In the world of five dollar foot long subs, supersized drinks, and going to all you can eat buffets as a challenge rather than a meal choice, food isn’t an issue in this great country of ours. Some countries a meal comes after a day of walking to get water or hunting for your food but in America the 5-5-5 deal at dominos can easily be ordered from the comforts of one’s own couch. Now with all this accessibility you have to understand that with one blessing comes a curse as well. Obesity is at an all-time high and obesity directly corresponds with eating disorders. Eating disorders can be anything from gorging to purging. ‘CULTURAL OBSESSIONS WITH THINNESS:’African American, Latina, and White Women” by Becky W. Thompson gives us three approaches to eating disorders: Biomedical, psychological and a feminist approach. The biomedical approach acknowledges scientific research that which measures the physiological causes of eating problems and the damage it can do to ones body. The Physiological approach is a mixture of biological, psychological and cultural issues. The problem with the Physiological approach is that it doesn’t acknowledge race and gender. The feminists look at gender and race and how society affects the eating disorders. The chapter talks about how black women have different pressures than just do to race. African American women are more accepting of obesity as they are known for being strong and self-driven.
Another very strong point is how sexual abuse can lead to gorging oneself. This is because when someone is sexually abused they can feel so used up that they find themself in a situation where depression isn’t just an emotion that they suffer with from time to time, its life 24/7. This numb feeling is so exhausting that when indulging in food gives a feeling of satisfaction that can be misinterpreted as love and the disease begins. Women are prone to these eating disorders because of the fact that they are constantly being depicted as sexual figures in society. The stereotype in culture of the “perfect woman” leaves the average female completely hopeless and facing a challenge that they will not meet. Even the women that are used in magazines and commercials are altered digitally to take off of their “imperfections”. As long as there are insecurities in our culture you will continue to find and abundance of eating disorders.
I thought your blog was good. I liked how you talked about all the deals going on with unhealthy food and how they are making it to easy for people to be lazy and get dinner for their familes. i also liked how you pointed out the fact that women are constantly being looked at as a sexual figure rather then a person. It is a day to day challang for us women to look and feel good about ourselves as it is for men as well.
I agree with you that the conveniences of our modern day restaurants and fast food options, such as Domino’s, all you can eat buffets and McDonald’s, that you referenced, are contributing to the largest eating related issue in the United States, obesity. According to our text, the “typical person in the
United States is eating more salty, sugary, and fatty foods than ever before”(p.427) and “the government reports 63 percent of U.S. adults as overweight”(p.426), which plays a role in the risk of complicated future health issues.
In addition, eating disorders such as anorexia, “is characterized by dieting to the point of starvation; another is bulimia, which involves binge eating followed by induced vomiting to avoid weight gain”(p.426) are characterized as struggles that face our society. In reference to our text, an alarming “7 million women and 1 million men, ages ten to early twenties, suffer from eating disorders”(p.24). I agree with you that our society has portrayed beauty as being a thin, portraying women as sexual figures, while the imperfection really lies in our society and causes such hardship.
Your view of the three theoretical models was accurate and clear. I believe that there are a number of factors, supported by Becky Thompson, that contribute to eating disorders and advocate the use of all three theoretical models as everyone and every situation varies, causing the need for more than just
one form of evaluation, explanation and treatment.
Jessica L
I always have trouble being convinced that America has a problem with thinness. This comes from the fact that 70% of Americans are overweight. 30% of which are considered to be obese by medical standards. If statistics are not enough to convince people; how do we explain the amount of people dying from heart disease every year. Or the amount of people diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. I won’t be so naive to say that eating disorders are not a problem, but over eating and poor eating habits seem to be a far more serious and deadly trend plaguing Americans. Other than an eating disorder’s over estimated widespread adoption, I totally agree with you and the author.