OK so today I was speaking on face book about the subject of eating disorders. One person in this debate was suggesting that it was brought on by mass media, as in magazines that depict models in airbrushed images of unnatural beauty.
I mentioned that I hold a degree in psychology, and that studies show that Axis-II disorders such as Anorexia Nervosa, Bullima, and others are in fact brought on by much more serious trauma.
I sighted the DSM as my source, since my credentials were in question. For those of you unfamilar, the DSM is the diagnostic manual used by professionals in the field to diagnose psychological disorders.
According to the DSM the eating disorders are the result of a distorted self image. Meaning that a person who has one of those types of disorders actually sees themselves as ugly regardless of how they look. To their eyes the body actually appears differently than it does to other people.
Now for pointing this out I was considered a shovanist, and it was implied that my field of study was less than respectable. This was of course coming from a woman whom the issue was near and dear to. I was banned from the discussion.
So let me understand this all together: I am a man with a college degree in the field. This woman likely has a diagnosed AXIS-II disorder, yet I am not credible.
To this all I can say is, keep starving yourself honey. You can call me whatever you want, but what I am is full, confident, and happy with myself. I ain't even mad.

The truth of today is that truth is not allowed if it doesn't fully promote whatever happens to be socially accepted. Part of living in this politically correct, egalitarian society. ;-/

just saying in the medieval ages fat chicks where thought beautiful,ever wonder why victoria stayed a virgin? she was skinny

Not all eating disorders come from a skewed self-image. And not all of them come from some type of trauma. If you have been taught that they ALL stem from the exact same issue, then I would question your education. Also, where exactly do you think the ideas behind mental illness have come from and where do you think they came up with the definitions of each disorder? Oh that's right - from people who have them.

I'm not ashamed to admit that I had an issue with anorexia when I was in high school, many many moons ago. I assure you it had absolutely NOTHING to do with the media or self image. Mine stemmed from an on going traumatic experience and in some odd twisted way it made me feel better to be able to control whether I ate - or not, as the case was - because I could control NOTHING else in my life.

However - I have meet women and girls who do have a terribly twisted sense of self and they believe that there is no way to be "too thin". They idolize models and the crack-head skinny women on magazines and will do anything they can to be like them. And in almost all of those cases - they're extremely unhappy with their situation in life and think that if they looked differently, they could be differently.

The point is that people develop all mental disorders for different reasons. NO ONE is the same. NO ONE is effected by the exact same things. So maybe you should expand your understanding of eating disorders to encompass real life knowledge instead of just what a book tells you. And you do that by being respectful to those who suffer(ed) from them. (Even if they do hold on to a skewed idea of why they have these issues. If they aren't in a place to accept that it's in their power to change it, then being rude and cutting them down isn't going to help anyone.) I would think any professional in that field would tell you the same.