READING ACTIVITY: EATING DISORDERS

  1. Read the following text and then discuss about at least one of the topic proposed below.

Usually when you read an article about anorexia and bulimia it's pretty depressing. There are  stats about how many people have the disease, how many people don't report it, how many new cases there are, how many girls (and boys too) worry about their weight, how much power the media has on body image...whew!

This article is going to be a bit different. The image above covers most of the prevalent numbers in the eating disorder realm. Not too many people are completely in the dark about Eating Disorders (ED) anymore. In the last 20 years the amount of information and awareness of ED has improved to the point where almost everyone, in the western world, has heard of Anorexia and Bulimia (and their lesser recognized cousins, Binge Eating and Excessive Exercise).

Most often articles on ED focus on these numbers. The ones in the image. The devastating reach of the disease. We feel that there are far too few articles, movies and Facebook pages that focus on recovery and optimism. The reality of an ED is that people who have one are society’s most ardent followers. They see what western civilization views as "perfect" and they strive to fulfil that requirement. Sometimes they are so successful that they are actually killing themselves to meet the demand for perfection. The film, No Numbers - Identity Beyond Measure, acknowledges these people in a way that no other film has. It examines the reasons why so many young people find themselves struggling with an eating disorder but it goes far beyond that to examine the roads to recovery.

As much as we would love this film to help people to learn to love themselves the way they are, we are targeting those people that are suffering now. Some are doing it alone, with no support and no treatment. Some likely believe that they are successful at meeting society’s expectations.

We want them to see that they do not have to live up to some randomly, media-driven model of perfection. We want to show them how "perfect" comes in a million packages and that finding their way starts with that first step, the step towards self-acceptance.

Text by: Jacquie Mccarnan (http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jacquie_Mccarnan)

Image taken from: (http://www.theguardian.com/education/cartoon/2012/may/14/children-eating-disorder-obesity)

  1. Now, discuss/give your opinion about one of the following topics:

ELENA → I think physical appearance is not important at all. Ok, you may take care of your body and yourself but never give your body more importance than what it really deserves. :)

EVA →  I will never go farer than getting on a diet!