THIN IS BEAUTIFUL

 

“Thin Is Beautiful”---this is what many women or girls of any age might think, dating back to ice age till now. Humans are very complicated beings. They can’t seem to get enough of everything, from money to success, to fame and even to things such as body shape. In this new era, not only are the females affected but even males are getting more and more cautious of their physical appearance, mainly body shape in this article. Figure conscious thinking starts as early as in the stage of teenagers.

Now, I’m going to share some important information about bulimia or bulimia nervosa (scientific name) among teenagers and would like everyone to understand more about it. Bulimia is a medical situation that has become one of our serious social issues in our society now. I guess many of you are wondering what bulimia has got to do with this article entitled “Thin Is Beautiful”. Well actually, bulimia is a medical situation that happens to humans as young as teenagers resulting from their unhealthy eating habits and then followed by purging/vomiting just because they want to be thin as they think that “thin is beautiful”. For most teenagers nowadays, they will be very depressed if one as so much mention that they are chubby or have flabby body parts. What makes them think this way?

There are several reasons that have affected teenager’s mind of thinking where the most common reason is media influence followed by peer pressure. Media influence such as television, internet, and magazines are forever showing toothpick-thin models on the runway, portraying the image that ‘thin is beautiful” to everyone hence influenced teenagers that to be beautiful, one need to be thin. Meanwhile, some teenagers are affected by their peers who make them want to look like their friends that have become thin and gorgeous to attract the male population or for some other reason.

Bulimia Nervosa is a recurring pattern of binge eating (uncontrolled amount of overeating) followed by self-recrimination acts such as purging-namely self-induced vomiting to compensate for excessive food intake. Binging and purging are often performed in secret, with feelings of shame alternating with relief. This binge episode leads the individual to feel guilt, shame, embarrassment, and complete failure. Bulimics try to regain control of themselves and the situation by purging the food to make up for their mistake. This leads to feeling famished and empty again, and therefore, another uncontrollable binge, followed by feeling powerless, and the vicious binge/purge cycle continues.

Someone with bulimia usually have behavior pattern like having fear of weight gain, are intensely unhappy with their body size, and weight, are always making excuses to go to the bathroom immediately after meals to vomit. In addition, bulimics spends most of his/her time exercising to work off calories and they withdraw from social activities, especially meals and celebrations involving food. Bulimia is more than just a problem with food. A binge can be triggered by dieting, stress, or uncomfortable emotions such as anger or sadness. Purging and other actions to prevent weight gain are ways for people with bulimia to feel more in control of their lives and ease stress and anxiety.

There is no single known cause of bulimia, but there is a known factor that plays a vital part where it is the culture factor. This factor shows women in the U.S. who are under constant pressure to fit into a certain ideal of beauty. Images everywhere of flawless, toothpick-thin females make it hard for women to feel good about their bodies. For instance, models on the runway, modeling garments of all sorts with their oh-so-skinny figure. This can and will influence teenagers (especially those who have low self-esteem issues) to go on a crashing diet therefore the occurrence of bulimia in teens.

Effects of bulimia are very hazardous to our health. One of the most marked effects of bulimia is on the teeth and mouth. Frequent vomiting brings up stomach acid into the mouth, eroding teeth’s enamel where cavities and gum infections are known to happen commonly. Bulimics typically eat high calorie, low nutritional value foods like breads or ice cream. As a result, they may be undernourished and have dry skin, hair, and nails. Undernourishment and dehydration lower the body’s electrolytes, causing an irregular heartbeat or heart problems. The effects can be serious. When potassium drops severely, it can cause the heart to stop, resulting in death.

Bulimia affects people’s mental and emotional well-being. These problems can come directly from bulimia, or bulimia may be a response to the other problems. People with bulimia may be tired and unable to perform at peak levels from the mental and physical stress bulimia puts on the mind and body. Depression, low self-esteem, and extreme perfectionism are common in people with bulimia.

“Thin is beautiful” is really just a myth and this myth may lead you to a serious medical situation, bulimia. Here I would like to state that just by being yourself and with some confidence, you are beautiful. Do not mind what others say as we live for ourselves, not for others. With this, I hope that everyone will maintain a healthy lifestyle, and stay away from unbalanced diet plans that may lead you to destroy yourself. Always remember that beauty is only skin deep but health is everything to us.

 

 

By Yvvone Yee

Photo Credits: Google.com & self-owned