Bulimia

JAMES MITCHELL

Professor Thibodeaux

AFLA 085-20

29 October 2012

Division Essay- Final Draft

BULIMIA

It can be nearly impossible to understand how difficult an eating disorder can be; the talk shows and magazines are flooded with people telling their stories, but one doesn’t fully understand the devastating effects until it becomes a reality in their own home. Bulimia is one such disorder; it is extremely dangerous and ruinous. It is a condition where a person goes on eating binges followed by purging the body by inducing vomiting or by fasting. The effects of this destructive disease can fall into one of three different categories, with the strong possibility of affecting all: self-image, body, and the entire family.

A young girl is scanning through the latest issues of Vogue magazine and Victoria Secret only to see very thin women with smooth skin, with little or no body fat and clothes that hang perfectly on their bodies, only to wish “why not me?” This may only be the beginning of a declining self-image of a young, very impressionable, beautiful, young teenage girl. Then, she is watching some of her favorite T.V. shows; once again, beautiful, sexy, in-shape women are smothering the screen, torturing her and subconsciously telling her, “look like us, lose weight, and firm up your butt.” This all becomes too much, so she now decides to do something about it. Determined to be skinny and in shape, a plan is put into action; a well-rounded exercise program coupled with a balanced diet. It seems to going well; changes are happening, so the regimen continues for months never realizing it has now become an ugly obsession. Bulimia is a disease that comes on gradually; the negative side effects can take a very long time to notice, particularly for parents. Food is becoming the enemy; the one thing that will keep her from obtaining the perfect weight, the perfect stomach, or the...