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Real Women Real Issues
Eating Disorders
By: Mary Elise Chavez
Posted February 2007

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Eating disorders can destroy a person physically, mentally, emotionally, and socially. To understand and begin to tackle the devastation of eating disorders, the truth must be unveiled. Girls, Boys, Women, and Men of all ages suffer with varying types of eating disorders whether for a few weeks, months, or years (this article will focus on young girls and women). It is undoubtedly a health crisis that deserves more attention and energy towards solution.

*For sake of the current idolatry towards celebrities, super models, fashion spreads, labels, and reality shows; these factors will primarily be highlighted throughout this article.

There are many causes of eating disorders, with include:

1. Biological Factors
2. Psychological Factors
3. Family Factors
4. Social Factors
5. Media Factors
6. Cultural Issues

*To read about these causes in depth, including definitions and clinical and psychological research, click here.

The Power of "Fashion"
Depending on your absorption of various media outlets, the obsession with "Skinny" often begins with the fashion industry, which can promote that being beautiful equates to being skinny. Therefore if you are not thin as a rail, you are deemed inadequate, or unworthy of the treatment of a thin, "attractive" person. This has most recently been seen in mainstream hits "The Devil Wears Prada" and the sitcom "Ugly Betty". The images below display the beauty standard set forth by runway and fashion models in our modern day culture.

super models eating disorders anorexia bulimia modern woman maryelise.com

A Long Overdue Change
Rather than push aside the realities of the modeling and fashion worlds (whether through eating disorders, drugs, alcohol, or other addictions), new loosely imposed standards have hit runways from Milan to New York. Bringing awareness to these industries must be openly and honestly represented. Modeling agencies and fashion designers in the fashion capitals of the world have instituted weight standards for their models. While Fashion Week has officially started in Paris (and is on its way to New York and Miami), it will be interesting whether these "suggestions" are taken into consideration and followed.

VS PINK: Promoting Sex & Seduction to Pre-teens
While this is a positive step in the modeling world, this same industry continues to double state themselves in many instances. One which lies with Victoria's Secret. The lingerie brand launched a line called "PINK" in 2004. While the company states that their demographic is 18-22 year-old college co-ed's, pre-teen girls flood the Victoria's Secret stores as though it's their best friends bedroom. Colorful, bite-size, and often equipped with a teaser line such as "All I Want Is You", it is surely not appropriate for pre-teens. The logo, a playful puppy dog, only reinstates the feeling of youth and innocence, while the double entendre remains with the seductive and overtly sexual message. For a brand that is appealing to 18-22 year-olds, I find it highly ironic and juvenile that they sell hot pink stuffed puppy dogs and key chains; if that isn't clear marketing towards adolescent girls, I don't know what is.

Furthermore, everything from padded push-up bras to itsy bitsy g-string underwear, grace Victoria's Secrets stores, catalogues, and web site. One of their most popular items are their sweat pants and boxer short shorts, which have PINK sprawled out on the bum. No doubt a homage to the fanatical inspiration "Juicy" via Juicy Couture, which resided over teens bums across the country. The models of this line are post pre-teen by quite some years. Clearly physically developed, equipped with chicken cutlet inserts (often breast implants as well), and a masterful air brusher, these women are posing in underwear and lounge wear for teens; not a very intelligent prose for young girls indeed. The prints, patterns, and teaser lines that accompany PINK, make it appealing yet inappropriate to young girls, and while this stands true, the line's popularity only continues to grow and expand with no realization or change from the company as of yet. Manufacturing sex to pre-teens creates multiple societal problems (youth pregnancies, abortions, distorted body image, poverty, prostitution, heightened sexual pressure and expectations), which makes PINK a sad and disgusting marketing scheme, and a substantial violation of the innocence of youth.

My Underwear is Sexier Than Yours
Girls younger than 16 should not be thinking about whether their underwear is sexy enough, small enough, lacy enough, low enough, etc. While PINK has been insanely popular, there is no intention of Victoria's Secret to focus the brand on the demographic they say they intended it for (18-22 year-olds). At the end of the day, what sells is sex, and that's money in their pocket that they're not willing to give up.

I Want To Be...
In today's celeb-obsessed culture, the power and influence that the celebrity world has on young girls and women is extremely dominant over any other attributing source. Popular socialites, teen queens, pop idols, models, and movie stars all tend to set the pace for the beauty standard and expectation of girls and women during the specified time. Celebrity smut magazines like US Weekly, Life & Style, In Touch, People, OK Magazine, and countless men's and women's magazines continually promote the beauty standard associated with these stars. Rather than creating a positive expectation for women of all ages, beauty is simplified to how thin you can appear to others. In fact, dozens of chat forums flood the internet with groups of young girls and women stating who their "thinspiration" is. With names like "Pro-Ana" (pro-anorexia that is), Anafriends.org supports and even promotes Anorexia and Bulimia to girls of any age.

celebrity eating disorders lindsey lohan nicole richie kate bosworth victoria beckham the olsen twins modern woman maryelise.com

In any given women's magazine you will find countless articles on how to lose 5, 10, 15 pounds, how to diet, how to appear thinner, how to dress thinner, how to eat your way thin, etc. This obsession with dieting and becoming thin, leaves no room for error. These magazines continually tell women they are not good enough, not thin enough, beautiful enough, rich enough, stylish enough, sexy enough, etc. When rather, there should be an emphasis on eating your way to a healthy you, rather than a thinner, health-starved you.

The problem of eating disorders can be attributed to several factors; the influence of the media/fashion world/celebrity-dom, poor role models through childhood, poor child/parent relationships, peer pressure, feelings of inadequacy, or other difficulties faced. In the majority of cases, it is a whirlwind of all of these factors which contribute to the spawn and continuance of an eating disorder.

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