I'm dense
I've always wondered why, as a female anorectic, I get a bit uncomfortable reading journalistic articles about male EDs. Now I realise it's because they so often equate the stigma of being ED's with it being a 'female disease'. As if men, in their superiority are doubly brought low by their having a mental illness and a feminine one at that.
Of course, men have EDs and their suffering is as 'valid' as anyone elses, not less so, not more so. And ED's cause real suffering to whoever they afflict - men women and children. I understand that there is less detection of male EDs due to medical prejudices but come on, women get a rough enough deal. Perhaps I'm over-sensitive but the perception that it's a rich WASP, adolescent disease is still too prevalent. What we need to get over is the idea that theres something inherently inferior about being a rich WASP adolescent female, as much as we need to get over the idea that EDs only affect one section of society. You are trying to cure an illness, not a person.
As Carrie at ED Bites reminds us in this post a lot of people still don't get that these are genuine and serious illnesses.
I often wonder what people think about us ED folk. That we're dumb and shallow (if I had a penny for every man who tells us he prefers women with curves as if we're starving for men's benefit....) brainwashed by fashion and the media? That we have to be emaciated to be ED'd? We're selfish and self-obsessed? That we can be cured by a womens weekly style revelation and go from sick to well in two pages? That we don't stay sick into adulthood? That we don't eat or we only eat certain things? And that's just the popular press.
I honestly can't be bothered to argue with people who think we chose to be ED'd anymore. The amount of sensationalist coverage of EDs has done little to educate the majority of people and fair enough - I don't educate myself about cancer or sciatica or astrophysics or whatever. Let's be honest, ED sufferers are for the most part experts on their disorders, we read (obsessively) and educate ourselves. I'm just a bit taken aback all the time by the way people think they can comment with authority on EDs, thinking they're a social disease without having any experience of the subject.
I'm trying to think of other mental problems which get the same amount of vitriol and judgement and all I can think of are addictions. ED's are as much a mental illness as Schizophrenia, IMO and they deserve more awareness/understanding.
In other news: 2 yoghurts + a bunch of booze. Some exercise. Lots of toothache. Bought soup, couldnt eat it. Stay-put lipstick doesn't.
Of course, men have EDs and their suffering is as 'valid' as anyone elses, not less so, not more so. And ED's cause real suffering to whoever they afflict - men women and children. I understand that there is less detection of male EDs due to medical prejudices but come on, women get a rough enough deal. Perhaps I'm over-sensitive but the perception that it's a rich WASP, adolescent disease is still too prevalent. What we need to get over is the idea that theres something inherently inferior about being a rich WASP adolescent female, as much as we need to get over the idea that EDs only affect one section of society. You are trying to cure an illness, not a person.
As Carrie at ED Bites reminds us in this post a lot of people still don't get that these are genuine and serious illnesses.
I often wonder what people think about us ED folk. That we're dumb and shallow (if I had a penny for every man who tells us he prefers women with curves as if we're starving for men's benefit....) brainwashed by fashion and the media? That we have to be emaciated to be ED'd? We're selfish and self-obsessed? That we can be cured by a womens weekly style revelation and go from sick to well in two pages? That we don't stay sick into adulthood? That we don't eat or we only eat certain things? And that's just the popular press.
I honestly can't be bothered to argue with people who think we chose to be ED'd anymore. The amount of sensationalist coverage of EDs has done little to educate the majority of people and fair enough - I don't educate myself about cancer or sciatica or astrophysics or whatever. Let's be honest, ED sufferers are for the most part experts on their disorders, we read (obsessively) and educate ourselves. I'm just a bit taken aback all the time by the way people think they can comment with authority on EDs, thinking they're a social disease without having any experience of the subject.
I'm trying to think of other mental problems which get the same amount of vitriol and judgement and all I can think of are addictions. ED's are as much a mental illness as Schizophrenia, IMO and they deserve more awareness/understanding.
In other news: 2 yoghurts + a bunch of booze. Some exercise. Lots of toothache. Bought soup, couldnt eat it. Stay-put lipstick doesn't.