As said by Adolescent Growth “5.4 percent of children between the ages 13 and 18 will suffer from anorexia, bulimia, or binge eating disorder at some point in their lifetime”. Eating disorders, most common in teens, are life-threatening illnesses. For instance, anorexia’s most common complication is the issue of infertility. When a woman’s body fat drops, she won’t produce enough of the hormone estrogen, which is necessary for ovulation. The people battling anorexia and other eating disorders think they are fat and ugly because of their body size and shape, which is generally untrue, but what they desire is acceptance in society, even if it is slowly destroying them. As a result, these teens often will go in denial about what they are going through, which leaves the body and mind to attack itself and shut down gradually. Teenagers often face exaggerated social demands, pressures, bullying from others; all this creates an overwhelming desire to be accepted, which, as a result, often leads to an eating disorder.
Bullying can lead to social isolation, low self-esteem, poor body image, and has been reported can lead to the development of an eating disorder in teens. Bullying does not only apply to physical abuse, but also includes actions such as making threats, spreading rumors, attacking someone verbally, or excluding someone from a group on purpose. For example, many teenagers find it extremely difficult to use coping skills when they feel anxious, depressed, or guilty, and they usually turn to eating disorders as a way to cope with their feelings.
Junta Lindert says: “Cyberbullying refers to using the Internet, cell phones, or other devices to send or post text messages that is intended to hurt embarrass another person”. The appearance of the body is a common focus of cyberbullies, who send cruel emails or text messages about a person who is viewed as too fat or too skinny. National surveys have found that 30% of girls and 24% of boys experienced daily bullying, teasing, or rejection because of what their appearance. As a result, many young teens feel ashamed of themselves and believe that if they do not eat, then maybe they will be skinny enough so they will not have to deal with being made fun of.
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StopBullying.gov states: “Weight teasing by both family and peers has been associated with high levels of anxiety and low self-esteem among adolescents”. Low self-esteem because of peer criticism could damage the body image of a person.
When teens are bullied for their body size, it usually stirrers up negative emotions and it leads the person to develop a negative body image. Negative body image plays a huge role in triggering different eating disorders. Binge eating disorder is a serious, life-threatening, treatable disorder in which a person eats large amounts of food and feel the loss of control during the binge. As a result, those who have been bullied for their bodies have developed an unhealthy relationship with food that makes them feel out of place, guilty, shameful, and hateful towards themselves. Therefore, bullying can cause extreme psychological disorders which destroys a person’s self-esteem and could eventually lead the person to have an unhealthy relationship with food.
Eating disorders are a serious problem of modern society. They can occur in both boys and girls, and usually occur in teenagers. Those who are bullied by others for being overweight are at a higher risk of developing unhealthy/irregular eating habits, and as a result, developing eating disorders. Seeking to be recognized by society and not to become a target, they are ready to do everything possible, even if it destroys them and harms their health. They may starve, throw up, or simply eat more than they should because they can't control their emotions and are frustrated by being imperfect, not what they should be. All of this can potentially have an extremely negative impact on their lives.
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