Anorexia - where does it come from?

[asaf92]

You keep hearing from feminists that the mainstream media are to blame for anorexia because of how they set an unrealistic beauty standard (and obviously they use it to justify regulation).

Is anorexia really coming from the society or from ACEs?

[sb23rd]

From a Google scholar search*, "Size distortion among patients with eating disorders appears unlikely to reflect a more generalized sensory / perceptual deficit".

 

Published under the Department of Pyschology in 1998. There has probably been further findings that may or may not support a genetic origin.

 

Generally speaking feminist proclamations don't bear well with reality.

 

*http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/(SICI)1098-108X(199709)22:2<107::AID-EAT1>3.0.CO;2-J/abstract

[dsayers]

You keep hearing from feminists that the mainstream media are to blame for anorexia because of how they set an unrealistic beauty standard

This claim would have to be causal to be true. Which means everybody would be anorexic proportionately to their exposure to such things. Clearly this is not the case.

[Natalia]

Certainly, “unrealistic beauty standards” do influence anorexia. However, that does not mean they are the problem. Mental disorders have a high comorbidity with one another. Anorexia can be seen just as a symptom of underlying mental problems as arthritis, osteoporosis, and Alzheimer’s, for example, can be seen as symptoms of aging. Were anorexic people in a society in which chubbiness is praised, they’d do anything to become obese.

[violet]

I disagree with the notion that such images cause anorexia. The media often presents idealized beauty, just as they present idealized love, finances, homes, careers, children, etc. They are shown because it's what people want to see and emulate. And there's nothing wrong with ideal beauty in and of itself. It's can be nice to see beautiful things and beautiful people. (Personally, I like seeing imperfect people, but I might be a minority in that.)

 

In my opinion, the problem with anorexics is perfectionism. They see the perfect standard of beauty and want to reach it. The average person understands it as an unattainable ideal and prioritizes appropriately. Anorexia comes from the inside, not the outside. It's easier to just demand that skinny people be censored, but I don't think that will solve a thing. It's way more complicated.

[fractional slacker]

How does one differentiate between unrealistic beauty standards and realistic beauty standards?