Most people think it’s easy to spot a person who has an eating disorder.
They believe anorexics are sickly bags of skin and bones who avoid eating at all costs and that bulimics immediately jump up from dinner to violently retch.
But the landscape of eating disorders is changing rapidly.
The aforementioned problems describe specific diagnoses of anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa, but there are people who have distorted, disordered eating habits that don’t fit the criteria for either of these conditions. They still have a problem that may require years of support and guidance to work through.
An increasing number of eating disorder sufferers may not get to an unhealthy weight, but they have distorted views regarding food or their bodies, causing emotional and physical distress. Some may not stop eating, instead malnourishing their bodies by using laxatives to push the food through their system faster than their bodies can absorb the nutrients.
So what is causing so many men and women to stop eating in a healthy way?
According to the National Eating Disorders Association, two dangerous mindsets can proliferate into chronic eating disorders: the drive for thinness and body dissatisfaction.
But both of these stem from the same root. The term “skinny” has become synonymous with both beautiful and healthy.
And it’s simply not true.
There’s evidence that the way one carries fat could indicate a risk for heart disease or diabetes, but there is no evidence of a magical number on the scale that determines if one is healthy or unhealthy.
Health cannot be determined by one isolated measurement, and neither can beauty.
We all know those people who have their exterior well put together — “normal” weight, “normal” height, perfectly coordinated clothes, never a hair out of place. The moment they open their mouths, though, one may find that light travels faster than sound. They can be rude, crude, bigoted, belittling, ignorant or any number of traits which shatter the beauty of their perfectly crafted exterior.
Yet often these people are still considered beautiful despite their obviously ugly insides.
Those who are caring, loving, compassionate, funny and intelligent may carry some extra weight by modern standards. They might have a problem with acne, fail to maintain the most flattering haircut or lack the perfect set of teeth, causing them to be labeled as not pretty enough.
Reality proves that no person has a physically perfect body. Any outward physical appearance of perfection is a façade of makeup, hairspray, clothing and other optical illusions.
People on TV and in magazines have been Photoshopped, slathered in makeup, shadowed in light and every other digital trick you can imagine to cover their flaws.
It’s time to stop idolizing those who choose ignorance over education, judgment over compassion and bigotry over empathy. We must stop judging beauty by bastardized standards of physical appearance instead of positive mental and emotional attributes.
We all have at least one trait we view as imperfect, and that’s what we often fixate on. We believe if we notice it all the time, everyone else must notice and judge us just as we judge ourselves.
It’s time we teach ourselves and each other to love ourselves just as we are. We can only give unconditional love to another person if we first give it to ourselves.
If you regularly become stressed with the thought of eating, avoid eating regularly, vomit after you eat or obsess about your body shape or size, give the Eating Disorder Treatment Team a call at 225-578-5718.
It takes determination and bravery to recognize your issues and take steps to heal yourself. It takes strength to love yourself, flaws and all.
Kristi Carnahan is a 25-year-old anthropology senior from West Monroe. Follow her on Twitter @TDR_KCarnahan.
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Contact Kristi Carnahan at [email protected]
Positively Carnal: Don’t be daunted by societal standards of beauty
March 2, 2012