Eating Disorders and Cultural Stereotypes in America

In America, girls are given the message from the very childhood that to be pleased and successful, they must be skinny. Given the importance, which our society places on being skinny, it is not unexpected that eating disorders are on the increase. In the United States, thousands of teenage girls are dealing with emotional situations every day, and eating activity can be affected by the way they are feeling. Eating disorders affect over five million men and women in the United States, and desolately thousands of them will die from the physical problems caused by conditions that are related to eating disorders. Most people think of the extremes of anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating; the truth is that almost every American, at some point in his or her lifetime, will suffer from issues of weight loss, body shape, or self-image, if not all three. Due to these factors, eating disorders are a major concern for psychologists today (Harmon, 1999). This trend, however, is found mainly in America and countries with western ideals. Eating Disorders are primarily behavior disorders. Douglas Eagles (1987) states, "the behavioral disturbance leads to disorders of nutrition" (p. 71).

Eating disorders are not just about losing weight and the search for the ideal body; they are mainly about expressing difficult feelings (Abraham & Llewellyn-Jones, 1999). It is believed that extreme eating disorders occur in approximately 4 percent of American females (Costin, 1999). However, eating disorders can also be found in males. Both anorexia and bulimia appear to be much more common in women than in men; from 90 to 95 percent of all patients are females. Eating disorders typically begins in adolescence between the ages of twelve and twenty-five; however, it may begin as early as seven and can continue until as late as fifty-nine. There are three main classifications of eating disorders, anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating. The general definition of anorexia nervosa is a severe restriction in the amount of food a person eats, avoidance of eating, and occasionally purging.

Whereas bulimia is the occurrence of frequent episodes (at least two times per week) of binge eating combined with purging to rid their body of the large quantities of food (Harmon, 1999). A binge-eater, otherwise known as compulsive overeating, will eat large amounts of food, much like that of a bulimic, but will not engage in the purging behaviors (Costin, 1999). Eating disorders are linked to several causes. One consideration is the perception of the ideal body image. Teens are given two messages when it comes to dieting and eating. First they are bombarded with images of slim, successful women from the media. The media promotes the idea that one must be thin in order to be liked by peers and successful. The second message, as determined by Abraham and Llewellyn-Jones (1999), "is that eating is a pleasurable activity which meets many needs, in addition to relieving hunger, and women have a right to have these needs met" (p. 38).

In addition to the societal causes of eating disorders there are biological considerations. Eating disorders may have a hereditary contribution. Eating disorders tend to run in families. It is noted that people from the same family have an increased risk at developing an eating disorder (Costin, 1999). However, Costin does not believe that there is a genetic link. "A mother who has anorexia nervosa may pass on her eating habits to her daughter through modeling behavior rather than by passing on a genetic predisposition for developing the disorder"(p. 71). One of the most proven causal factors for eating disorders is that of personality. Adolescents who develop the disease seem to have common personality characteristics. Women who are obsessed with their bodies also tend to be obsessed with emotional problems. They also tend to have low self-esteem, feelings of helplessness, diminished self worth, feelings of emptiness, quest for perfection, desire to be special, need to be in control, need for power, desire for respect and admiration, difficulty expressing feelings, need for escape, lack of coping skills, lack of trust, and terrified of not measuring up (Costin, 1999). In addition to personality characteristics, there tend to be patterns in families that may cause eating disorders.

It is important to remember that many people have worries about food and their own self-image at some point in their lives. This does not necessarily mean that they will go on to develop an eating disorder. But, it is important not to overlook the early warning signs. Although it is mainly a problem in the US, eating disorders are becoming a bigger and bigger problem through the world as western values are becoming more widely accepted. It is very important to get help for the patients as soon as their disease is detected, so they can start treating her/him and get them back to their normal weight and state of mind. In contemporary society people are frequently being attacked with commercials and advertisements representing beauty as being thin and faultless.

These commercials come to people from all sides, television, publications, and billboards. There seems to be a never-ending flow of ads telling society what to believe in, what to eat, and how to look. The media associates thinness with contentment, success, love, and sex. As some struggle for recognition in society, it follows that individuals would attempt to look like those people in that commercial. After all, they are selling people on what would make a perfect life. Ads lead people to believe that being thin will make them happier and more successful. Eating disorders, such as anorexia and bulimia, are becoming all too common. Yet, the question still remains, what are the causes and factors contributing to this destructive behavior, and what kind of impact is the media contributing to these problems.

The fashion industry, television, and society's norms have all promoted a distorted perspective of what a beautiful person is defined as. This leads many impressionable teens, preteens, and young women to distorted body images, and looking for a fix for their flaws. The website speaks of a 50 year study that studied the incidents of anorexia nervosa, and found that the occurrence of anorexia nervosa among 10-19 year old girls and paralleled the change of fashion and its idealized body image. The thin ideal advanced during the times when the rates of anorexia nervosa were highest. Looking at the television and magazines one can easily notice all of the ads and diet commercials claiming to have to newest and hottest diet. The advertised ideal weight keeps getting progressively thinner. It has stabilized at 13%-19% below the physically expected weight. This weight is unachievable for most and can lead to feelings of lower self worth, depression, and helplessness. Since the media is view as the "norm" or "desired" it makes sense that those who can not look like the "norm" or what is thought to be "beautiful" would only feel unaccepted by society, and ugly; which leads to negative views of self.