Why Is Anorexia So Much In The News?

“Did you hear about Codie Young?”, asked Suzanne, 45. “She is a model from Australia who landed pretty big modeling gigs. But recently, she’s been embroiled in a controversy around her unhealthy weight levels and skinny frame”, she added. We had no clue of who Codie Young was, but we were definitely shocked when we saw her pictures. We could not believe how thin Codie’s waist was. “Codie is just 18. What trend is she setting for young aspiring models? When does this anorexic journey stop?”, asked Suzanne. We can understand Suzanne’s viewpoint, because she has a 17-year old daughter preparing to be the next top model. Suzanne says “Many times, I feel afraid because my daughter looks at pictures of slim models and wishes to be like them. Isn’t this a sure shot way to suffer from anorexia?”

We know how she feels because we remember the death of the Ramos sisters. Do you? Eliana Ramos and Luisel Ramos were sisters from Argentina who worked for reputed modeling agencies. Eliana, 18, was found dead in her bedroom by her grandmother. Only 6 months later, Luisel died on the catwalk due to a heart attack. Reportedly, Luisel ate nothing but lettuce for a couple of months to reduce weight. Doesn’t that thought frighten you? It surely sends chills down our spines and we can understand why mothers like Suzanne are frightened with this new trend. Anorexia has entered mainstream modeling and such unhealthy eating habits can be extremely fatal.

Suzanne said that she had a chat with her doctor about anorexia recently, and found out that many young girls suffer from the psychological fear of putting on weight. “Who do we blame for this attitude? The models and the modeling agencies, of course. They should have a regulatory body to screen out excessively thin models”, said Suzanne. We somehow tend to agree with her because anorexic models in the news are definitely not good signs. Suzanne drives the point home as she informs us that anorexia is caused due to a psychological concept of self-starvation is medically known as anorexia nervosa. No wonder it is in the news because even the American Psychiatric Association recognizes it in one of its journals.

We were left wide-eyed after our chat with Suzanne because even though we have read about anorexia in the news recently, it makes true sense when mothers like Suzanne voice their concerns. Stories of Eliana, Luisel and Codie are real life examples of anorexia affecting real people. It is time that we all wake up to this rampant disorder amongst young women of today’s times.