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How Thin is Too Thin?
By Randi Fredricks
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These days, it seems as though not only during the summer months, but year-round, the newsstands are displaying
magazines of which almost every issue has a thin, beautifully airbrushed swimsuit model on its cover. Your television
is showing more and more unhealthily thin actresses. Bones are jutting out and implants are taking the place of real
breasts. Most of these supermodels and actresses are so unnaturally thin that they risk infertility, osteoporosis and,
ultimately, kidney damage.
Anorexia, or self-starvation, is a disease and it can be fatal if left untreated. Recognition of its symptoms can be the first step toward saving yourself or someone you love from this dangerous disease.
The following is a list of the observable symptoms:
- Refusal to maintain body weight
- Fear of gaining weight
- Talks about "feeling fat"
- Difficulty with eating full meals
- Rigidity with what they will eat
- An obsessive preoccupation with body size
- Over-exercising
- Intense dissatisfaction with physical appearance
- Personality change from outgoing to withdrawn
- Limit food intake to "arrow selection of low-Cal foods
- Hoarding, concealing, crumbling or throwing away food
- Menstrual difficulties
There are many physical complications of anorexia. It is a disease with many consequences. It is known that 5-20% of
anorexics die of major organ failure, due to their constant starvation. Some of the consequences are: The person
may experience cardiac problems, such as a slow or rapid heartbeat. The person may experience Anema, or an amazing
amount of bruising. Men may experience decreasing testicular function. People may suffer from tooth decay, or loss of
skin color. People may have dizziness, fainting, and high cholesterol. Some people may experience lanugo, which is the
excessive growth of hair on the body, because the body is trying to keep itself warm due to its loss of fat.
Liver damage is another complication. Anorexia can also cause baldness. Pancreatitis can also be a consequence. It's symptoms include
extreme stomach pain and fever detecting swelling of the pancreas. Also women will be missing menstrual periods.
According to Prevention magazine, a "healthy weight" for a woman who is 5'9" is 129-169 pounds. An average 5'9" model's
weight is somewhere around 110-115 lbs.
A recent survey commissioned by a British magazine found that:
- 79% of the 2000 women surveyed thought that their social lives would improve if they were thinner, like the star of Ally McBeal.
- 83% thought that overweight celebrities led unhappy lives, and
- 70% believed that overweight people were generally seen as less intelligent and less attractive.
- 88% of girls feel the need to "look perfect",
- 60% say their appearance is their biggest concern in life.
Recent statistics provided by Natural Health magazine found that:
- 44% of women who are average or underweight think that they are overweight.
- The average woman's dress size is 12 and the average mannequin's dress size is 6.
- The average height and weight for women age 18 to 74 years old: 5'4", 138 lbs.
In a survey conducted by Better Health Channel, they found:
- Normal weight men and women - 45 per cent of women and 23 per cent of men in the healthy weight range think they are overweight.
- Underweight women - at least 20 per cent of women who are underweight think that they are overweight and are dieting to lose weight.
According to a recent Prevention/NBC Survey,
- 60% of women have dieted or are on a diet,
- 44% of women refuse to be photographed in a swimsuit,
- and 37% of women won't play beach games while wearing swimsuits.
More than 5 million Americans suffer from eating disorders, according to the American Dietetic Association.
There are over one million anorexic women in the UK alone.
Many of those who suffer from the disorders are adolescent and young women, but boys, men and women also have eating disorders.
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