By LIZZY GORDON AND MARK VAGELAKOS
She breaks into a cold sweat and runs to the bathroom with a queasy feeling in her stomach. She forces herself to throw up all she has digested. When she is finished, she looks up from the toilet and into the mirror, disgusted, but she has no choice. It is swim suit season.
According to Science Daily, one out of every five teenagers admit to having an eating disorder; this includes bulimia, binge eating, anorexia and compulsive over eating to name a few.
“[I am not surprised by this statistic because] everything around girls focuses on being pretty and thin; advertisements, media, boys liking you, even parents pressure their kids to stay in good shape,” junior Olivia Rizor, who models professionally, said.
Media has a powerful impact on the way girls see themselves. According to Wisegeek.com, in the 1960s models weighed approximately 129 pounds and were around 5’7’. Today, 50 years later, models average 114 pounds and are 5’9’. As time has passed, the ‘model image’ has increased by two inches, and has slimmed down by 15 pounds.
“Models in the 50s and 60s are the definition of beauty. Look at Marilyn Monroe, she is admired world-round, yet girls still aim to be sickly skinny,” sophomore Ekkoe Wilson said.
The model, Twiggy, changed the way body image was perceived in 1960. The normal weight of a model was 129 at the time. Then, 91-pound Twiggy hit the runway, and being skinny was all the rage. Fashion designers started cutting their clothes to smaller sizes, to fit this new “perfect body” image.
“I only eat on Friday, Saturday and Sunday’s,” Rizor said. “For Miss Florida I had to drop 20 pounds in two weeks, and I still wasn’t the thinnest.”
According to Straightheath.com, when someone is on a diet it is unhealthy to lose more than two pounds in a week.
“[Losing more than two pounds a week is unhealthy because] the two pounds lost are water weight, and people tend to dehydrate. Some people just starve themselves; it is bad on your kidneys,” Health Opportunities through Physical Education teacher Phil Ziglar said.
To keep up with the increased weight standards, models resort to dangerous eating disorders. The Radar Program study said that 25 percent of Playboy centerfolds meet the criteria for anorexia. And according to The Model Health Inquiry, 40 percent of all models suffer from an eating disorder.
Such obvious iniquitous habits have caused young people to feel bad about their bodies, and resort to dangerous diets and disorders. Half of fourth grade girls are on diets, and while only 1 of 10 high school girls are overweight, 9 out of 10 juniors and seniors diet, according to the Radar study.
Girls are not the only people affected by eating disorders. Newsweek magazine reported that 40 percent out of 131 Cornell University football players suffered from binging. Of that, 40 percent, were classified as having clinical eating disorders.
According to Marisol.net only 10 percent of people with eating disorders get treatment. That means 90 percent of people are in danger of dying from this disease, if not treated in time.
If not treated, according to marisol.net, 5-10 percent of anorexics will die within 10 years after developing the disorder, and 18-20 percent will die within 20 years of developing it.
If one seeks to recover from an eating disorder, she and her family can go to a physician for help.
Compulsive over-eating can be equally as harmful as bulimia and anorexia. Over-eating can lead to high blood pressure, stroke and even cancer, all of which cause death.
According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, obesity is responsible for over 300,000 deaths a year.
These deaths are caused by weight-related illnesses including; osteoarthritis, Type 2 diabetes, congestive heart failure, gallstones and gallbladder disorders. According to cancer.org, more than 100,000 cancers in the U.S. each year are linked to obesity.
According to The Center for Disease Control, the number of adolescents with obesity has tripled in the last 30 years.
To treat obesity and lose weight safely, one can meet with a physician and organize a dietary along with a workout plan that allows a student to lose weight at a steady pace.
To fend off insecurities with self-image, students can join clubs for support, exercise more often, celebrate their individuality, make a list of qualities they like about themselves, stop comparing oneself to someone else and simply eat healthier to boost one’s confidence.
“Everyone is beautiful in their own way. Everyone has one feature that is most beautiful. Embrace your flaws and own it,” junior Rosimely Hummel, who models, said.