Blog 7: Culture of Thinness

• What is an eating disorder?

An eating disorder as defined by the Oxford American dictionary is any of a range of psychological disorders characterized by abnormal or disturbed eating habits.

• How has the influence of the fashion, film, media, and diet industries affected our notions of beauty and contributed to the rise in eating disorders as well as disordered eating?

The social institutions of media and pop culture influence our notions of beauty by the “invisible” institutions standards by marketing these images as wealth, prosperity, and success. American’s live by the premise of the self made man and we encourage and feed off individuals who have made it to the “top” and constantly compare ourselves to these people. Why? It is human nature to constantly size our personal accomplishments and status with others—a psychological and physically manifested “Keeping up the with Jones’s’” complex. Since now we understand how underlying insecurities can exist it is more simple to understand how social influence can affect self-perceptions manifestations in the form of eating disorders and disordered eating. Because humanity is in some form genetically inclined to feed off influence and praise that the social institutions mass force of influence thus have an impact on our psyche affecting our self image depending on how strong and positive or negative or self-esteem has been developed.

• Can a detailed look at the clinical picture of what eating disorders are, including definitions, common themes, cultural and family background analysis, aid in the prevention and treatment of these illnesses and conditions?

There are many preventative measures that can be made to prevent further generations from suffering from family and friend influence and inclination towards eating disorders; however, I do believe people do not seek such evaluation and help to prevent further evolution of eating disorders.

• Have food, appearance preoccupation and diet addiction become our society’s new sacred rituals?

Yes, there’s a huge movement towards food portion and weight control. The media and reality have impacted recent American culture to become highly aware of calories from shows like: “The Biggest Loser”, “Diet Wars”, “Extreme Makeover”, and “Celebrity Fit Club”. Some of these shows’ contestants are normal lay individuals while others are even movie/TV stars struggling with the ideal/image they project! The new era of body image and food contains individuals more knowledgeable on food calories, nutrition value, organic and processed, and preferences; even with more accessible knowledge society still chooses to be impacted by social institutional influence.

• How has a capitalist and abundant economic climate contributed to the disorders related to food, obesity and a preoccupation with appearance?

In researching how capitalist and abundant economies can affect disorders related to food, obesity, and preoccupation with appearance I found a series of documentaries by the BBC on “America’s ‘Body Image’ Documentary”.


BBC AMERICA REVEALS TO PREMIERE SIX NEW BODY IMAGE DOCUMENTARIES ON SUNDAYS THIS SUMMER
o Following the success of Super Skinny Me and My Big Breasts and I, BBC AMERICA’s weekly documentary slot, BBC AMERICA REVEALS, will premiere six brand new body image programs starting in June. The collection of documentaries includes - Too Ugly To Love, which follows three people with Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD), a largely undiagnosed body image disorder - Plastic Surgery Junkies with Louis Theroux, where the investigative journalist travels to California to reveal the startling reality of this Hollywood trend and Transvestite Wives, which begins the series with a firsthand look at transvestite relationships.

TRANSVESTITE WIVES
o Transvestite Wives takes a look at three transvestite relationships through the eyes of their wives and partners. Sheila discovered seven years into her relationship that her husband Dennis is a transvestite, while Sam, 20, is embracing her 40-year-old partner Chris’s transvestite lifestyle and Robyn at last finds happiness with her cross-dresser husband Dean.
o Transvestite Wives premieres Sunday, June 1, 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.

TOO UGLY TO LOVE
o Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) is a largely undiagnosed body image disorder characterized by an excessive preoccupation with a real or imagined defect in one’s physical appearance. The condition finds people obsessed with the way they look and causes significant emotional stress. Often misunderstood as a vanity driven obsession, people with BDD are quite the opposite - they think they are ugly or disfigured. Too Ugly To Love follows the lives of three people who are battling with the debilitating condition to regain a normal life.
o Too Ugly To Love premieres Sunday, June 8, 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.

BRITAIN’S WORST TEETH
o This eye-opening documentary follows four people in their twenties, who have some of the worst teeth in Britain. Their teeth are so dreadful they have an impact on every aspect of their lives – they find eating and speaking difficult because of the pain, are embarrassed to go out and have no hope of attracting partners. Luckily, three of Britain's top dentists have agreed to take on these four cases to see if there’s anything that can be done to save their terrible teeth.
o Britain’s Worst Teeth premieres Sunday, June 15, 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.

MY SECRET FEMALE BODY
o My Secret Female Body takes a look at the life of Danny, a female-to-male transsexual. Born as Katie, Danny has been living as a man for four years and has had male hormone injections, every two weeks, for a year. Now, at 22, Danny undergoes a dramatic surgical transformation which physically changes his body from female to male. This documentary sees Danny embark on the
o first stage of this irreversible procedure – a double mastectomy – which is followed by complicated penis surgery. My Secret Female Body premieres Sunday, June 22, 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.

I’M A BOY ANOREXIC
o Anorexia is often seen as being a “girl's problem” - but it’s not just girls that are affected by eating disorders. Boys can develop them too, though their symptoms are often missed. This documentary follows Declan, a 15-year-old boy, who struggles with an obsessive relationship with food. As a last resort, after losing a dramatic amount of weight, he turns to Rhodes Farm, a unit dedicated to treatment of children with eating disorders. Declan is not alone, the film talks to other patients about their struggles, including the clinic’s youngest male, an 11-year-old boy. This journey follows Declan’s final weeks of treatment and his return to school with the attempt at a fresh start.
o I’m a Boy Anorexic premieres Sunday, July 6, 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.
o PLASTIC SURGERY JUNKIES WITH LOUIS THEROUX
o Investigative journalist Louis Theroux (Michael Moore’s TV Nation, Weird Weekends) travels to California to observe the sweeping trend of being obsessed with self image. In California, the birthplace of plastic surgery, people can be whatever they want, at the flick of knife and with a few thousand dollars. In fact, they don’t even need the cash, just a credit card or a monthly payment plan with their friendly plastic surgeon. What was once an unaffordable luxury is now an everyday commodity. Louis meets an astonishing cast of characters and discovers a complex arena of cosmetic surgery. Will Louis succumb to the promises of plastic surgery and opt for a procedure himself?
o Plastic Surgery Junkies with Louis Theroux premieres Sunday, July 13, 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.
o BBC AMERICA brings audiences a new generation of award-winning television featuring news with a uniquely global perspective, provocative dramas, razor-sharp comedies and life-changing makeovers. BBC AMERICA pushes the boundaries to deliver high quality, highly addictive and eminently watchable programming to viewers who demand more. BBC AMERICA is distributed by Discovery Networks. It is available on digital cable and satellite TV in more than 60 million homes. For up-to-the-minute information on BBC AMERICA, forthcoming U.S. premieres, art work and news from the channel, log on to www.press.bbcamerica.com.

Can society become reintegrated ?
• I believe society is incapable of becoming reintegrated because the social perceptions have been deeply ingrained in our cultural society. I do not mean or try to be pessimistic but I do think that when some perceptions are so popular and commercialized that it is very difficult to decrease the marketable influence.