The Dark Side of Perfection: Modern Day Eating Disorders

This is the age of physical perfection. From movies to newspapers, and everywhere in between, the youth of America is bombarded images of the Platonic ideal of beauty. Television shows such as America's Next Top Model and The Simple Life glorify our nation's obsession with overly perfect women, and computer-modified photographs of models appear on the cover of every magazine. But what are the adverse effects on the general population? For teenagers, the pressure of fitting in with their peers is a major social issue, and in an effort to become as physically perfect as possible, many develop eating disorders. The two most common of these disorders are anorexia and bulimia.

Anorexia nervosa - commonly known simply as anorexia - is an eating disorder that currently affects 1-2% of the female population, but only 0.1-0.2% of the male population. It is generally described as a high fear of weight gain, refusal to maintain a minimally accepted body weight, and distorted self body image. Anorexia causes a person to see themselves as overweight, even when they are so thin it is unhealthy. Often they will refuse to eat meals, or eat very little in their obsessive quest to lose weight. Sometimes they will prepare huge meals for others, and not eat a bite themselves. This can be very dangerous for women, as it can affect their menstrual cycles.

Bulimia nervosa (known simply as bulimia) is a "binge and purge" eating disorder. Oftentimes, a person affected by bulimia will eat massive amounts, then use vomiting, laxatives, or other techniques to purge the food and prevent weight gain. Generally, the foods that a bulimic will binge upon will be "comfort foods" - foods that have some sentimental value to the person - or sweet foods that are high in calories or very sweet. A person suffering from bulimia can appear perfectly normal, unlike what is the general case with anorexia. Much of the time, a person who suffers from bulimia can also suffer from anorexia.