Before I was gung-ho on the idea of working in fashion public relations, I wanted to be a counselor specializing in eating disorders for adolescents. So, I would like to take the time this week to talk about eating disorders and body image problems given that it is National Eating Disorders Awareness Week.
Many state that the ideal female body is regarded as having large breasts, a small waist, broad hips, long legs, toned muscles, and light skin. From collected studies, many can find the media’s influence on our younger generation. In Sarah Grogan’s Body Image, it is noted that girls, as young as the age of five, demonstrate a preference for thinner figures, as well as calorie restriction as a means of weight loss. With characteristics such as these, it is no wonder that approximately ten million women each year (diagnosed, mind you) suffer from an eating disorder.
The biggest problem with body image is the failure to recognize the opposite sex’s ideal and realize who they are trying to appease. What I mean by this is that when given a figural rating scale (pictured above), men would often select a fuller figure than fellow women would pick. Therefore, one can conclude that women are not realizing that they are in fact trying to seek the approval of one another more so than they are with men. In which case, the comparisons are more strenuous given that they blanket their comparisons to one another with herself to his ideals.
What is also cause for alarm is that young women are able to justify to themselves that they do not have an eating disorder because their condition does not match the textbook description of anorexia or bulimia nervosa, or binge eating disorder. In which case, many fall under the little known category EDNOS (eating disorder not otherwise specified) where not all symptoms are matched but behaviors are enough to classify a person as having a problem warranting attention.
Often, there is an underlying issue to an eating disorder; many do not have control over their actual lives and resort to food as a means of exerting control in a way that they are sure to “win.” Such is often why we see eating disorders paired with other issues, such as depression or a troubled home life.
And although many say that the fashion industry is to blame, there have been improvements made and hopes to gain more traction in the movement towards a healthier body image. A week prior to New York Fashion Week, the CFDA held a panel discussion entitled “The Beauty of Health: Resizing the Sample Size,” in which it was agreed upon there is a need for change; however, it must be a collective effort by the whole industry and just not by a select few. And from when the Brazilian girl had collapsed and died several years ago, we also have to note how the attitude toward thinness has vastly changed. Where many had before perceived the average American size of fourteen to be negative, many are beginning to embrace it, especially with the launch of several plus-size lines (including the premiere of Project Runway Canada Jessica Biffi’s plus-sized collection) and voice their opinions (such as with the heavily digitally edited Ralph Lauren advertisements).
The key here is to provide support. If you believe someone you know has an eating disorder, do not be afraid to contact a medical personnel or someone that can give you access to such resources.
Ralph Lauren flubs again with model Valentina Zelyaeva
For more information, check out the National Eating Disorders Awareness website
Logo courtesy of NEDA, figural rating scale courtesy of Nature.com, another Ralph Lauren flub by news.com.au
Barb :: Feb.24.2010 ::
Culture ::
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