Anorexia: Dying to Be Thin

Anorexia: Dying to be Thin

by Kati McConville

It was eight o'clock in the morning and it was time for Amy to wake up because she was going out to breakfast with her mother. This was something she hated doing. It wasn't because she didn't want to wake up early or she didn't want to be with her mother, it was something much deeper than that. For the past three years Amy has been struggling with an eating disorder, an endless cycle of fasting, bingeing, purging, pretty much complete misery. Amy hated eating in front of people. Well, quite frankly, she hated eating period. She couldn't stand the unbelievable amount of guilt she felt after any sort of food touched her lips. It wasn't possible to chew a piece of sugar less gum without thinking about the five calories her body was absorbing. She operated on a very routine daily schedule. She spent many hours a day browsing pro-eating disorder web sites. These sites helped Amy keep her mind off her growling stomach. She printed out pictures of dangerously skinny celebrities and put them inside her journal that was labeled "Thinspiration." Every day she posts online her total daily food consumption and the calories, fat, protein and carbohydrates associated with it. Many girls take part in these rituals to keep inspired to stay thin. They've become outrageously popular in past years, receiving thousands of hits each day. These girls are essentially helping each other starve.

In the Western society, women are given the message at a very young age that in order to be happy and successful, they must be thin. The pressure on young people, especially young women in our society, to be thin is enormous. Our society's obsession with thinness and perfection is perhaps the major contribution to eating disorders. Books, magazines, television, movies, web sites, and peers promote being thin. Being skinny and being beautiful seem to go hand and hand. Every time you walk into a store you

Kate Moss, often looked up to by "ana" girls, is 5'7" and weighs 95 lbs. This is 30% below ideal body weight.

are surrounded by the images of emaciated models that appear on the front cover of all fashion magazines. Thousands of teenage girls are starving themselves this very

minute trying to attain what the fashion industry considers to be the "ideal" figure.

Living in a high tech world it is not a surprise that many people have turned to the internet for support with their eating disorders. Unfortunately, it's support to continue with their eating disorder. These sites are extremely dangerous. Often times they are occupied by young teenage girls who desire to weigh under 100 lbs. The entrance to one web site reads:

"Warning! This is a PRO-ANOREXIC site. The information in the following pages contains pro-anorexic material. For this reason, it should NOT be viewed by anyone who is in recovery or who is considering recovery. Please if you do not already have an eating disorder, turn back now. If you are in recovery, turn back now. Anorexia is a deadly disease. It is not to be

taken lightly." (Reaves).

This is an example of a pro-anorexic web site.

The web sites provide tips on not eating as

well as ways to hide the disorder from others. They refer to their diseases as "Ana" (anorexia) or "Mia" (bulimia). Often times they refer to their diseases (ana/mia) as if they were beloved old friends (NBC). These web sites may be creating a serious problem in our country. Doctors treating patients with eating disorders who have used these web sites indicate that they are resistive to recovery. Patients are supported in their illnesses and encouraged to stay ill by these web sites (Shaw). School nurse Lynn Farenheight says "although I have had no experiences with these web sites, I fear they could be creating large problems since they are glorifying a terrible disease."

Within the past 50 years there has been a spike in eating disorders. Although only about 1% of Americans are diagnosed with anorexia many cases go undiagnosed. It is difficult to get an accurate statistic because doctors are not required to report eating disorders and many cases go undiagnosed (Collins). It is very likely that someone you know is secretly suffering