The Disappearing Act
Eating Disorders Are Ravaging Us
This is my page on anorexia nervosa, bulimia and compulsive eating. You will experience some things and witness pictures that may shock and repulse you. I do not gloss over these gravely health issues, which are running rampant in our schools, in Hollywood and the fashion industry. I realize I have another section on this site about anorexia, but this is going to delve deep into a scourge that threatens lives and has actually taken them. Where to begin: First, look at Sheila. She is dying of anorexia nervosa. You can see death in her glazed eyes. Nothing means more to her than being wraithlike. She is in extremely poor physical health and has recently been hospitalized. Doctors have threatened that they will insert a feeding tube if Sheila continues her dangerous fast.
What causes young women and men (for the statistics on male anorexia are rising each year) to willingly starve themselves into a semi-somnambulistic state, forever cold, weak and ravenous? Is the pursuit of thinness so strong and overwhelming that they are ready to lay down their very lives to "worship the sylph?"
I have been there myself, three different times, as a matter of fact. One of the chapters in my book, featured on this site, deals with my introduction to the world of the hungry whenI was just sixteen and sets the stage for later bouts, one when I was twenty-two and the other at thirty-eight. I know about the horrific hunger pains, the soft down that grows on the body to keep it warm, the loosening of the teeth, thinning of the hair and problems with ketones in the kidneys and bladder.
I vowed, after the last session, which was by far the worst and is documented in the chapter, "The Worst Two Years Of My Life", (not included on this site), that I would not only make a full recovery, but help other anorexics and bulimics with their monumental struggles. They say that only ten percent of anorexics make a full recovery and I plan to be one of them. Now I am of a normal weight, racewalk all the time and can eat what I want without gaining weight. I keep busy with writing in order that my demons stay at a safe distance. I honestly do not think that I could survive another session.
Meet Emily. She is very near death. Confined to her bed, she is fed threw a tube and is far too weak to move. Her eyesight is failing and doctors are not certain, even with the force feeding, that Emily is going to survive. I honestly believe that nobody wants to wind up like this, even for protruding ribs and hipbones.
So who are the women who have such a powerful influence on you ng girls? Three actresses immediately come to mind when I think of television's negative effect on teenager girls. Courtney Cox, Helen Hunt and Calista Flockhart, to name a few, are painfully underweight and although they claim not to have any eating disorders, I personally find it difficult to believe that they maintain those low, low weights by eating normally. I could be wrong, but even if I were, girls who are big fans of "Friends", "Ally McBeal" and the now-defunct "Mad About You" want to emulate these women and feel obese if they find themselves to be larger.
Courteny, Courteny, Courteny, is this what you call healthy?
Calista looks as though she just crawled out of Auschwitz and threw on designer clothes. A lot of talk has surrounded this actress, much to her despair, but it really is well-founded.
Helen Hunt never used to be rail-thin. I recall early episodes of her show where she was of an average build and looked healthy. I certainly hope that marriage is agreeing with her, but something must be bothering this popular actress.
Tomorrow, I will talk about Karen Carpenter, who, as everyone likely knows, died from complications of anorex
Then there are two notorious fashion models, one from the "mod" sixties and the other who also hails from Britain and promotes the "waif look". I am speaking of course, of Twiggy and Kate Moss, respectively. They are not good role models for today's teenage girls.
See you all later.