Starving into submission

Starving Into Submission

By attempting to force herself into a mold determined by our culture, the girl suffering from an eating disorder is expending nearly all the energy she has into the attempt. The anorexic obsesses about the food she will not allow herself to have; there are numerous examples of young women who cook large meals for their friends or family almost as a test of will. The sufferer of bulimia will allow herself food but then develop guilt over having eaten. Her energies are directed toward getting rid of the guilt through purging or vomiting.

Both anorexics and bulimics suffer from obsession; this may take the form of abstaining from food, fantasizing about food, or getting rid of food (in the mind of the sufferer, fat) through expulsion or exercise. There are a lot of factors telling the girl she must be thinner but virtually none telling her she has gone too far.

"Anorexic young women tend to be popular with the opposite sex. They epitomize our cultural definitions of feminine: thin, passive, weak and eager to please. Oftentimes young women report that they are complimented on their appearance right up until they are admitted to hospitals for emergency feeding." (1)

This is primarily because sufferers of eating disorders literally have no energy. They are not getting enough to eat. Their bodies are going into starvation mode and all of their mental energies are directed toward not eating. A person with normal eating habits may have a slightly harder time concentrating after missing a meal. Hunger is a continual distraction and may be accompanied by headache or other effects. Anorexics and bulimics feel like that all of the time.

"Once entrenched, anorexia is among the most difficult of disorders to treat. Of all psychiatric illnesses, it has the highest fatality rate." (2)

Another reason for the lack of speakers against eating disorders is the lack of survivors. An anorexic who collapses may be rushed to the hospital will be fed intravenously and through tubes, but as soon as she leaves she can begin starving herself once more. Even those who survive eating disorders and get treatment expend a lot of energy avoiding old patterns. Those who have lived through an eating disorder are very susceptible to relapse.

One friend of mine overcame her eating disorder some time ago, but from force of habit she still associates the feeling of fullness with nausea. "Even now," she says, "[my boyfriend] has to go into the bathroom with me to make sure I don't throw up."

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(1)Pipher, Mary. Reviving Ophelia: Saving the Selves of Adolescent Girls (USA: Ballantine Books, 1994) p. 175.

(2)Pipher, 174.

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	By attempting to force herself into a mold determined by our culture, the girl suffering from an eating disorder is expending nearly all the energy she has into the attempt. The anorexic obsesses about the food she will not allow herself to have; there are numerous examples of young women who cook large meals for their friends or family almost as a test of will. The sufferer of bulimia will allow herself food but then develop guilt over having eaten. Her energies are directed toward getting rid of the guilt through purging or vomiting. Both anorexics and bulimics suffer from obsession; this may take the form of abstaining from food, fantasizing about food, or getting rid of food (in the mind of the sufferer, fat) through expulsion or exercise. There are a lot of factors telling the girl she must be thinner but virtually none telling her she has gone too far.
"Anorexic young women tend to be popular with the opposite sex. They epitomize our cultural definitions of feminine: thin, passive, weak and eager to please. Oftentimes young women report that they are complimented on their appearance right up until they are admitted to hospitals for emergency feeding." (1)	This is primarily because sufferers of eating disorders literally have no energy. They are not getting enough to eat. Their bodies are going into starvation mode and all of their mental energies are directed toward not eating. A person with normal eating habits may have a slightly harder time concentrating after missing a meal. Hunger is a continual distraction and may be accompanied by headache or other effects. Anorexics and bulimics feel like that all of the time.
"Once entrenched, anorexia is among the most difficult of disorders to treat. Of all psychiatric illnesses, it has the highest fatality rate." (2)	Another reason for the lack of speakers against eating disorders is the lack of survivors. An anorexic who collapses may be rushed to the hospital will be fed intravenously and through tubes, but as soon as she leaves she can begin starving herself once more. Even those who survive eating disorders and get treatment expend a lot of energy avoiding old patterns. Those who have lived through an eating disorder are very susceptible to relapse. One friend of mine overcame her eating disorder some time ago, but from force of habit she still associates the feeling of fullness with nausea. "Even now," she says, "[my boyfriend] has to go into the bathroom with me to make sure I don't throw up."