Starving For Perfection Essay - 1853 Words

Starving for Acceptance In today’s society, where physical characteristics are used to measure beauty and success, people are willing to push their bodies to extremes to achieve physical perfection. As an overweight woman, I may be considered a failure of society’s beauty test. However, my high self-esteem and acceptance of my body allows me to not be disturbed by what, to some, may seem as a sign of failure. Unfortunately, there are people whose desire to be accepted by society causes them to develop eating disorders. The two most common are called anorexia and bulimia (WebMD.Com Eating 1). The Anorexia Nervosa and Related Eating Disorders, association (ANRED), states â€Å"Anorexia and bulimia affect primarily people in their teens and†¦show more content†¦People of all races, ethnic groups and socioeconomic levels can be affected. In the United States, researchers have found that Hispanics are diagnosed with eating disorders at about the same rate as whites, while higher rates are found among American Indians. Although the disorders are less common among young people who are Asian and black, there is evidence that blacks are more likely to develop bulimia than anorexia. (MayoClinic.Com 3) Males suffering from anorexia and bulimia are often not correctly diagnosed. Some healthcare professionals consider eating disorders to be a female problem, and therefore, fail to properly diagnose males with these disorders (ANRED Males 1). However, men are just as affected by societies demand for the perfect body. Colleen Rush of Dr.Drew.Com writes, â€Å"†¦of the 5 million Americans who suffer from eating disorders, approximately 10 percent--or 500,000--are men† (Rush 1). Anorexics are usually very thin, with a body weight that is 15% below their required body weight. However, in addition to assessing their physical appears, doctors must also perform an Eating Attitudes Test (EAT) and an Eating Disorder Inventory (EDI) to determine if a patient is truly anorexic and not afflicted with a psychological disorder (â€Å"Anorexia Nervosa† 4). Bulimia may be harder to diagnose because bulimics may not be visibly underweight and may even be overweight (AABA Bulimia 1). Doctors must perform complete physical exams to rule out other disease as theShow MoreRelatedDescriptive Language In The Munich Manequins918 Words   |   4 PagesThe Munich Mannequins Perfection is terrible, it cannot have children. Cold as snow breath, it tamps the womb Where the yew trees blow like hydras, The tree of life and the tree of life Unloosing their moons, month after month, to no purpose. The blood flood is the flood of love, The absolute sacrifice. It means: no more idols but me, Me and you. 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A cruel game unlike anyRead MoreThe Effects of Modern Body Image1380 Words   |  6 Pagespreoccupied and dissatisfied with their physical appearances. Due to this fact, women tend to be targeted by the media with messages about physical perfection, which women immediately absorb. This results to the development of a negative body image among women. Hence, this research paper aims to prove that media’s portrayal of physical perfection, resulting to a negative body image, is a contributing factor to the increasing rate of eating disorders among young women. Most fashion magazines todayRead MorePoem Essay In Barbie Doll By Marge Piercy961 Words   |  4 Pagesbullied based on their physical appearance are more likely to develop some form of an eating disorder. (CITE) Simply put, girls are starving themselves to attain what society thinks is the perfect body, and to gain the acceptance most people so desperately crave. 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