Shades of Grey

It was once a widely held belief that the only people who suffered from Eating Disorders were white, middle to upper class, American women. I can tell you, from the hundreds to thousands of e-mail letters I have received from the sufferers themselves, by far, white women are not the only ones suffering.

A great number of researchers are focusing in on why there seems to be an increase in the growing number of Black, Hispanic, Asian and Native American sufferers who are coming forward to say that they indeed are afflicted with an Eating Disorder.

"Dangerous Eating" (Essence Magazine, Villarosa) featured an article on the subject of Eating Disorders in Black women, providing a possible insight. "The Black-American culture traditionally accepts more fat on women than the White culture, but when Black middle-class women become integrated into White culture while they are trying to get ahead, they become more at risk of developing Eating Disorders."

As African-American and Hispanic women compete more and more in the professional job market and face the pressures of trying to succeed, they can be faced with discrimination as well as society's portrayal of the successful "smart, beautiful and thin" career woman.

There has been a steady increase in famous African-American and Hispanic figures in the media. While this is a wonderful thing that helps to represent the truly diverse country the United States is, there may also be a "down-side" as well. Young white women and girls faced with thin and beautiful white celebrities aspire to be like them--it would make sense to think that young Black and Hispanic women and girls, when faced with seemingly beautiful and thin celebrities sharing the same culture (such as Janet Jackson or Mariah Carey), might also wish to achieve the same physical goals.

The psychological reasons that women of color develop Eating Disorders are virtually the same. Family problems, parents with negative coping mechanisms like alcohol, history of abuse, and/or relationship issues, plus a need to cope with stress, pain and anger, and a low self-esteem. In addition, Black, Asian, Hispanic and Native American women also face issues of discrimination that may contribute to their low self-worth and desire to be loved and accepted.

From the About Face Organization's Website: "The more a person is pressured to emulate the mainstream image, the more the desire to be thin is adopted, and with it an increased risk for the development of body image dissatisfaction and eating disorders."

It is important to take into consideration the awareness that has spread in the last fifteen or so years about Eating Disorders themselves. Whereas issues of culture may not be addressed often enough, there may still be a better overall knowledge of what these disorders are, throughout a more diverse community. Whether teens and college students are getting the education at their school, through clinics and women's centers, through the television or on the internet, all groups of people may be more apt to recognize that they are suffering from an illness and are not alone. Prior to 1980, it was highly unlikely that any information, let-alone accurate information, was reaching anyone other than through doctor's offices typically treating the white, middle-to-upper class community. It is highly possible that up until recently, due to lack of awareness and the stereotype that this was a "white teen or college woman's disease", many women of color were either suffering in silence or didn't recognize how severe their problem could be.

By: www.something-fishy.org