Eating Disorder

Anorexia nervosa is a really bad psychiatric diagnosis that describes an eating disorder characterized by low body weight and body image distortion with an obsessive fear of gaining weight। Individuals with anorexia often control body weight by voluntary starvation, purging, vomiting, excessive exercise, or other weight control measures, such as diet pills or diuretic drugs. It primarily affects young adolescent girls in the Western world and has one of the highest mortality rates of any psychiatric condition.

Recently a 21-year-old anorexic model who weighed only 88 pounds or 40 Kgs has died on the ramp. The model is Ana Carolina Reston, who had worked in China, Turkey, Mexico and Japan for several modeling agencies। After this episode the problem of anorexia has again taken the front seat. The world of fashion and modeling has long been targeted by critics who say it encourages women and girls to emulate ultra-thin models. Pressure has been building on the organizers not to use under weight models or with body index less than 18. The worst scenario is when children of all age group start to associate beauty with being undernourished. Being healthy and having a healthy body is what it's all about.The psychological pressure put on girls today to be thin and acceptable (not even for themselves but for others) is something encouraged constantly in advertisement and, well Hollywood, too.

We can only hope to teach younger people that beauty consists of layers and the outside is the one that lasts the least. We need to remind each other and ourselves constantly - especially young girls - that these images are not real.