Teneisha Johnson
Who you are vs. How you look: Pretty hurts with Abnormal Eating
Standards of beauty have changed. In a world of starvation, fat is beautiful. Despite the increasing size of the average Caribbean woman, thinness and fitness have become more valued and idealized than ever before.
Most of us have become fascinated by paper- thin models who adorn covers of magazines, and the irony is some of these are magazines that overflow with luscious food advertisements. Wow!
Perhaps the most amazing thing about eating is that so many people can regulate it well without even trying very hard. The regulation of breathing and drinking are so crucial to our immediate survival we cannot afford any margin of error.
If we don’t breathe appropriately, we die in minutes; if we don’t drink fluids appropriately, we die in days, whereas starvation takes weeks to kick in and become lethal.
The problem I’ve found out based on my research is that our appetite for food is much less tightly regulated than the drives that govern breathing or drinking.
Dieting has almost become synonymous with breathing. We eat more and more fat-free foods and try to consume sugar-free beverages, but the average weight of our population, especially in the Caribbean continues to increase.
Eating and weight problems are very much a concern when it come to a person’s mental health.
Weight loss or gain can be a prominent symptom of a number of psychiatric conditions like Depression, Bipolar Disorder, Cocaine or any drug- related Dependence, Anxiety Disorder, Schizophrenia etc.
However, there are some disorders that can be easily over-looked or deemed as normal based on the person’s culture and what they do for a living.
In the following paragraphs, I would like to focus on Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa. Both of which have a psychological component.
Public awareness of the existence and grave danger of Anorexia Nervosa has increased over the years with the revelation of some tragic celebrity cases such as Karen Carpenter and a number of gymnasts and ballet dancers.
I am so proud of myself and how confident I feel within my own body and within my mind. It’s taken me awhile to get here, but now that I’m here- “I ain’t never going back!”
A person with Anorexia Nervosa has:
· a very low body weight caused by self-imposed starvation.
· In women, this also results in irregular menstruation or sometimes it may stop altogether.
· Your intense fear of becoming fat results in your weight being much lower than it should be
· Your body image is distorted, you feel fat despite being clearly underweight
Please note that if you are in a culture that overvalues thinness, the line between beauty and eating disorders are sometimes hard to distinguish.
Please value your health more than your image!
This is particularly problematic among those girls and young women who participate in activities that tend to demand extreme thinness such as modeling, beauty pageants, gymnastics, ballet dancing etc.
I personally believe as a young woman myself that it is important to highlight and demonstrate to the younger generation that it is more about who they are vs. how they look.
A person with Bulimia Nervosa:
· Has episodes of binge eating
· To shed calories you induce vomiting, abuse laxatives, or exercise excessively
· Your body image is distorted, your feelings are influenced greatly by your body shape and weight.
Binges are almost always done solo because they are so embarrassing. Many people use food in the same way they use alcohol or drugs. It’s use to soothe, relax, pass the time and sometimes to counteract boredom.
Body dysmorphic disorder is also known as dysmorphobia. It is a preoccupation with body parts and images, such as excessive concern about a birthmark, mole or keloids found on the skin.
It can start in adolescence and is usually chronic. Interestingly, medical or surgical interventions (even when physically successful) are usually unsuccessful in appeasing the individual’s concerns.
In fact, studies suggest that such steps may even intensify the symptoms, perhaps because the physical disorder might have been removed but the psychological disorder still remains.
I think that is perhaps why they strongly suggest anyone considering cosmetic surgery to accomplish what he or she believes will be a radical change in their appearance, to first consult a mental health professional.
This will help to determine whether he or she really needs the surgery, and if psychologically they will be able to handle the change.
Unfortunately, depression, delusions, obsessive-compulsive disorders or eating disorders are often accompanied with this type of disorder.
For self-help please visit:
American Anorexia/Bulimia Association, Inc. Web: http://members.aol.com/AmAnBu
Overeaters Anonymous
Web: http://www.overeatersanonymous.org/
Or visit your local Nutritionist, Psychiatrist or Doctor.
Once again, I am so proud of myself and how confident I feel within my own body and within my mind.
It’s taken me awhile to get here, but now that I’m here- “I ain’t never going back!”
Remember it’s who you are not How you look!
