A Look at Culture and Eating Disorders
Eating disorders, including anorexia and bulimia, are often associated with younger, middle- and upper-class, white American women. However, studies are finding that eating disorders expand not only beyond economic class but also beyond the constraints of gender and culture.
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It is still believed that culture and eating disorders are related. However, it appears that the culture that a person is born into does not have as much influence as the one in which a person chooses to live. Several studies show that traditionally unaffected ethnicities can be affected by eating disorders, especially when living in a society that is driven by body image.
Exploring the Stereotypes of Culture and Eating Disorders
There are many stereotypes that have helped perpetuate the myth that eating disorders only affect white women. Some of these stereotypes of culture and eating disorders include:
- African American and Latina women prefer a more curvaceous body shape.
- Males want to bulk up, and women want to slim down.
- Only people with money let themselves get affected by eating disorders.
- Native Americans are not focused on the unhealthy body images portrayed in the media.
Although some of these stereotypes may have developed out of truths, they do not carry as much credence today. As society and cultures change, so does the basis for stereotypes. Today, we know that eating disorders are not selective; they can affect women and men of all ages, races and ethnicities.
American Culture and Eating Disorders
Although some cultures continue to avoid eating disorders on a broad scale, the perception of what is considered beautiful in America has caused the desire to be thin to permeate assimilated cultures.
As more African American and Hispanic women find a place in American media, they begin to conform to the industry's accepted norms of attractiveness, which were established when white women were first seen in the media. Young women, girls and the public, in general, see these images and want to emulate them in order to be accepted by peers and society as a whole.
Indicators that gender, age and culture do not protect from eating disorders in America include the following:
- A change in body weight is the second greatest concern for women over 62.
- Approximately eight million to 10 million Americans suffer from an eating disorder. It is estimated that 10 percent of them are men.
- A study found that instances of dieting across all ethnic groups were related to low body image and a perception of being overweight.
- In a study of the leanest 25 percent of middle school girls, Hispanics and Asians were significantly more likely than Caucasian girls to report body dissatisfaction.
In another youth study, the following percentages of children were attempting to lose weight:
- Asian: 32.7 percent
- African American: 31.9 percent
- Hispanic: 36.1 percent
- Caucasian: 34.9 percent
- Native American: 48.1 percent.
Cultural Divides and Eating Disorders
Many non-Western cultures are not as affected by eating disorders as Western cultures. These cultures, especially Third World countries and societies in which food availability fluctuates, relate higher body weight with a higher social class. People in these societies consider being plump or rotund attractive.
Unfortunately, some of these societies have been exposed to Western culture, which has corrupted some of their ideals concerning weight. Studies have found that, similar to African Americans and Hispanics, individuals from non-Western societies who become immersed in Western culture tend to shift their perceptions of body image. They also have a greater chance of developing an eating disorder than those who stayed immersed only in their own culture.
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