GVSU Women’s Center
Educational Release
for
National Eating Disorders Awareness Week
February 20-26, 2011
Major events:
Monday- Thursday, 1pm: documentary film series in the Kirkhof Theatre.
Tuesday, Feb Feb 22, 3pm: Drunkorexia
Wednesday, Feb 23, 1pm: Approaching someone with an Eating Disroder
Wednesday, Feb 23, 6pm: America The Beautiful, film showing sponsored by Center for
Treatment of Eating Disorders and Ramuda Ranch
Thursday, Feb 24, 4pm: Embracing real Beauty, Stacy Nadeau
** all events will be posted on the Women’s Center website with more details
www.gvsu.edu/women_cen
The week of February 20-26 is National Eating Disorders Awareness Week. The purpose of this
week is to raise awareness and bring about change in regards to body image issues and eating
disorders. Eating disorders are an issue that have long been battled and have yet to be defeated. The
Women’s Center has put together a series of awareness events to be held on campus during the
week and we encourage all students, faculty, and staff to get involved. The Women’s Center will be
teaming up with Inclusion & Equity, Women and Gender Studies, Office of Multicultural Affairs,
and Comprehensive Treatment for Eating Disorders to bring the a week of events to the Grand
Valley community. The goal of this education release is to provide you with information concerning
eating disorders, body image, and body acceptance. It is our hope that you will share this
information with your students in attempt to explore these issues and the impact they have on
college students and what can be done to make a difference.
Created by Darcy Long, GVSU student intern, 2010
Statistics
Facts and statistics collected from the NOW Organization, National Eating Disorders
Association, and The Love Your Body Campaign.
 According to the NOW Foundation, it is estimated that 1 million males and
10 million females in the United States are suffering from anorexia and
bulimia.
 Over 90% of people with an eating disorder are adolescent/young women.
 81% of 10 year olds are afraid of being fat.
 According to the National Eating Disorders Association, a study of Division 1
NCAA athletes found that over 1/3 of female athletes reported attitudes and
symptoms placing them at risk for anorexia nervosa.
 Over ½ of teenage girls and nearly 1/3 of teenage boys use unhealthy weight
control behaviors such as skipping meals, fasting, smoking cigarettes,
vomiting, and taking laxatives.
 The average American woman is 5’4” and weighs 140 pounds. The average
American model is 5’11’’ and weighs 117 pounds.
 The body type often seen in advertising is naturally found in less than 5% of
the population.
 The average woman sees 400 to 600 advertisements per day, and by the time
she is 17 years old, she has received over 250,000 commercial messages
through the media.
 Billions of dollars are spent each year on surgeries, cosmetics, and diets.
 46% of 9 to 11 year olds are “sometimes” or “often” on diets, and 82% of
their families are “sometimes” or “often” on diets.
 91% of women recently surveyed on a college campus had attempted t o
control their weight through dieting, 22% dieted “often” or “always”.
 In 2001, over 8.5 million people had cosmetic procedures in the U.S. 88 %
women.
 35% of “normal dieters” progress to pathological dieting. Of those, 20-25%
progress to partial or full-syndrome eating disorders.
 25% of American men and 45% of American women are dieting on any given
day.
 Americans spend over $40 billion a year on dieting and diet-related products.
Eating Disorders:
Anorexia Nervosa
Anorexia nervosa is a serious problem seen across the country consisting of resistance to
maintain body weight at or above a minimal normal weight for age and height of the
individual. This problem is often associated with a fear of becoming fat or obese. Often low
self esteem and denial of a problem are associated with anorexia nervosa. This can be highly
detrimental to the body.
Some warning signs of anorexia nervosa include: dramatic weight loss, high concern with
caloric intake and dieting, frequent comments about feeling fat, fear of weight gain,
development of food rituals, excessive exercise, and behavior and attitude changes.
Bulimia Nervosa
Another serious problem, bulimia nervosa involves a regular intake of large amounts of food
accompanied by a sense of loss of control over eating behavior. This disorder also involves
regular use of compensatory behaviors such as self-induced purging, laxative or diuretic
abuse, fasting, and obsessive or compulsive exercise.
Some warning signs of bulimia nervosa include: evidence of binge-eating, evidence of
purging behaviors (i.e. frequent trips to the bathroom or signs/smells of vomiting), excessive
exercise regimen, unusual swelling of the cheeks/jaws, calluses on the back of hands and
knuckles from self-induced vomiting, discoloration of teeth, and behavior and attitude
changes.
Binge Eating Disorder
Binge eating problems involve frequent episodes of consuming large quantities of food and
feeling out of control of one’s own eating behavior. Eating when not hungry and eating in
secret are two behavioral indicators of this disorder. Often people suffering from this feel
ashamed by their behavior.
Compulsive Exercise
Symptoms of exercising for the wrong reasons include: constant preoccupation with exercise
routine or intrusive thoughts about exercise that interfere with ability to focus, finding time
at any cost to exercise, feeling overly anxious and guilty when unable to exercise, desire for
exercise is primarily driven by weight control, food choices are based on exercise, lack of rest
days, and self-concept is based highly on exercise performance.
The Female Athlete Triad
Compulsive exercise is often associated with disordered eating habits. Any active female who
under-eats, over-exercise, or both is at risk for the Female Athlete Triad. Also called the
“energy drain”, the Female Athlete Triad refers to three serious interrelated health problems:
disordered eating habits, amenorrhea, and osteoporosis.
The Female Athlete Triad is precipitated by under-fueling(consuming too few calories,
usually deliberately in an attempt to lose weight quickly to improve appearance or
performance) and aggravated by psychological stress.
The ovaries produce less and less estrogen, resulting in menstrual irregularities and often
amenorrhea.
This low estrogen level also promotes or accelerates the loss of normal bone density, setting
the stage for fragile and brittle bones that fracture easily(stress fractures and osteoporosis).
How to undo the Female Athlete Triad: One must correct the energy (caloric) imbalance by
consuming enough calories to support your physical activity level. Dietary changes alone are
rarely enough to reverse the Triad however. You will also need to address your exercise
habits and coping strategies for dealing with stress. Seek help for compulsive exercise or the
“energy drain” from therapists and registered dietitians who specialize in disordered eating.
Lastly, amenorrhea should always be evaluated by a qualified physician as soon as possible.
Body Image
Body image is the way you see yourself when you look in the mirror. This involves what you
feel about your physical appearance including height, weight, and shape. This also involves
how you sense and control your body.
Negative body image often involves a distorted perception of your physical appearance.
Feelings of shame, self-consciousness, and anxiety are often associated with negative body
image. People with a negative perception of their body are at greater risk for developing an
eating disorder.
Positive body image is a clear and true perception of your physical being. With a positive
body image you can celebrate and appreciate your natural physical appearance and
understand that it says very little about the value of a person.
Accept and celebrate yourself and your body!
Body Image and the Media
Eating disorders are complex conditions that arise from a variety of factors, including
physical, psychological, interpersonal, and social issues. Media images that help to create
cultural definitions of beauty and attractiveness are often acknowledged as being among
those factors contributing to the rise of eating disorders.
Media messages screaming “thin is in” may not directly cause eating disorders, but
they help to create the context within which people learn to place a value on the size and
shape of their body. To the extent that media messages like advertising and celebrity
spotlights help our culture define what is beautiful and what is “good”, the media’s power
over our development of self-esteem and body image can be incredibly strong.
Some facts about the media’s influence on our lives:
 According to a recent survey of adolescent girls, the media is their main source of
information about women’s health issues (Commonwealth Fund, 1997).
 Researchers estimate that 60% of Caucasian middle school girls read at least one
fashion magazine regularly (Levine, 1997).
 Another study of mass media magazines discovered that women’s magazines had
10.5 times more advertisements and articles promoting weight loss than men’s
magazines (as citied in Guillen & Barr, 1994).
 A study of one teen adolescent magazine over the course of 20 years found that in
articles about fitness or exercise plans, 74% citied “to become more attractive” as a
reason to start exercising and 51% noted the need to lose weight or burn calories
(Guillen & Barr, 1994).
 The average young adolescent watches 3-4 hours of TV per day (Levine, 1997).
 A study of 4,294 network television commercials revealed that 1 out of every 3.8
commercials send some sort of “attractiveness message”, telling viewers what is or is
not attractive (as cited in Myers et al., 1992). These researchers estimate that the
average adolescent sees over 5,260 “attractive messages” per year.
Love Your Body: Ten Steps to a Positive Body Image
 Appreciate all that your body can do. Every day your body carries you closer
to your dream. Celebrate all of the amazing things your body does for you –
running, dancing, breathing, laughing, dreaming, etc.
 Keep a top 10 list of things you like about yourself- things that aren’t related
to how much you weigh or what you look like. Read your list often. Add to it
as you become aware of more things to like about you.
 Remind yourself that “true beauty” is not simply skin-deep. When you feel
good about yourself and who you are , you carry yourself with a sense of
confidence, self-acceptance, and openness that makes you beautiful regardless
of whether you physically look like a supermodel. Beauty is a state of mind,
not a state of your body.
 Look at yourself as a whole person. When you see yourself in a mirror or in
your mind, choose not to focus on specific body parts. See yourself as you
want others to see you- as a whole person.
 Surround yourself with positive people. It is easier to feel good about yourself
and your body when you are around others who are supportive and who
recognize that importance of liking yourself just as you naturally are.
 Shut down those voices in your head that tell you your body is not “right” or
that you are a “bad” person. You can overpower those negative thoughts with
positive ones. The next time you start to tear yourself down, build yourself
back up with a few quick affirmations that work for you.
 Wear clothes that are comfortable and that make you feel good about your
body. Work with your body, not against it.
 Become a critical viewer of social and media messages. Pay attention to the
images, slogans, and attitudes that make you feel bad about yourself or your
body. Protest these messages: write a letter to the advertiser or talk back to the
image or message.
 Do something nice for yourself- something that lets your body know you
appreciate it. Take a bubble bath, make time for a nap, find a peaceful place
outside to relax.
 Use the time and energy that you might have spent worrying about food,
calories, and your weight to do something to help others. Sometimes reaching
out to other people can help you feel better about yourself and can make a
positive change in our world.
Additional Resources
Online
Nationaleatingdisorders.org
Nimh.nih.gov
4women.gov
Bodypositive.com
Loveyourbody.org
Mentalhealth.samhsa.gov
Eating.ucdavis.edu
Adiosbarbie.com
Ourbodiesourselves.org
Something-fishy.org
Print
Seigel, M, Brisman, J, & Weinshel, M. (1997). Surviving an eating
disorder. New York, NY: HarperCollins.
Arnold, C, & Walsh, T. (2007). Next to nothing: a firsthand account of
a teenager's experience with an eating disorder . New York, NY: Oxford.
Norsigian, J. (2005). Our bodies, ourselves. New York, NY:
Touchstone.
Wolf, N. (2002). The beauty myth. New York,NY: HarperCollins.
Martin, C. (2007). Perfect girls, starving daughters. New York, NY:
Penguin.
Pollan, M. (2008). In defense of food:an eaters manifesto . New York,
NY: Penguin.
Video
For the Love of Nancy
Perfect Illusions: Eating Disorders and the Family
Perfect Body
Slim Hopes/ Killing Us Softy (I,II, III, IV)
Belly
America the Beautiful
Beauty Mark
Scholarly
Beals, K.A. “Disorders of the Female Triad Among College Athletes.” International Journal of Sport
Nutrition & Exercise Metabolism. 12 (2002):281-293.
Correia,F., and Piran, N. “Self Help: Maintaining the Status Quo.” Canadian Women’s Studies 14
(1994):87.
Gentile, K,C., Rajah, V., & Gates, K. “It Doesn’t Happen Here: Eating Disorders in an Ethnically
Diverse Sample of Economically Disadvantaged, Urban College Students.” Eating Disorders 15 (5)
(2007): 405-425.
Guest, N.S., & Barr, S.I. Cognitive Dietary Restraint is Associated with Stress Fractures in Women
Runners.” International Journal of sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism 15 (2005):147-159.
Lovejoy, M. “Disturbances in the Social Body: Differences in Body Image and Eating Problems
Among African American and White Women.” Gender and Society 15 (2001):239-261.
Penkal, J.L. & Kurdek, L.A. “Gender and Race Differences in Young Adults’ Body Dissatisfaction.”
Personality and Individual differences 42(8) (2007):2270-2281.
Rice, C. “Out From Under Occupation: Transforming Our Relationships with Our
Bodies.”Canadian Women’s Studies 14 (1994):44.
Strahan, E.J., Spencer, S.J., & Zanna, M.P. “Don’t Take Another Bite: How Sociological Norms for
Appearance Affect Women’s Eating Behaviors.” Body Image, 4(4)(2007):331-342.
Wolf, N. The Beauty Myth. New York. Harper Collins Publishers Inc., 1991.
GVSU and Greater Grand Rapids
GVSU Counseling Center
204 STU
(616)3266
www.gvsu.edu/counsel
Fitness & Wellness Center
Lower Level Rec Center
(616)331-3659
Lori Schermers, RD
www.gvsu.edu/healthwellness
Campus Health Services
10383 A 42nd St.
(616)331-2425
www.gvsu.edu/campushealth
Comprehensive Treatment for Eating Disorders
4467 Cascade SE, Suite 4475
Grand Rapids, MI 49546
(616)957-7700
Info@eatingdisordersmichigan.com
www.eatingdisordersmichigan.com
The Third Chair
4467 Cascade SE
Grand Rapids, MI 49546
(616)916-3711
info@thethirdchair.com
www.thirdchair.com