Thinness

Approximately seven million women and one million men, aged from ten to early twenties, suffer from eating disorders. One or two out of every one hundred students will develop an eating disorder. The two most common are anorexia nervosa and bulimia.

There are three models used to explain eating disorders, they are the biomedical, psychological, and the feminist model. The biomedical model displays important information about physiological cause of eating problems and the dangers of starvation and purging. But the medical treatments done can be traumatizing to women.

The second model used is the psychological model, influenced by biological, psychological, and cultural factors. This model like the biomedical one, may neglect women of color, working class women, and lesbians.

The third model is the feminist model; eating problems are believed to be gendered. Women being thin is required by society and enforced. Most people who have an eating disorder are women.

Sexual abuse is one of the main causes for women to begin with eating disorders. Between one third and two thirds of women with eating disorders have been abused. Binging was the most common of these women. Eating was a sense of comfort to them, and their only escape.

Racism and class standings also can contribute to eating disorders. For example, an African American father wanted his wife and his daughter to lose weight as their class standing began to change. “If you were a truly well-to-do family, then your family was slim and elegant.” African American and Latina women are known to be curvier than white women. If being white and slim is associated with being wealthy, why wouldn’t they want to be portrayed the same way since they can’t change their skin color they change their weight.

I believe times are changing a lot. I can see the eating disorder rates decreasing over time. Nowadays everyone wants to look like Nicki Minaj or Kim Kardashian. Skinny is out, it’s all about being thick and curvy.

By Gabrielle