“You Have to be Thin to Have an Eating Disorder” (And Other Myths)
Eating disorder.
That word gets tossed around a lot these days. Makes sense, perhaps, as EDs are one of the most common mental illnesses across the world. People commonly think of eating disorders as a teenage girl phase— a stereotype that has been perpetuated by much of what we read, watch, and listen to. The truth is that eating disorders take many different forms, and can be had by people of any gender, age, culture, nationality, or religion. Anorexia is the mental illness with the highest mortality rate.
FACTS:
Every 62 minutes at least one person dies as a direct result from an eating disorder.
For females aged 15-24, the mortality rate associated with anorexia is 12 times greater than that ALL other causes of death combined.
Without treatment, up to 20% of people with serious eating disorders die. With treatment, the mortality rate falls to 2-3%.
The deadliest of all psychiatric disorders, and yet EDs remain one of the most misunderstood, surrounded by misconceptions, stigma, and prejudice.
Anorexic is not an adjective.
How many times have you heard a person who looks skinny be described as “anorexic?”
Or heard a joke made about a white-privileged female having nothing but dating and an eating disorder to worry about?
People don’t use other illnesses as adjectives. You don’t hear people saying things like “Wow you’re so thin you look like you have cancer!”
But that’s just it. Anorexia is not just a disease or a diagnosis. It has become a social trope, riddled with stigma and biases and misconceptions, from what it is (or is not), to what it looks like, to who gets it.
One of the most common responses I have gotten from people when they find out about my eating disorder is, “Wow, I could never be anorexic— I love food too much.” Sometimes, this is followed by another comment about willpower or self-control, or having the “opposite problem— never being able to stop eating.”
The truth is that the widespread perceptions and beliefs about eating disorders are largely misconstrued. Yes, thin people can be anorexic. But so can people in larger bodies.
Sure, some people with anorexia may experience an aversion to food, at times. But many may appear to eat “normally” — and even more— in other situations.
While it’s good to see eating disorders addressed by the media, this propagates the stigmas and misconceptions that exist surrounding this illness, in turn, making us blind to the way ED manifests in other bodies that do not match this one representation.
The intention of this post is to raise awareness about some of these prevalent myths and misconceptions about eating disorders: how they look, what they are, and how they come to be.
Eating Disorder Myths and Misconceptions
Myth #1: People with Eating Disorders look “skinny.”
Eating disorders do not have one look, or size. They can affect anyone, in any body. A person can have a severe eating disorder and still be in a larger body. Somebody whose natural set point a BMI of 28 might become anorexic, and star restricting food, and go down to 26, a BMI that is still classified as “overweight” on a BMI chart. However, that person is STILL underweight for their body. They may not be skinny, but they may very well be anorexic, and in need of treatment.
Myth #2: Eating Disorders are about losing weight.
While many people end up developing eating disorders as a way to control their weight, it is often the case that weight has nothing to do with it- at least in the beginning. I did not start restricting food when I was fifteen because I wanted to lose weight. It was chasing a feeling of control, rebellion, and carving an identity for myself.
Often it is the case that someone loses weight as a byproduct or consequence of the disordered or compulsive behaviour that is characteristic of EDs. And when the body dips below its natural set point, the gene associated with anorexia triggers the starvation response, and bam, a full blown eating disorder is born. Yes, some people may lose weight intentionally at first, influenced by the prevalent thin-centric messages in our culture. However, others may have never had an interest in losing weight or dieting before developing an ED. As anorexia is firstly a mental illness, it is often a psychological trigger that causes the onset of an eating disorder in someone with the genetic predisposition.
Myth #3: Anorexia is “just a phase.”
Along the lines of the last myth, is the idea that anorexia is a “teenage girl phase,” that happens around the same time of general angst and rebelliousness and high school drama.
Truth: I did develop my eating disorder in high school. And so do many people (women and men). However, if it was just a phase, one would hope an ED would end with graduation, not carry on for the next 11 years. For many people with the genetic predisposition for anorexia, this biological response is often triggered by many things that happen around this age: puberty and body changes, being more aware and influenced by diet culture, engaging in more athletic pursuits, all of which put more emphasis and attention on one’s body.
In turn, many teenagers may start to try out things that may change their bodies and appearance— whether thats exercising more, trying to eat “healthier”, or jumping on some fad diet in a fashion magazine. And if they have that genetic response wired, and they go below their body’s natural set point, bam! Starvation response is triggered, and anorexia sets in.
]These triggers can happen at any age or point in life. I have known people that first began starving themselves at the age of seven. I know others who were full grown adults with jobs and families when they first developed symptoms.
And in every case, teenager or tot, the ED is not a phase they will likely “grow out of.” It will require active mental and physical recovery.
Myth #4: Only girls get eating disorders.
Eating disorders do NOT discriminate against gender. Over 15% of diagnosed cases are in boys and men, and that doesn’t include the many more that go undiagnosed. We can thank this stereotyping for that.
A study conducted on Football players at Cornell University found that 40% of the 131 players surveyed engaged in bingeing and purging, and other disordered behaviours. with 10% classified as having clinical eating disorders. Many boys and men that struggle with eating disorders are veiled under the guise of "staying in shape" and use compulsive exercise as a form of purging. Once again, it comes back to the genes one is born with— and males are not immune from this genetic predisposition.
Myth #5: If someone eats food regularly, they can’t have an eating disorder.
This myth kept me sick for a long time. “I eat dinner every night, so I am not anorexic.” I rationalized to myself, and anyone who dared tell me otherwise. I truly believed that because I was eating (semi) regularly, I didn’t qualify.
However, its not that people with anorexia, or any other ED, don’t eat. They simply don’t eat enough for what their bodies need. I used to eat seemingly a lot of food. I could load up on seconds and thirds at dinner. Open an overflowing container of salad at school, and gorge on platters of melon at breakfast. But I was still underweight, and severely restricting. My meals were big and volumous, but consisting mostly of fruit and vegetables and fibre, they were nowhere near meeting my caloric requirements.
Someone with an ED might go out for pizza with friends, or have a burger and fries. But that one meal doesn’t overwrite what they might have ate (or not ate) the rest of the day. Someone can appear to be eating a lot, whether in volume or calories, but in actual fact, looking at the big picture, are restricting and in energy deficit.
You can’t tell if someone is anorexic by looking at their plate.
So there you have it— five myths about eating disorders, busted.
Stay tuned for more to come. Were just getting started.
xox
Jordan
Sources:
Eating Disorders Coalition. (2016). Facts About Eating Disorders: What The Research Shows.http://eatingdisorderscoalition.org.s208556.gridserver.com/couch/uploads/file/fact-sheet_2016.pdf
[x] Smink, F. E., van Hoeken, D., & Hoek, H. W. (2012). Epidemiology of eating disorders: Incidence, prevalence and mortality rates. Current Psychiatry Reports 14 (40), 406-414.
National Initiative for Eating Disorders. Eating Disorders in Canada. April 2020. https://nied.ca/about-eating-disorders-in-canada/
Mirasol. Eating Disorder Statistics. April 2020.https://www.mirasol.net/learning-center/eating-disorder-statistics.php
Newsweek. The Pressure to Lose. https://www.newsweek.com/pressure-lose-188802
