Perfect ten? · Issue 832

Health Editor Liz Stauber looks at the debate about size zero, and how images in the media can influence a negative body image, leading to dangerous consequences

For years there have been debates as to what is the perfect body shape and size.

Each month a different celebrity is either criticised or praised for either gaining or losing weight, and often the same celebrity is condemned one month and applauded the next. Magazines often feature front covers advertising the best celeb diets, or who weighs what in Hollywood. With these conflicting views constantly in the media, it is not hard to see how so many people are becoming involved in the size zero debate.

To be a size zero in this country means fitting into size four clothes, a size which many stores such as Topshop and Oasis do not even sell. Some go down to a size six, but often, a size eight is the smallest you can find. However, the sight of models such as Lily Cole ‘strutting their stuff’ along the catwalks is enough to inspire people that big is no longer beautiful. Victoria Beckham is another example of people who think that it is important to be skinny.

One city that led the way in the size zero debate was Madrid. However, just four months after they banned the use of extra skinny models from the runway, websites were discovered that were encouraging young girls not to eat. The biggest problem was The Great Ana Debate, a site which awarded diplomas to the girls who ate the least amount of calories. Participants were awarded points for how little they ate. Anybody who consumed less then 850 calories receive one point, and the scale continued as far as nine points for 150 calories, taking it to the extreme to award ten points for a 24-hour fast. Just two weeks ago, the Eating Disorders Association declared that there were more than 500 pro anorexia sites on the Internet, with names such as ‘Salvation through Starvation’ and ‘Feast or Famine’. A popular slogan that featured quite heavily was “Hunger hurts, but starvation works!”

Anorexia

The full name of the condition is anorexia nervosa. It is an eating disorder which is common in girls and women, and can sometimes affect men as well. It is thought to begin when a sufferer is in their teens. One of the most famous people to speak out at their experience of the disease is Mary Kate Olsen. She admitted that she had suffered from the disease and sought help. Another eating disorder associated with anorexia is bulimia nervosa. The main difference between the two is that anorexia sufferers intentionally starve themselves, avoiding high calorie foods and they exercise constantly. Bulimia sufferers eat large amounts of food, often junk food such as sweets, chocolate and cake. Soon after they throw up, or take laxatives in order to stop them gaining weight. In general, people who suffer from bulimia lose less weight those who are affected by anorexia. However, sufferers of both afflictions always view themselves as being overweight, despite how skinny they actually are.

For people who suffer from either complaint, it is an attempt to use food and weight to deal with emotional problems. It is their way of regaining some control over their own life. A sufferer believes that how they look is directly connected to how they feel. They believe that either starving themselves or making themselves sick will eventually lead to happiness. They just want their lives to be perfect.

There are side effects, other than the increased weight loss. Sufferers may discover they have dry skin, or the hair on their head is starting to thin. They may often feel cold, and become ill very easily. They also suffer from mood swings, and find it hard to concentrate because food is constantly on their mind. Some people assume that anorexics do not feel hungry; however, this is a common misconception. The people who have the condition just learn to ignore the pangs they feel. Two important things to note are that women who suffer from either disease may notice that their periods stop, and men can also suffer from impotence.

Both diseases are difficult to treat as there is no medicinal cure to be prescribed. If it is caught in the early stages, in the first six months when not a great a deal of weight has been lost, it is possible that the patient will not have to be admitted to hospital. Sufferers often need to have a year or more of counselling to talk about why they use food to deal with emotional issues and it can help them see how to deal with their problems in a different way. Sometimes, however, medication is prescribed to help with the depression that can sometimes trigger an eating disorder.

It is important to consider that not everyone who is extremely thin is suffering from an eating disorder. Some people are naturally small, just as some are naturally bigger than average. As long as a person eats a balanced diet, and exercises at a normal rate, not excessively, then they should not be criticised. It is easy to put all skinny people in the same category and condemn them for inspiring negative thoughts in others, but as long as people are happy with the way they look, and they are the shape they are through natural rather than excessive measures, they should not be criticised, whether they are considered too big or too thin.