National Eating Disorder Awareness Week

Did you know?

"Everybody Knows Somebody. Eating disorders don’t discriminate. They affect people of all ages, gender and demographics. In the U.S., approximately 20 million women and 10 million men are battling an eating disorder such as anorexia, bulimia or binge eating disorder. Visit NEDAwareness.org to find out how you can make a difference" ~ NEDA

Eating disorders are a serious dangerous matter. As a YA Librarian, I know that reading a book can change someone's life. One book might be able to open a teen's eyes. Writing about eating disorders can be tricky - too heavy handed and it will turn teens off from the book. There are books that have weight has the main topic and books where its a side story. Are they enough? I can think of a handful of good books that talk about weight.  Do they matter? While books can be a great tool to help open a teen's eye, it's not just about books. 

There's so much pressure on young girls from society to be rail thin - movies, models, singers. The whole entertainment world creates a culture of thinking that's detrimental to women. Clothing sizes change, helping to perpetuate this idealism. You can go from a size 8 to 12 in an instant from shopping in one day. Does it depress you? When you shop and see the size zero clothes in abundance and one in a larger size does it make you sad or angry? I'll admit that going from size to size in different stores can be frustrating, but I'm also happy when I can fit into a size 8 in a store. 

Honesty, there are women in Hollywood it hurts to look at. I feel like someone could snap their arm just as easily as snapping a twig. I want to force them to eat something - why is eating looked down upon in Hollywood? I loved how Jennifer Lawrence talks about eating. I love food and I'm always wondering what I'm going to eat next. Why do we hold up standards of beauty which doesn't allow for normal eating? Why do we keep this mentality in our culture? How can we change it?

Can we take back this thought that being skinny makes you perfect, better, or beautiful??? How can women (and men) start changing the way they see themselves - that weight doesn't define a person. Your actions, your personality, yourself defines your person.

PS: I talk about weighty books over at my other blog today.