Eating Disorders And Body Image Issues - 1655 Words

Eating disorders: noun. A group of psychological ailments characterized by intense fear of becoming obese, distorted body image, and prolonged food refusal (anorexia nervosa) and/or binge eating followed by purging through induced vomiting, heavy exercise, or use of laxatives (bulimia nervosa).These ailments are not pretty. In this society, where only the fit and thin bodies are accepted and appreciated, eating disorders are more common than they should be. Children, starting at a young age, see skinny people on television and in magazines. They hear comments on how their bodies look, then hear the same people turn around and make nasty comments on someone else’s figure. This is not okay, because it is teaching young people that anything†¦show more content†¦In sports, there is a heavy praise on athletes who can stay fit and thin, causing more young people to constantly focus on being thin. (source 4) Even athletes without an eating disorder might have a constant focu s on being as thin as possible! This is very unfortunate, because development of an eating disorder may cause an athlete’s performance rate to decrease, even though what was wanted was a higher performance rate. Vegetarians are at a very high risk for eating disorders; they’re at a higher risk than any other group. (source 5) â€Å"While vegetarianism can be a healthy lifestyle choice, it can also be abused.† (source 5) There are even people who believe that eating disorders are not a disease and are actually a lifestyle choice! Some of these people run websites, called ‘pro-ana’ and ‘pro-mia’ websites. These websites overlook or romanticize details of these eating disorders, such as how, â€Å"eating disorders can lead to anxiety, depression, alcoholism, substance abuse, self mutilation, and suicide.† (source 3) Pro-ana and -mia websites are open to the public and support eating disorders, calling them a â€Å"lifestyle† not a disease. (source 3) These websites were brought to the public’s eye through media. â€Å"[Pro-ana and pro-mia websites] emerged as an online subculture in 2001 when several websites glorifying