by Reena Daruwalla, guest writer for Nancy Hayssen.com

One of the saddest and gravest fallouts of societal norms of what constitutes beauty and particularly the misconception that thin is beautiful, is that of eating disorders. Wiki defines eating disorders as “a compulsion to eat, or avoid eating, that negatively affects both one’s physical and mental health.” There are an estimated 5 to 7 % females in the United Stated who suffer from either Anorexia Nervosa or Bulimia Nervosa.

Eating disorders are all pervasive and affect “feelings about work, school, relationships, day-to-day activities and one’s experience of emotional well being are determined by what has or has not been eaten or by a number on a scale.”

It is true that Psycho-developmental and genetic factors are major causes of eating disorders, but socio-cultural factors are at least as important contributors. Socio-cultural factors such as peers, media, lifestyle, family values etc. are strong causal factors for these disorders.

Studies have demonstrated how culture pressures that glorify thinness and place value of obtaining a perfect body and how narrow definitions of beauty that include only people of certain sizes, shapes and body weights can be detrimental to self esteem. Low self esteem is one of the chief triggers for eating disorders.

According to Abigail Natenshon, a psychotherapist specializing in eating disorders, children as young as 5 show signs of stress related eating disorders. As a mother of a 4 year old I found this frankly scary. Children understand the message of the media to be “thin” and try to fit in without comprehending the effects on their bodies.

Just looking around us, it is obvious, the ‘ideal’ of ‘beauty’ that is fed to us by the media. This does impact values, norms, and image standards accepted by modern society. Both society’s exposure to media and eating disorders have grown immensely over the past decade. Researchers and clinicians are concerned about the relationship between these two phenomena and finding ways to reduce the negative influence thin-ideal media has on women’s body perception and susceptibility to eating disorders.

The dieting industry makes billions of dollars each year by consumers continually buying products in an effort to be the ideal weight. Hollywood displays an unrealistic standard of beauty that makes the public feel incredibly inadequate and dissatisfied and forces people to strive for an unattainable appearance. This takes an enormous toll on one’s self-esteem and can easily lead to dieting behaviors, disordered eating, body shame, and ultimately an eating disorder.

If this is a rather pessimistic post, that is just a temporary aberration, because I genuinely feel that a shift in perceptions is underway, the definition of beauty is changing; it is becoming a broader term; more all encompassing and more welcoming!