Who Do Eating Disorders Affect?
First of all, eating disorders are more of a symptom to an underlying psychological problem than being about the food itself. Eating disorders are common among every culture in America. Some cultures experience different eating disorders than others but, the prevalence of disordered eating is still common. In America, we are bombarded by images of Caucasian women as the main face of those with eating disorders however, if you do a bit of research you will realize this is very far from the truth. "Minority women may be at particular risk for body dissatisfaction when exposed to the mainstream media because of the frequent depictions of White women as the standard of beauty" (Castro et al. 136). Moreover, the notion of assimilation in America for people is to adhere to the body images they see in the media, in culture, and the like. The Veil Over Minorities With Eating Disorders Unfortunately, minority people are silenced in their communities when they have an eating disorder. The care and concern is not as prevalent as it is in Caucasian communities (possibly because all over the media we are told only white women have an ED). For example, Asian American people are stereotyped to be short and thin (both men and women). The thin aspect correlates with America's ideal beauty (for women, at least). What does this stereotype do for Asian American people who have Binge Eating Disorder and thus, are larger than others in their culture? ". Asian American women who are aware of and internalize the dominant society’s norms regarding body image, also may be women who watch more American TV" (Chronister et al. 263-64). When compared with Asian American women who practice and participate in the Asian culture rather than focusing on the American culture, the presence of eating disorders and body dissatisfaction is not as common. |
Men and Eating Disorders
As stated before, eating disorders are not all about food and the relationship with food. There are many psychological problems that people have encountered that lead them into disordered eating patterns. "Childhood bullying is common in males, who may react to this trauma by conscious or unconscious manipulation of body shape. Generally this manipulation is focused on becoming more 'masculine'" (Lemberg et al. 348). A stereotype among men with eating disorders is that generally, gay men have disordered eating patterns more so than heterosexual men. This is not the case. More heterosexual men are apt to disordered eating than gay men. The stereotype probably comes from the media portraying gay males as flamboyant and feminine and this correlates with the feminine ideal of thinness. Unfortunately, because of the lack of men seeking help for eating disorders, there is a lack of treatment available and when men come to therapists for help, it becomes a harder case for the therapist to handle since they are so used to seeing women. The notion of men having disordered eating patterns is very misunderstood. Additionally, the lack of reporting of ED behavior leads most men into depression. Treatment of Eating Disorders There are many treatment models out there to help a person combat an eating disorder. Some people go to treatment centers, some seek Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, some use hypnosis, and some may use Dialectical Behavioral Treatment. The most valuable treatment has been linked to CBT over a long period of time versus a treatment center model which usually only lasts three months and oftentimes the client is sent back to their original environment which is generally filled with triggers that may encourage relapse. |
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