Eating Disorders and Perception of Beauty

Eating Disorders

How the Perception of Beauty Influences Eating Disorders

With everything changing in this society, the aspect of beauty especially when it comes to women has kept changing, sometimes desperately to the extent of individuals adopting extreme behaviors in the pursuit of the ideal 'beauty'. Instances where different kinds of media communicate the significance of physical beauty in the contemporary world and the means of achieving such traits are widespread. The attachment of food and modes of consumption of these same foods and the positive effects they produce as regards an enhanced attraction, as the society propagates goes without saying. The problem of eating disorders has increased in the contemporary world thanks to the spread of notions like these, as this paper reports. The focus of this report is to explore the influence of the idea of beauty to eating disorders with specific reference to anorexia. The discussion opens with a brief introduction of eating disorders citing the problem factors relating to the conditions, the role of the idea of beauty and characteristic that the victims present just to mention but a few. The section that follows explores the how the society handles and views the idea of beauty and attractiveness today and how many have attached the issue of eating with close to all definitions of beauty. The paper narrows down to the specific condition among anorexics addressing factors like the triggers of anorexia, the definition of the condition and the aspect of treatment of the disorder. The paper then deals with anorexia as a worldwide endemic before exploring the factor of gender. Following these are the theories that explain eating disorders, anorexia included together with other psychological features that associate with the conditions. The process of recovery also emerges together with the current and future research in a paper, which concludes with a summary of the entire discussion.

How the Perception of Beauty Influences Eating Disorders

Introduction

Eating disorders are grave medical conditions, both in the physical and psychological sense. The conditions which emerge in the form of bulimia, anorexia and binge eating among others unfortunately, has increasingly become common with the shift time, the young adults and adolescents being the major victims (Bryant -- Waugh & Lask, 2013). The concept of beauty as governed by the way individuals eat if a fact which comes not as a surprise especially in the contemporary where media is exploding with all manner of information on how individuals can improve their levels of attraction. Eating disorders have different dynamics with the individuals affected presenting more or less the same class of traits. The call of beauty, especially among the female gender continues to increase and as such the availability of massive information on how to achieve beauty. The most frequently explored aspects of beauty lie in different ways of controlling eating besides the application of cosmetics. Eating disorders have a variety of triggers; say in the case of anorexia where the influence of the media of the desire for attention leads to the adoption of the abnormal eating behaviour (Cox, 2001). Moreover, these patients have characteristics, which help distinguish them from other ordinary individuals in the society. Like other conditions, this disorder is treatable if the patients follow the appropriate treatment regimes but is not included among the varieties of global pandemics. Eating disorders are a problem, which affects both genders though in different proportions. Moreover, it has a socioeconomic angle to it, which emerges in different explanations, psychological theories included. Patients suffering from the conditions have the capacity of recovery owing to the many available channels of recovery and with the ongoing research as regards the different aspects of the condition, much of such channels are, expected to emerge. However, the field of research still has a massive gap to fill when it exploring eating disorders likes anorexia. This explains the need for future studies on this subject.

The Concept of Beauty in the Contemporary Society

I recently saw a Dove commercial that so brilliantly summarizes the way that women often view themselves. Entitled "Real Beauty Sketches," an experiment is made in which a sketch artist asks multiple women to describe themselves. Without seeing them, he draws the images that they describe. The second half of the commercial involves these women describing the other women in this experiment and the sketch artist drawing those new images. Finally, each woman sees a side-by-side drawing of herself, each time her own description depicting a woman who is much older and uglier than the one described by someone else. The message rings clear: "You are more beautiful than you think." Many women have a tremendous amount of self-doubt and harsh self-criticism. Women often believe they are fatter than they are, uglier than they are, and older looking than they really are. From where do such self-doubt and such a fixation on physical appearance, originate? Men and women, boys and girls, are taught from an early age that the value of women lies in their youth, beauty, and sexuality. This single idea has led to gender stereotypes in almost every arena of life. The one on which I would like to focus is in the world of business.

In a world where women learn that their worth is dependent on their beauty, it is no wonder that anorexia plagues such a large part of the population. Instead of focusing on their minds and inner qualities, the world often judges women on their outward beauty. Women, and even girls, quickly learn that their self-worth is often, increased when they appear more beautiful.

According to Patzer (2006), the contemporary world has explosively exposed all individuals to media content that bombard people with images of seemingly flawless an implausible looking individuals with women being at the forefront. Women and some of their male counterparts focus on unachievable standards of beauty as the basis for confidence and self-worth. The widespread use of science in enhancing beauty for example in the applications of make, exploration of surgical procedures, extreme use of physical activities, dieting and the use of injections constitutes the common means for attaining such goals. The glorification of physical attractiveness in relation to weight has caused debates in different arenas considering the considerably unhealthy limits that individuals go in an attempt to achieve the measure that the society considers ideal. The relentless pursuit for thinner physical looks in no more extraordinary factor, sometimes exposing individuals to the adoption of life threatening behaviors. Jackson (2007), in the publication "You're So Skinny! Advice, Personal Life Experiences, and Over 50 Weight Management Tips on Maintaining a Slim Figure" presents a scenario where a very limited proportion of women confess satisfied with their body weight. This is irrespective of most of them having the perfect and required weights with respect to health standards. This is to blame for what the society has taught the women and some men. The fact that attractiveness has become defined in the sense of physical beauty and even more with physical weight has made the society believe that thin is perfect, whatever the extent. The adoption of eating disorders mainly is to blame for this since individuals focus on reducing their food intake with the view of limiting their weight increase and achieving the desired 'beauty'. Anorexic and bulimic individuals are mainly victim of the propagation of the concept of beauty as a factor of weight. This has not only led to a vain search for beauty but has also exposed them to life threatening medical conditions (Vandereycken, & Beumont, 1998).

Society needs to begin to teach its youth that the value of women lies in their intelligence, power, and independence. At the age of eight, forty four percent of girls want to be leaders. Yet, by the age of twelve, only twenty-one percent believe they could be leaders. By age twelve, the average girl had seen 77,546 commercials -- many of which are geared toward emphasizing the power of man and the beauty of women. Out of high school girls interviewed, three out of four said that they feel guilty or depressed and thirty-one percent have admitted to starving themselves in order to lose weight. Society needs to emphasize achievement and not appearance. Over the last few years, America has seen a three hundred percent increase in cosmetic surgery in women. There has been a four hundred percent increase in liposuctions and an alarming six hundred percent increase in breast augmentations. Therefore, in other words, as leadership positions dwindle, cosmetic procedures are on the rise. This is a poor reflection of the values that our society teaches. "What we believe a leader should do is not consistent with what we think a woman can do." This is what needs to change. Despite all the incentives and monetary compensations in the world, we need to create a population that believes in the future of our women as leaders and not just pretty faces. Perhaps, if we emphasize the brains of women instead of the body, we will see a group of people that truly believe anything is possible and who would not need to be reminded through a Dove commercial that they truly are more beautiful than they think.

Dynamics of eating disorders and the Perception of Beauty

Eating disorders are medical issues, which, though distinguishable, have more or less similar traits and presented in a variety of angles. Explaining eating disorders like anorexia can take aspects like the development of the condition, the aspect of blame among the individuals and the denial of reality. Others include the discovery and secrecy of the eating disorders, the techniques for recovery and the experiences during recovery among other factors.

Development of Disorder and Blame

Kip Rasmussen (n.d) illustrates that understanding, managing and treating eating disorders is a challenging task. However, what remains is the fact that these conditions relate to some desperate and eventually self-destructive endeavours to "deal with" severe sense of failure and insignificance. This feeling of inadequacy emanates from an array of sources, which encompass social pressure. According to the author, there are instances where individuals fall into the temptations of denying themselves food because of rejection from figures they adore. A case in point is an individual who gets spiteful remarks from someone they have a crush on for instance a man calling a woman who has secretly, admired him 'fat'. Coupled with the message that the victim gets from the media considering the notion of fat vs. skinny as reflecting on ugly vs. beautiful respectively, such an individual would vow never to have vulnerability of being called fat again. This brews a rather extreme contempt towards weight, that the individual's view, regarding her appearance, becomes warped and therefore, begins considering herself substantially overweight, a persistent loss of weight notwithstanding. In an attempt to guard herself from constant hurt, the individuals, over the years establish extreme eating habits, which plague them for years and sometimes decades.

Although this problem is common for children and adults of both sexes, the prevalence of such conditions among young women and adolescent girls if far much greater than in their male counterparts. Strumia, (2013) demonstrates that, growing up for young women in the society has today become a more challenging affair considering the extent of peer fighting, stress, sexual coercion, emotional trauma and assaults relating to among many factors, the issue of beauty, weight and acceptance with the eventual outcomes being the likes of eating disorders like anorexia. With many women, facing judgement concerning their appearance the social pressure the development of eating disorders becomes inescapable for most of them. Fitting into the peer groups that girls form early in their childhood and in school environment sometimes comes with enormous prices to pay depending on the standard that such groups lay and the characters they uphold (Barlow, 2012). Issues of appearance and the factor of who is perfect come frequently into play in such groups with individuals, more so those seeking acceptance striving as hard as they can to meet the requirement of the ideal appearances (Sandoz, Wilson & DuFrene, 2011). The effects however, emanates not only from the peer-to-peer judgement but also from the opinion that the boys give regarding the girls look, most especially, with respect to their weights.

Eating disorders, without any doubts, form the basis for concerns, not only for the patients but also for literally all individuals who interact with them. Because of this, the aspect of blame springs up with each party seeking to find answers on whom or what factor is responsible for the situation at hand. According to Herrin and Matsumoto (2010), these conditions emerge because of multiple factor although different individuals will blame them on some specific ones, either real or imaginary. For instance, an anorexic patient may direct blame on himself while the parents would blame the condition itself or consider himself or herself the culprit's behind the emergence of the condition affecting their child. However, general claims indicate a pointing finger towards the media and the modern culture, much of which reflects the truth on the ground (Watson 2007). However, the common factor in the blame game, especially on the part of the parents and the victim, normally emanate from the sense of guilt, which in almost all instances are not true and ought not to exist in the first place (Herrin and Matsumoto, 2010).

Denial and Secrecy of Eating Disorder

Denial is a common denominator for patients suffering from eating disorders whether done consciously or unconsciously. According to (Strumia, 2013) the evasion of reality as regarding eating conditions forms one of the major obstacle when it comes to the discovery, management, treatment and recovery from the conditions. Either patients in denial of these conditions Occurs in instances where the victims are unable to recognize they have an eating disorder, or they do not realize the gravity of the problem. Denial is a precarious occurrence when it prevents someone from understanding he or she may be in danger, physically and/or psychologically. Plenty of queries spring up when the issues secrecy, denial and lying in eating disorders emerge considering the much oblivion that exist on how victims handle the recognition and realization of their problems. It is however factual that the extent and comprehension of denial in patients vary from one patient to another. The need for patients to guard their habits coupled with their desires and sometimes that of their relations to keep others from knowing their situation and the shame that is associated with such disorders trigger denial (Cooperman & Gilbert, 2009). Understanding that denial, lying and secrets on the part of the victim constitutes not a men sod manipulation or stubbornness is imperative. These conducts emanate from fear and may need those around the victims and the affected relatives telling them the feeling is right, helping them understand the denial and acting compassionate with them.

Discovery and Recovery in Eating Disorders

Discovery and recovery for patients with eating disorders takes the intervention of one or more third parties. Those handling the patients and in some cases, their families ought to anticipate change gradually and not expect to handle the problem at an instance (Epling & Pierce, 2013). This should happen so in order to prepare the victims to start adapting to the real and yet different view of life. If forced to understand the problem so speedily the victim may develop an even a greater, determination to cling to the denials and hence the habits (Cooperman & Gilbert, 2009). This is because, from the patients' standpoint the implication of tackling denial might translate to the atrociousness of finding out the world is not flat as per the conventional wisdom but rather round. Completely changing to and accommodating the reality can take some time. As Patzer (2006) illustrate, understanding that the patient may go back and forth to denial during and after this stage is significant. Recovery calls for an identification, exploration and examination of the patient's worldview. Following this is the decision on the most appropriate procedures for process and a re-evaluation of procedures. Denial usually constitutes the initial treatment stages. For that reason, it is fundamental that the therapist mmaintains empathy, respect, and patience during his/her interaction with the patient. This will aid in handling the challenges that emerge in handling denial aid in supporting patients in this vital phase of recovery.