Picture this, it’s a Saturday afternoon and dinner time happens to arrive. You join the table alongside your family members to enjoy a delicious meal. But bringing yourself to pick up the plate and feast feels more difficult than the norm. Commonly discussing upcoming plans, events, or simply the latest at the dinner table. There’s just one thing that is left out of the conversation, the silent struggle many face—an eating disorder.
A conversation that hinders from the light as many misinterpret the idea that it applies only to food, which is partially correct, however it mainly applies to emotionally deep rooted issues that may affect someone psychologically. This may include traumatic childhood events, social isolation, stress, or other health conditions. Individuals who face the troubles of having an eating disorder tend to have more psychological struggles that add onto the root of the problem.
According to research conducted by the National Institute of Mental Health, statistics show that “More than half (56.2%) of respondents with anorexia nervosa, 94.5% with bulimia nervosa, and 78.9% with binge eating disorder met criteria for at least one of the core DSM-IV disorders assessed in the NCS-R.” These DSM-IV disorders may include aspects such as depression, anxiety, or substance abuse, which apply to the psychological reasoning within eating disorders.
The psychological reasoning behind eating disorders may also apply to body image. This can reflect based on what many see online or from basic beauty standards the public sets. Body image goes beyond the reality of looks but enters a distorted perception of an individual. Individuals who face an eating disorder look in the mirror and see a completely different person pertaining to shape or size. This not only encourages the need to maintain the disorder but negatively affects self-esteem.
Our perceived body shape is what gives us the reason to fast, binge, or diet. These specific ideas are what helps trained mental health professionals to identify the problem before it worsens and becomes deadly even.
Diet culture is a haunting force that influences our expectations of body image. This culture ranges from advertisements on the internet, food labels on products you buy, or influencers on social media. Hinting at the “ideal” body type everyone should have, muscular and thin. The obsession with perfectionism is what drives individuals to have unhealthy relationships with food, which may lead to dieting.
Problematic thinking habits clashing with the addition of social media take into account as this negatively affects your opinion or thoughts towards eating. A Marco Island Academy senior, Lauren Riley, shares her thoughts on this idea “Reflecting on the use of social media, a popular trend that was launched on an app called Tumblr was using ‘#Thinspo’, but in recent years has resurfaced on TikTok. This hashtag and others like it are trying to inspire young girls to have a certain ‘thin’ body type that encourages excessive dieting. This hashtag is usually paired with a video spreading misinformation on food habits and can be extremely harmful to impressionable young girls.” Rejecting healthy relationships with food and promoting negative content on a multitude of platforms is the root of this problem in itself.
Societal beauty standards take into consideration when it comes to eating disorders as some individuals want that “perfect” look. In some eyes this means being skinny in some contexts. A Marco Island Academy senior, Noa Batlle, expressed her opinion on this topic, “With social media being such a big part in our lives, it is easy to compare ourselves to the ‘ideal’ body type. A lot of the times people may innocently edit their pictures ignorantly making young girls idealize an unachievable look, damaging self esteems and identity. This is something many young women have fallen victim to.” Especially when it comes to social media applications such as Instagram or TikTok that prioritize romanticizing unrealistic aspects of life in small square posts.
Individuals tend to compare themselves to others on the internet because of these snippets of joyful highlights that showcase people’s bodies. Not to mention, most people online edit their pictures to create an unreal persona that others cannot identify. This is a key addition to the body image issue at hand.
This battle that 9% of the entire United States population will encounter in their lifetime (28.8 million people). It is important to see the signs and understand how it affects not only those around you but yourself.
Although being open and discussing the problems within an eating disorder can be an uncomfortable conversation, it needs to be talked about. Eating disorders can be deadly and life-threatening. They also co-exist with other underlying mental health conditions which can intersect each other in a negative way.
This dinner conversation should be talked about.
If you or someone you know is struggling with an eating disorder, reach out for help.
National Alliance for Eating Disorders (866)-662-1235
