Starving for Acceptance
The messages in a never-ceasing barrage from the diet, fitness and cosmetic industries are clear: Perfection is possible if we use their products. Cosmetic surgery is the fastest growing medical profession. From 1981 to 1991 there was a 69 percent increase in the number of cosmetic surgery procedures. 1 It is a $300 million-a-year industry with an annual growth rate of 10 percent. A survey of 10- and 11-year old girls in California indicated that 80 percent of them had already dieted. Drugs which are addictive (amphetamines) and steroids are being used by both men and women in their attempts to have the "perfect" body.
A female who diets before the age of 14 is eight times more likely to develop an eating disorder. 2Our society is narcissisticly obsessed with physical perfection as the road to ultimate fulfillment. Our culture has declared war on fat and the slightest physical flaws and its most susceptible members are our precious youngsters. Television advertisements show very young children "hip" to the dangers of fat and the awful consequence of becoming a "fat person." The unfortunate truth is that parents and responsible adults reinforce and model this thinking.
Sixty percent of ballerinas and other athletes whose fields require leanness practice disordered eating and dieting. 3
When diets become dangerous
Many people with eating disorders start out by dieting in hopes of changing their bodies so they can be happier. In fact, the vast majority of patients at Remuda Ranch (a Christian treatment program for eating disorders) reveal that their eating disorder was triggered simply because they went on a diet, decided to reduce fat in their diet or wanted to eat healthier foods.
The diet industry spends $33 billion-a-year in advertising 4 which contributes to the following destructive behaviors and thinking patterns:
- Exercise (which is supposed to be enjoyable and lead to good health) has become a compulsive activity for many.
- Many people focus on eating low fat. This often leads people to eat no fat, which can lead to the thinking that all fat is bad or even that fat people are lazy and bad.
- The idea that some foods are "good" and some are "bad" when the focus should be eating in moderation.
- Weight gain is normal during adolescence. Girls grow 10 inches and gain 40 to 50 pounds from age 12 to 14. Boys grow 12 inches and gain 50 to 60 pounds.
- Is it any wonder that prepubescent children whose bodies may become chubby as a natural part of maturing fail to see their value in any other terms apart from physical appearance?
- The weight gain and height growth are not always perfectly synchronized and many adolescents experience periods of "chubbiness."
- The family"s reaction to having a "chubby child" can be crucial in how adolescents view their worth for many years to come. Reports by adults who were put on diets by their parents during adolescence (and younger) are far too frequent. Since 90 to 98 percent of diets fail, you can imagine that dieters often end up feeling like failures.6
- Many children are trophies in their parents lives not the treasures that God designed them to be. Children who are valued for their performance and looks rather than for who they are, often struggle with eating disorders.
- Women and girls with eating disorders have historically outnumbered men and boys 9 to 1. However, it is now reported that the largest emerging group affected by these devastating diseases is young boys.
- Young athletes often practice unhealthy dieting habits in order to meet the standards for their sports. Sixty percent of all models and ballerinas have an eating disorder.
- Any sport that requires thinness or weight control is a setup for disordered eating.
Tragically, the world watched as gymnast Christy Henrich was transformed from a healthy young girl to a dying anorexic. Cherry Boone O"Neil, daughter of performing artist Pat Boone, has told of her painful struggle with an eating disorder in books. Tracy Gold, actress of TV series "Growing Pains," admitted to a battle with anorexia and claims victory in her struggles. For every story revealed, there are millions still suffering in secrecy and shame.
- Julie Hayes, R.D., University of California Santa Barbara, discussion outline for the video "The Perfect Body."
- L.K. George Tsu (presented by Paula Levine, Ph.D., in a presentation at the 1995 Eating Awareness and Prevention State Coordinators Conference).
- Based on The Body Betrayed , Kathryn Zerbe, M.D., p. 138-139.
- "Mission Impossible," People Magazine, June 1996. "What Men Need to Know About Eating Disorders," Margo Maine, Ph.D., Eating Disorder Awareness and Prevention State Coordinators Conference Workbook.
- 1996 Council on Size and Weight Discrimination. Julie Hayes, R.D., University of California Santa Barbara, discussion outline for the video "The Perfect Body."
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Other Things to Consider
Related Topics
Relationships: Blended Families, Parents and Adult Children
Transitions: Preparing for Adolescence, Empty Nest
