Eating Disorders

            Eating Disorders: Not just women anymore!.
             In a country that spends more than forty billion dollars on dieting supplements a year, it's no surprise that more than ten million people have serious eating disorders. Eating disorders include extreme attitudes, emotions, and behaviors surrounding both food and weight issues. While eating disorders may begin with preoccupations with food and weight gain they involve much more than food. Eating disorders affect both men and women. Men less commonly develop eating disorders, at least 10% of those suffering from eating disorders include males. Commonly, people link eating disorders to females, and this stereotype is causing serious eating disorders, held by men, to be over looked and to go untreated. It is important to realize that eating disorders create a serious problem in our country and people must also become aware of what causes some people to develop eating disorders. .
             During any given day, the American society is inundated by our perception of the ideal body. The ideal of a slim yet muscular body bombards young men on television, in magazines and even while walking across campus of their University. This ideal that is prevalent in our society drives boys and men to take extremes, and even risk their lives to become part of this ideal perception. Nemeroff, Stein Diehl, and Smolak (182) suggest that males are receiving increased messages regarding dieting, and ideal of muscularity, and surgery options (such a pectoral and calf implants). These messages regarding the ideal of the "perfect body" are everywhere is our society. You can't even check out in the grocery store without having one last look at a gorgeous model in the check out lane magazine rack. There is a greater number of articles and advertisement aimed at men ,not just women, containing more fitness, weight lifting, body building, muscle toning, and dieting than ever before (DiDomenico and Anderson).