The severity of the issue of eating disorders in today society is truly frightening and it causes me much concern. So many people feel that they have to fit into an image that in general term is unattainable yet they strive for this unhealthy concept of beauty and perfection. Celebrities don’t make things any better; in fact they contribute to the vicious cycle of self-loathing.
The celebrities on our time make going to rehab chic and looking like a skeleton all the rage. It disgusts me to think that the definition of beauty lies not in our character but in the size of our clothing. Many people have become so fixated on achieving ultimate beauty that they go to extremely unhealthy lengths to get there. Eating disorders are all around us whether they are plastered on the front page of a gossip magazine or in the eyes of a close friend. We are struggling as a society to define what a healthy lifestyle and body image is. It is no longer the day old regiment of eating healthy and exercising, but not eating or purging what has been consumed. There is also the problem of overeating which is just as harmful because obesity can kill just as easily as anorexia.
All eating disorders stem from the main concept of self hatred and the inability to accept ourselves. The main eating disorders mentioned in the article are anorexia, bulimia, binge-eating disorder, and orthorexia. Each eating disorder is just as severe as the next one. Kershaw also explored the idea that many people suffering from eating disorders find the remedy to suppressing one’s appetite in the consumption of alcohol or drugs. There are people have diets that consist entirely of alcohol or the abuse of substances. I think that in order for our society to become healthier and happier we need to redefine what beauty really is. We need to stop hating ourselves and start loving ourselves. This love for ourselves should be rooted not in the way we look but in who we are. When we evaluate our lives and look to who we are or who we hope to become, we should be proud. I think that any person suffering from an eating disorder is not proud of the life that they have paved for themselves.
Eating disorders are very serious and there is a dire need for the affected to receive help. Counseling centers, rehabilitation clinics, and so many other resources are available to those troubled by an eating disorder. They just need a little push to get help; which can come from a friend, and family member, or a concerned third party. The issue of eating disorders has been silenced for too long and now is the time that we need to raise awareness and speak up for that can’t. If we continue to sit back and allow the abuse to continue than we are no better that the abusers themselves. We must act now to create a more positive world.
