Abortion, a decision for the woman or a matter of politics.

Anorexia

Of all the diseases of mankind, to me, there is none more curious than Anorexia Nervosa but this, ironically, is largely considered not a disease at all. It is widely believed that anorexia is a mere foolish consequence of the desire to gain 'the perfect figure' and sufferers are of either a weak or vain nature. However this is not necessarily true. Having researched several sources, I came to the conclusion that Anorexia Nervosa is primarily a psychological disease, as an Internet source described:

"One of the most frightening aspects of the disorder is that people with anorexia nervosa continue to think they look fat even when they are bone-thin."

The disease also develops due to an intense fear of gaining weight which results in starvation, weight loss, medical complications and even death.

So who develops this disease and what are the causes? Surveys show that most anorexia sufferers are adolescent girls and young women though it can occur later on, and even in men. This well known statistic has led the general public to believe that vanity is the main cause to desire weight loss- but this is no longer true as women are constantly feeling the societal pressure to be thin, rather than wanting to lose weight for their own benefit. This pressure is exerted by the media and the concept of the 'ideal woman' which some women feel they have to compete with in order to be deemed attractive. You cannot enter a city without seeing a billboard for lingerie and, lets face it, the model is never fat. If models such as Kate Moss and Claudia Schiffer portray the ideal figure, then most of the population is overweight. The media has lowered the female self esteem and played, in my opinion, a big part in introducing Anorexia to young women. Dry, yellow, skin, brittle nails and hair and ribs clearly visible is what 'the model figure' has reduced some people to. Does this sound appealing?

A typical example of how a stereotype can ruin your life.

Female adolescents have the hardest time of all. We all know that high school is an emotional time and the constant deadlines of homework is enough stress, without the pressures on teenagers, especially girls, to fit in. Bullies prey on those different and the world knows that 'the fat kid' never stands a chance. Most overweight girls are embarrassed to change for P.E., dread showing themselves up during sports and feel that dressing up and clubbing are not for people like them. However, such depression with their appearance has been taken to the extreme- girls will reduce themselves to eating very little and, in order to keep up the pretence at home, throw up their meals when they are alone. Is this what needs to be done to achieve acceptance? Parents are often oblivious to the fact that such weight loss is intentional, having seen their child eat 'square meals.' The secondary effects of Anorexia is the impact on parents, who only care for their children and become very disturbed and distressed by its effects. Doctors insist that a family therapist should be seen as early as possible as Anorexia will see the sufferers reduce themselves to something barely living.

How do you think the problem of anorexia should be tackled, is it simply our cultures’ materialistic nature or is it something more pronounced within the individual?