Have you ever...

... began a research paper only to abandon it a week later because it just didn't feel right?! If so, then we can be friends because that is exactly what I have done. Although I am rather proud of the new paper I have written, I do feel awfully bad leaving the other to rot in my documents folder for the rest of time. :/ So instead of letting it waste away, I am going to use it as blog fodder! Yippee! I hope something, anything can be learned from this fragment of a research paper so I post it with the best hopes! :)

(I never got around to a title. Poor little guy!)

When you look in the mirror do you like what you see? Unfortunately, for most women, the answer to that question is no. It seems to be that women are ceasing to realize their own beauty and are taking drastic measures to achieve a new and artificial image of what they believe is beautiful. Some women decide to undergo costly plastic surgery and others are caught up in a continuous cycle of dieting, but many put themselves even more at risk for the sake of beauty. Under society’s harsh glare, more and more woman and teens are establishing eating disorders to fit into the wrongly set standards of beauty.

By definition, an eating disorder is any of several psychological disorders characterized by serious disturbances of eating behavior . Two of the most commonly seen disorders are anorexia nervosa, the act of self-starvation, and bulimia nervosa, or the act of eating large amounts and then purging the food from your body either with laxatives or vomiting or even over-exercising. As explained by The Alliance for Eating Disorders Awareness, people establish eating disorders for a variety of reasons. Often it is a mix of genetic, sociocultural, and psycho-developmental factors (such as: life transitions, sexuality issues, and bodily changes) (1).

According to The Alliance for Eating Disorders Awareness, often eating disorders are used as a coping method for teens and children who feel like their lives are out of control (1). For example: the death of a loved one, the separation of a child’s parents, or even in cases where the child is trying to deal with the ridicule and bullying they have received at school. In other cases, Studies show that people who have a history of emotional, sexual or physical abuse use their eating disorder to repress the painful memories that are attached to the abuse they endured. By making food the enemy, they are able to numb the pain. (3)

New research has also come out recently stating that genetics might play a role in the formation of eating disorders. The chances a person has of forming an eating disorder are heightened if a close relative has had one prior (1). Much like the way alcoholism and drug addiction are often present in a persons genetic makeup. The National Institute of Mental Health/ National Institute of Health is further researching this new concept.

According to doctors and psychiatrists, there is another reason for the increase in the development of eating disorders: the media. Our culture no longer celebrates inner beauty and it persuades us to think that being thin and tall is better than embracing who we are as individuals. From the words of professional expert John Smolak, "The average woman is 5"4' and weighs 140 pounds. The average model is 5"11' and weighs 117 pounds. Most fashion models are thinner than 98% of American women." (4). Not only are the runways affecting how we see ourselves, but also Hollywood. Magazine cover after magazine cover shows beautiful thin actresses who many look up to and idolize. Although it may not be their intention, by following the standards Hollywood has set on beauty they are influencing many and putting a glamorous mask on conformity.

(thats all folks!)