She is not just anybody.
She is a daughter. She is a sister. She is an aunt. She may even be a cousin.
Perhaps, you know someone who is just like her.
She is family.
Somewhere in this world…a young girl wakes up in the morning, gets out of bed, and walks to one corner of her bedroom. There’s a mirror standing there. She positions herself in front of it and stays there for a long while…long enough to carefully analyze the image she sees staring back at her.
This girl does this every day—it’s become a part of her morning routine.
She lets out a sad sigh. Thoughts are running through her mind.
“This face is too round. These shoulders are too big, and arms too fat. These thighs are hideously wide, and this waist could be smaller. Ugh, and look at that belly.”
REALITY CHECK! What belly? And that waist couldn’t be any smaller. For crying out loud, her pants are a size zero and her shirt, a size small.
Honestly, what do some teenage girls and young adult women see when they look in the mirror at their bodies?
Anorexia nervosa…it could be a case of anorexia nervosa.
Dictionary.com defines anorexia nervosa is “an eating disorder primarily affecting adolescent girls and young women, characterized by pathological fear of becoming fat, distorted body image, and excessive dieting.”
Familydoctor.org says, “People with anorexia may believe they would be happier and more successful if they were thin.”
Unfortunately, we live in a society that places a high value on image. We have created an image of perfection, of what a beautiful body is.
Every day, people are exposed to images of thin women shown in the media. Most models show tall and thin bodies—the sexy “hour glass” or “coke bottle” shaped kind of bodies.
In most cases, our image is our very own key to acceptance. In some cases, however, our image is a look to die for.
REALITY CHECK! It is not a healthy look.
A girl who has anorexia nervosa will usually look at herself in the mirror, and she will think that she’s fat, even though in reality, she’s not. And it’s all in her mind, regardless of what her eyes are seeing. Her eyes could be seeing a thin body in the mirror, but in her mind, the translation is, “Eewww! I look disgusting. I’m fat!”
“Ding-ding-DING.” The sound of an alarm goes ringing off in this girl’s head, and it’s like some sort of signal telling her she’s got to lose some weight, either exercise more often or eat less.
Don’t even think about doing that! What about some therapy or counseling instead?
Anorexia nervosa can develop into a serious health issue, given that girls who suffer from it will severely starve themselves of the food and nourishment their bodies need. Some are not aware of what they are doing to their physical health and well being. They could use some very much needed attention, ASAP.
Families should definitely get involved. Family members should not pretend that everything is okay, or that their sister or daughter or whoever has anorexia nervosa is just going through a phase.
Do something about it. It may be a difficult situation to deal with, especially if girls who have anorexia nervosa refuse to believe they have a problem. Still, families can provide endless help and support, and show that they care—it can make a difference.
It strikes me when I hear my younger female cousins complain and whine about the way they look. I have a teenage cousin who will usually say, “I feel so fat.” I give her this look of wanting to slap some kind of sense into her as she repeatedly squeezes at her stomach…at a fat that’s not even there!
She’s taller and skinnier than I am. It makes me think, “Gee…if she says she’s fat, what does that make me?” Ouch!
I always tell her, “Are you serious?!” Stop it, you’re not fat. You’re beautiful just the way you are, and I love you.”
I have a friend who was once sad about being fat, or so she thought she was. Of course, I looked at her with crazy eyes because she is way too far from ever being considered fat.
She is the same age as I am, 21 years old, and she can still shop for her clothes in the kids’ section, which she does do sometimes. Her tops are extra-small, and bottoms are a size one or two. She decided she was “fat” when she could no longer fit into an extra-small t-shirt. Now, she wears a size small. Wow, big difference. Not!
I told her, “Stop being crazy, you’re over exaggerating. You’re not even fat, you wear a size small t-shirt. Maybe, you should eat more.”
Teenage girls and young adult women should understand that they don’t have to be thin. Beauty comes in all different shapes and sizes.
Familydoctor.org says, “The most important thing that family and friends can do to help a person with anorexia is to love them.”
http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/common/mentalhealth/eating/063.html
1 comment:
This column has a very nice, narrative beginning and certainly makes you want to follow this young girl.
It slips off the rails when it suddenly goes to giving advice and into the personal experience arenas.
Much of the advice - which should be attributed - could be put in bullets and tightened up. As with the personal experience section.
And, if that worked, returning to the young girl cited at the beginning, perhaps putting her in front of the mirror with a more realistic image, would have ended the column up neatly.
A serious column about a serious issue. Nice job taking it on.
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