation; over activity by dopamine receptors; autism (which is underdiagnosed in girls, Perhaps because it sometimes manifests itself in the form of eating disorders)...ete/(Schwarz.2). |. load the gun, environment pulls the trigger—and right now the fashion industry has their finger on the trigger," says Bulik,(Bennett 2). This statement proves that both society and biology take part in the development of these diseases. Likewise, many researchers have even compared anorexia to Asperger's disorder; finding many similarities between the two. For example, both people with anorexia and Asperger's are perfectionists, anxious or hypersensitive to their emotions, like repetitive actions or making rules for themselves, and social isolation. When reading these similarities it may seem like these researchers are on to something, but just because both diseases have several similarities, it does not mean they are the same thing, or that the origin of these disorders are the same. As clinical psychologist, Richard Pomerance points out, “Just because it looks like a duck doesn't make anorexia an Asperger's duck.” (Guru 2). There are also many differences between Asperger's and anorexia including the difficulty people with Asperger's have when interpreting facial expressions and_gther social cues. Despite the overwhelming evidence for why the fashion industry does promote eating disorders, many researchers still believe that eating disorders are grounded in genetics. Molecular biologists are actually looking for the specific gene for anorexia, and genes associated Aponte 5 with serotonin, dopamine, and opioid receptors are turing out to be most likely ones. Even evolutionary theologists are getting involved, which is abit ironic eonsidering one of the side ep oes alana See what is interesting is their theory for the reason why eating disorders exist today. According to evolutionary theologists, “those who can exist on minimal calories during times of scarcity can keep the tribe alive and, in doing so, pass the culprit genes ‘onto the next generation, I's survival ofthe species rather than the individual that matters” (Guru), Either way, genetics ean only explain one part of anorexia. ‘And if you choose not to acknowledge the huge role the fashion industry plays in eating disorders then you will never fully understand the people that suffer from them. ak ‘Similar to how society views obesity and skinniness very differently, the types of people; models and professional athletes, who follow extreme diets, are also viewed

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