It sounds so simple: When you are hungry, you eat. When you feel full, you stop. But for the ten million Americans who struggle with eating disorders, it's anything but easy. Take, for example, a young woman who was arrested for stealing from a California grocery story. The suspect had stolen $10 worth of candy bars and other sweets and consumed it all - more than 4,000 calories - in 30 minutes.

"The suspect, Katie, was sobbing, very ashamed, and extremely remorseful. Katie, a student at a local community college, related that she suffered from bulimia nervosa. She had not intended to engage in theft while in the story, but became overwhelmed by anxiety and had an un-ignorable craving to eat... She then was compelled to rid herself of the calories and had induced vomiting in the employee's bathroom."

Though anorexia gets more attention, bulimia is actually more prevalent - affecting one in seven females ages 12-25. The medical consequences of bulimia - a disorder marked by bingeing, then purging, in response to feelings of depression, anxiety or worthlessness - are immense, and anyone who exhibits symptoms of the disorder needs to seek immediate help. Source: Officer.com.

Labels: bulimia, purging, shame

Posted By: Aspen Education Group 0 Comments

The first episode of Australia’s Next Top Model is sure to spark controversy and re-ignite the debate over accountability and weight discrimination in the fashion industry, as well as the media's influence on body image. During a catwalk challenge, several of the show’s contestants are “benched” – not allowed to participate – because they’re said to be “too big.”

“A psychologist specializing [sic] in eating disorders, Dr. Vivienne Lewis, said the program was sending a ‘dangerous message that even being rake-thin isn’t good enough.’ Dr. Lewis called for view warnings on programs which promote an unhealthy body image.” [Source: Adelaide Now]

One of the models who was forced to sit out the competition, Ashlea Monigatti, said she’d never worried about her weight until that day. And at a healthy size 8, there’s been no reason for weight to be an issue for her.

Labels: fashion, modeling, shame

Posted By: Stefanie Hamilton 1 Comment