Remember the Summer We Didn't Eat?

By Rae Knight

Remember that summer we didn’t eat? We felt absurdly large in our size four swimsuits and cutoff shorts, so we starved ourselves. We climbed over rocks and over backseats. We let the summer sun touch our new skin and the summer boys feel our new bodies. We felt the highest highs and the lowest lows, but we had each other to keep us strong so we would run out into the streets, take the back roads to a field, strip to our souls and scream to the sky.

Remember the fall we didn’t eat? We kept a firm diet of Adderall, cigarettes, and coffee. Our parents’ might have said something, but we were playing it too well. Grades didn’t falter, social lives thrived, friendships strengthened. Ours strengthened, even as our bodies wasted into clouds of dust and our vibrant personalities faded with the leaves.

Remember the winter we didn’t eat? We had to get creative, too many family dinners. We took those volunteer jobs at the daycare center hoping we would catch colds, a flu just in time for the holidays. When that didn’t work, we declared that it was the season for giving and spent our Thanksgiving and Christmas working at the food bank, feeding homeless people who most certainly had more to eat than either of us.

Remember the spring people caught on? Me 5’10” you 5’7”, we both weighed in at under 100 pounds, we were sent to facilities, separately, we were told we could no longer be each other’s best friend. When we heard that we promised to not eat until we could see each other, but that didn’t happen. We got better, codependency stripped from us.

Remember the next year, sitting in a diner when we finally talked about it? You were so much better than I was, but we were both trying, getting our lives on track. You said that cigarettes would kill me, a clinger-on from our past lives. We looked at our meals and said that we were strong enough to eat them; we realized that our love for each other didn’t depend on an eating disorder. We entered back into each other’s lives and this time we took up more physical space than emotional space. It felt liberating and warm. We laughed when we thought about how unreal that year had been, then two girls walked in and ordered hot cups of tea and complained that they had eaten too much the day before, one girl announcing that her diet of an apple and a coffee had left her bloated. We stopped laughing then. Looking at a mirror of our past didn’t seem so funny anymore.

Remember how you told me that even if someone recovers from an eating disorder and continues to live a healthy life they’re still 30% more likely to have a heart attack later in life? I told you that something else would get to us first. I watched you shrink, then I watched you grow back. I watched you run a marathon, and watched you eat a huge meal of pasta and bread that night at a celebration dinner. I watched you walk down the aisle from the vantage point of Maid of Honor. And I watched you collapse on your kitchen floor, as I ran for a telephone, frantically dialing 911. But today I will not watch you get lowered into the ground, because I can’t face you. I can’t face your family or your husband. Because I am selfish and I am weak, and I can’t forgive myself.

Remember all those years ago when I unintentionally embarked on a journey that would kill you? Because I do, and I am so sorry.

Source: thoughtcatalog.com

Overeating...Just as bad as Under-eating?

I feel like society trend lately has been on a health kick: organic foods, yoga, watching calories.  And yet, Americans are still overeating and eating things that are not healthy causing obesity.  Overeating can be considered a compulsion, a psychological addiction and diagnosis.  I came across this story about a man suing White Castle because his 290lb body could not fit into their booths.  He claims, White Castle is violating the Disability Act.  Is obesity a disability?

Here is the story:

First World Problem of the Day: Stocky stock broker Martin Kessman is suing White Castle for being unable to fit his 290lb frame into the chain’s stationary booths.

The 64-year-old claims he injured himself at a White Castle in Nanuet, New York, while trying to “wedge” himself into one of the establishment’s table-seat combos.

Kessman wrote the company to complain, and says HQ sent him back “three very condescending letters” with coupons for free hamburgers. After waiting two years for White Castle to make good on a promise to expand seating space, Kessman decided enough was enough, and filed a lawsuit against the company asking for bigger booths and an unspecified amount in damages.

According to Kessman, White Castle is in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act. “I just want to sit down like a normal person,” he says.

Reference 

Ana Makes An Appearance in Ads

10 Advertisers Who Promote Anorexia in their Marketing

I came across this article (link is above) that shows 10 advertisers who use anorexia for their campaigns.  It is interesting to me that companies continue to use too skinny models when people continue to protest.  To me, it seems like society and the media know it is sending a specific message, and yet we ignore the damage that message might bring.

What do you think?

Ecstasy & Ed

Celebrities always talk about the diets they are on, the workouts and trainers they know, and the tips they hear about staying thin or having a good body.  However, one method of weight loss is not discussed publicly or at all, and that is drug use.  

Often, we hear about drug use among celebrities: musicians, actors, TV stars...but when we hear about them is is often when they are dead from overdose.  A lot of times, the types of drugs taken are to get a "high" but it is no secret that drug use can also leads to thinner, skinnier, and in society's eyes, "sexier" bodies.  Thus, when people see these images of famous people, it influences their thoughts on what society deems as beautiful, sexy, happy people.  To achieve that, drugs are often a quick and easy to achieve "perfection."  

Common drugs used for those with eating disorders are appetite suppressants, or anorectics.  Anorectics are "a dietary supplement and/or drug which reduces appetite, food consumption, and as a result, causes weight loss to occur."  It is important to note that appetite suppressants are:

"Used on a short-term basis clinically to treat obesity, some appetite suppressants are also available over-the-counter. In the United States, appetite suppressants do not have to be approved by the FDA when they are based on a 100% natural basis.  There are all kinds of natural appetite suppressants (supplements) on the market, helping people to control and limit their food intake. Most common natural appetite suppressants are based on hoodia, a genus of 13 species in the flowering plant family Apocynaceae, under the subfamily Asclepiadoideae. Also widely used as a basis is green tea, with other plant extracts, to limit calorie intake. Several appetite suppressants are based on a mix of natural ingredients, mostly using green tea as its basis, in combination with other plant extracts such asfucoxanthin, found naturally in seaweed. Drugs of this class are frequently stimulants of the phenethylamine family, related to amphetamine(informally known as speed)."

Another drug that is being used by people with eating disorders is ecstasy.  It has been found that "The drug ecstasy has appetite suppressant and exercise promoting effects that may appeal to young women who are concerned about weight and body image."  The study aimed to determine if women who used ecstasy differed in their thoughts about body image from those who do not take the drug.  Researchers found that:

"One hundred and thirty young women, all cigarette smokers, were recruited; 73 who used ecstasy were compared with 57 who did not. All were assessed on Garner's (1991) Eating Disorder Inventory (EDI-2), body mass index (BMI), depression and beliefs about the effects of different drugs on appetite, exercise and weight. The two groups did not differ on number of cigarettes smoked per day, depression scores, current BMI, lowest achieved BMI or ideal BMI.  Ecstasy users had significantly higher scores than controls on four of the 11 sub-scales of the EDI: bulimia, impulse dysregulation, social insecurity and interpersonal distrust.  For ecstasy users, scores on all four scales correlated positively with frequency of ecstasy use. However there were no group differences in 'drive for thinness' or 'body dissatisfaction' which may suggest that differences on other factors are related more to use of club drugs than to any specific eating pathology. Ecstasy users were more likely than controls to agree that ecstasy aids weight loss and that they exercise more when they use drugs."

Do you think celebrity drug use increases the use of drugs to loose weight by women? 

Resources

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anorectic

Curran, H., & Robjant, K. (2006). Eating attitudes, weight concerns and beliefs about drug effects in women who use ecstasy. Journal of Psychopharmacology, 20(3), 425-431. doi:10.1177/0269881106060584

For Your Ed-formation...

90% of people who have eating disorders are between the ages of 12 and 25.

Source

A Cosmopolitan Woman=A Skinny Woman?

The definition of cosmopolitan is: "a person who has lived and travelled in many countries, especially one who is free of national prejudices; having interest in or familiar with many parts of the world; sophisticated or urbane; or composed of people or elements from all parts of the world or many different spheres."  I admit, I often pick up a copy of the highest selling women's magazine since 1972 in the US in the airport, on my way to the pool or beach, or even sometimes for empty, entertainment.  However, if you think about the definition of Cosmo's title, does this title really fit the publication?  Not really when every sexualized and racy cover boasts sex tips, how to look good, celebrity profile, and weight loss tips.  


If you google "cosmo + weight," you will get links to "10 best dieting tips" and "Best way to loose weight in a week...quick!" With an increasing younger audience, are these articles perpetuating our obsession with the social image of what a woman should look like?  What society's idea of the perfect weight is?  Some of the tips Cosmo tells readers are:

Losing pounds doesn't have to be torture (we're looking at you, cayenne-pepper cleanse). Adopt at least three of these behaviors — they're simple to integrate into your day-to-day routine, and all are enthusiastically backed by nutritionists — and you'll be thinner and healthier in days. (Plus, the weight will stay off.)

1. SNACK, BUT SMARTLY

Grazing between meals used to be on the weight-loss hit list. But nutritionists now know that it's better to satisfy a craving with healthy grub than ignore it and risk a junk-food binge later. The best picks are filling, protein-packed snacks, such as one stick of string cheese, a tablespoon of peanut butter on a piece of fruit, or a medium-size bowl of edamame.

3. STEP ON THE SCALE DAILY

If your regular weight increases several days in a row, it's a red flag letting you know you need to cut back a little or beef up your workouts slightly.

5. REACH FOR YOUR CELL

Next time your mind gets stuck on a certain food, call a friend and redirect your brain by asking how her day's going. Research shows that cravings only last about 5 minutes, so by the time you hang up, the urge to devour junk will have subsided.

10. VISUALIZE YOURSELF THIN

When you feel your willpower breaking, conjure up a mental picture of yourself when you looked and felt slim. The visual motivation keeps you focused on your goal weight and reminds you that it is attainable, since you've achieved it before.

To me, these tips seem exactly what people with disordered eating do: avoid food, visualize being thinner (remember "Thinspo"?), and obsessively tracking one's weight.  One blog analyzes Cosmo magazine stating that the magazine is objectification of women through a male's point of view.  The blogger talks about eating disorders as one of the components of this.  She states:

“The Natural, Healthy Girl”: Normalizing Unnatural Beauty and Health Ideals

It’s no surprise that every cover I analyzed featured full-body depictions of very thin, big-breasted, seemingly flawless, young white women in low-cut, tight, short, revealing clothing and long, flowing hair. In a clear example of making unnatural beauty and health ideals appear normal, the April 2008 cover featured Marisa Miller, who came to fame through her notorious topless debut as the cover model for the 2008 SI Swimsuit Issue. The buxom blond is positioned with her back arched and chest protruding, along with the headline “Flatten Your Belly! Marisa’s tips make it easy.”

Strikingly similar to Shape and Self’s representations of healthy bodies and practices, the April 2008 Cosmo included a “fitness special” featuring cover model Marisa Miller in a full-page photo posed on a bed, back arched, chest pushed out, wearing only a top and a come-hither look. Readers are reminded twice that Miller has a body “women dream of and mean dream about,” 

along with the prominently featured quote: “I always wanted to represent the natural, healthy girl, and I didn’t care if it was cool or trendy to look like you hadn’t eaten in two weeks.”With eight tear-out cards displaying the scantily clad supermodel in various workout positions and repetitive reminders about how easy her “stay-slim” plan is, readers are presented with another highly sexualized and normalized view of thinness as “fitness.”

Interestingly, the first cover I analyzed from April 2006 featured then 19-year-old Lindsay Lohan, who, at that time, was in the midst of a media firestorm regarding her sudden and extreme weight loss. Vanity Fair reported the year before that Lohan admitted to “making herself sick in order to lose weight,” which she denied in her interview with Cosmo. In the inside feature story about her, Lohan was quoted as saying she lost all the weight by “not eating right,” but that she wanted to maintain her weight loss, since she liked the way she looked and felt. “I’m healthy. I don’t diet. I eat what I want to eat … and I’m stressed a lot when I’m working, so that keeps me thin,” she explained. In conjunction with images of thin (often extremely thin) women in sexualized poses, messages like “Marisa’s Supereasy Fitness Plan” and Lindsay Lohan’s claims of sudden, extreme weight loss with no effort serve to normalize an unrealistic standard of idealized beauty that is constantly represented as natural, attainable and “Supereasy.”

The rest of her article (found here) goes very in-depth about society's idea of the male fantasy of the ideal woman.  I thought it was a pretty interesting article, as well as her other articles about media and woman's role and image in society.  


What do you think about magazines like Cosmo that constantly portray thin, sexy women on the covers and tell you weight loss tips?  Should teens be reading this?  Do you think it influences disordered eating?  






References


http://www.thefreedictionary.com/cosmopolitan


http://www.cosmopolitan.com/advice/health/10-best-weight-loss-tips-ever-0809-2


Lindsay Kite (2011). “Cosmo Magazine: A Case Study in Objectification Through the Male Gaze.” Beauty Redefined: beautyredefined.net/cosmo-magazine-a-case-study-in-objectification.htm. Published March 5, 2011.

For Your Ed-formation...

Over one-half of teenage girls and nearly one-third of teenage boys use unhealthy weight control behaviors such as skipping meals, fasting, smoking cigarettes, vomiting and taking laxatives.

Source