Preventing Negative Body Image
and Eating Disorders
We live in a society that is extremely
pre-occupied by BODY IMAGE
There are so many PRESSURES about …
How we should look,
How we should dress.
How we should act.
•75% of American women are dissatisfied with their weight
•41% of American men are dissatisfied with their weight
•50% of American women are on a diet at any one time
•In the United States, as many as 10 million females and 1
million males are fighting a life and death battle with an eating
disorder
•For females between 15 and 24 years old who suffer from
anorexia nervosa, the mortality rate associated with the illness
is twelve times higher than the death rate of ALL other causes
of death
•There are three main types of eating disorders:
Binge Eating
Bulimia Nervosa
Anorexia Nervosa
Several primary symptoms:
•Frequent episodes of of eating large quanitties of food in short periods of
time often secretly, without regard to feelings of “hunger” or “fullness”
•Feeling of being “out of control” during binges
•Eating food rapidly without really tasting it
•Eating alone
•Feelings of shame, disgust, or guilt after a binge
Causes of Binge Eating
•25% of obese individuals suffer from frequent episodes
of binge eating that is most likely caused by a chemical
imbalance in the brain.
•Suffers can be either average or above average weight.
•Suffers feel shame and guilt and often have a history of
depression.
•This is NOT an issue of will power.
• Frequent episodes of BINGE-EATING
•A rapid and sometimes automatic consumption of food in a discrete period of time
•A feeling of LACK OF CONTROL
•Powerlessness felt during the binge, often followed by an anxiety about anticipated weight
gain and mood swings
•Recurrent PURGING
•Attempts to undo the effect of the binge by dangerous methods like self-induced vomiting,
diet pills, excessive exercise, and/or laxatives or diuretics
•Frequent, intense, and DISTORTED CONCERNS ABOUT SHAPE
AND WEIGHT
•Including: a conviction that body shape and weight are crucial factors determining self-
esteem, and a strong drive for thinness and a fear of fat.
Warning Signs of Bulimia Nervosa
The chances of recovery increase the earlier Bulimia is detected.
Therefore it is important to be aware of some of the warning signs--
you could be in the position to really help someone!
Possible evidence of BINGE-EATING:
•Appears to eat large amounts of food (esp. high calorie food) without gaining weight
•Large amounts of food purchased or shop-lifted
Evidence of SELF-INDUCED VOMITING:
•Catching the person in the act
•Leaves the table immediately after eating and goes to the bathroom.
Evidence of PURGING:
•Enthusiastic discussion of ways to eat a lot without gaining any weight. Possession of large amounts of
laxatives or diuretics
•Unexplainable paleness and complaints of dizziness
•Unexplainable muscle cramps, or heart and kidney problems that are unusual for teenagers
Major characteristics might include:
•Extreme and irrational fear of becoming fat
•Strong determination to become increasingly thinner
•Significant weight loss
•Distorted perception of body shape
•Difficulty in accurately interpreting and managing hunger and other internal impulses like
anger
•Abnormal hormonal functioning-loss of periods, acne, no breasts
•Dry skin, extra body hair, brittle nails, hair loss, broken bones, broken teeth
•Little to no food intake at all
•Can lead to fainting, irregular heart rate, coma and death
Social Factors
Pressures that glorify “thinness” and place value on obtaining
the “perfect body”
Narrow definitions of beauty that include only women and
men of specific body types and weights
Cultural norms that value people on the basis of physical
appearance and not inner qualities and strengths
Psychological Factors
•Low self-esteem
•Feelings of inadequacy or lack of control in life
•Depression, anxiety, anger, or loneliness
Interpersonal Factors
•Troubled family or personal relationships
•Difficulty expressing emotions or feelings
•History of being teased or ridiculed based on size or weight
•History of physical or self-abuse
Biological Factors
Scientists are still researching possible biochemical and
biological causes of eating disorders. In some
individuals with eating disorders, certain chemicals in
the brain that control hunger, appetite, and digestion
have been found to be imbalanced.
Societal Weight Prejudice (“Weightism”)
Thin is good, beautiful, moral, powerful
Fat is ugly, lazy, sloppy, morally weak, undesirable
Style, impression, and image > substance and character
Your appearance (weight, shape) is the most important
thing about you
There is a strong social message that
somehow thin is good and fat is bad. We
are taught to judge a person’s character
by how they look physically.
An important part of an individual’s
self-concept is “body image”
Visual Component: How you “see” yourself when you look in the
mirror
Mental Component: What you believe and think about your
appearance.
Emotional Component: How you feel about your body, including
your height, weight, and shape.
Kinesthetic Component: How you feel in your body, not just about
your body.
RECOMMENDATIONS for COMBATTING
EATING DISORDERS
•Don’t look at body magazines, look at REAL women.
•Athletics: Focus on what your body can do rather
than how it looks.
•Fight weightism. It’s a form of bigotry, intolerance,
prejudice and is socially unjust.
•Develop perspective. What really matters? It’s not
just about looks.
TIPS FOR BECOMING CRITICAL
VIEWERS OF THE MEDIA
Be aware of airbrushed and fake images that
create unreal ideals of body shapes/appearances
Do not idolize images shown in the media
Do not give into the message that this is “better”
What To Say to a Friend
Set a time to talk privately where you won’t be interrupted
Avoid placing shame, blame or guilt
Avoid giving simple solutions.
Express your continued support and let them know you care
about them. This is the most important thing you can do. Then
be patient. It takes time, it isn’t easy. You are not trying to “cure
them”. You are helping them through difficult times, being a
true friend in a time of need.
WHAT TO DO: STEP BY STEP
1. Be sensitive to shame...It can look like defensiveness and denial.
2. Focus on emotions, stress, isolation…not on appearance and
weight. They already worry too much about both.
3. Focus on what is going on for your friend emotionally.
•Express your concerns using “I” statements rather than “you” statements.
•“I am worried about you.”
•“Is there anything I can do to help you?”
•“I don’t like it when we act as if nothing is wrong, because my sense is that
something is very wrong.”
4. Avoid lecturing about the medical dangers of eating disorders. It will
likely backfire.
5. One conversation is rarely enough. Repeated connection and
nonjudgmental listening is usually needed for a person to feel safe enough
to actually talk about what is going on and then do something about it.
•Encourage your friends to get help, but don’t force them.
Some “DO’s” in Reaching Out
Speak to the person in private
Tell them what specifically has made
you concerned
Tell them how you feel
Let them have time to respond
Listen carefully and non-judgementally
Some “DON’Ts” in Reaching Out
Don’t speak to an adult with out speaking to the person
whom you’re concerned about
Don’t give advice about appearance
Don’t confront the person with a group of people
Don’t diagnose
Don’t get into an argument
Don’t be judgmental
Private
Web Sites Practitioners
http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org
Free Community
Books Eating Disorders
Support Group
Teachers,
Counselors,
School Nurse Overeater’s
Anonymous