American Culture and Body Image: Eating disorders

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Recently I did something that I thought would really help me. I thought I had finally found the answer to my problems. I had always wanted to look attractive to my peers and me. I thought What I found would change me completely. Whenever I was tempted to break a fast or binge, I would stare at the photos I saved on my computer. Guess what? The desire faded away instantly. I had since felt less and less desire to eat.

I found the sites as I scrolled down a list I had stolen my desk mate who had all it takes to be a lady. Everyone liked her because of her body shape, figure, and looks. I chose two websites that seemed to be full of good things. The sites had almost the same advice. They warned against eating almost anything that came my way. I had to sacrifice something, to get something. If I wanted better results, I had to sacrifice a lot as well. I had to check what I ate lest I achieved nothing. According to the first one, I needed not to reward myself with food whenever I did something. This was living a ‘dog’ life. Instead, when we achieve something, we should buy a smaller outfit as a reward.

The second one stressed that eating a lot makes us look like ‘fat pigs’ which directly translated to our self-control. According to the second one, those who eat a lot lack discipline and lead unhealthy lives.

I was very excited to start the program. I was very disciplined to stick to it to the letter. I was sure the eating behavior would finally make me the model I always wanted to be. After eight and a half weeks, I was an entirely different girl. I was not the same girl everyone knew around. My physical appearance had changed completely. I had started to take shape. My waist had become thinner; my hips had already popped out, and my tummy had already disappeared. I was beginning to love myself. But on the ninth week, I started experiencing health problems. I felt weak and was unable to handle even smaller tasks. My skin began to change color. This was as a result of malnutrition and lack of essential vitamins.

After visiting the hospital, the doctor described my health condition as deteriorating. I was emancipated. The doctor explained the lifestyle as a suicidal one. The doctor spent time explaining to me how fit and attractive I was before I started the misleading program.

It is almost definite I would have continued to visit the site from time to time. This is because of the seemingly positive results I had achieved during my first few weeks. I could have even recommended it to friends most likely. But with the problems I experienced, I dread visiting the site ever again. With the experience I had and the doctor’s advice I chose to be my old self and continue eating as I used to be. After all, I was not overweight.

This will affect my image and the way peers see me since I will have to drop the practice. I will gain mass and some of my seemingly appealing features will disappear. I am pretty sure the hips will soon go. But this will not be a bother to me. I have come to understand and appreciate my initial appearance. Nine months ago, I would have felt emotionally disturbed by my physical appearance. I would hide when I spotted my peers, but I have learned my lesson the hard way.

I might have benefitted from the websites’ advice on physical practice. This is a healthy way of living. Exercising will improve my physical ability and keep me healthy. However, the eating habits portrayed in the sites are misleading and should not be enumerated.

As much as the sites might look attractive to ladies due to the numerous pictures of sexy girls with beautiful faces and thin waists, they are misleading. The advice they give can only be compared to committing suicide. Many of the women in those photos might not have achieved their shapes through the programs they provide. It is, therefore, advisable for ladies to be extra-careful when following programs from such sites since most of them are baseless and misleading. Tina followed the sites’ advice without knowing that she was doing herself more harm than good.