Body Image: Living in Our Bodies
I have yet to meet a woman who, at some point in her life, has
not felt discomfort with the size or appearance of some aspect
of her body. A woman does not have to be anorexic or bulimic to
dislike her body or struggle with what she eats. The fact that
there are vast numbers of women who are critical about their
bodies and have an uneasy relationship with food is simply not
captured by statistics, which invariably refer to the problems
of anorexia and bulimia. The tendency to focus on eating
disorders does not do justice to the pain and turmoil of the
many additional women who struggle with what to eat, deny
themselves food, or overeat.
Anorexia and bulimia are serious health problems and should not
be minimized. But, there are thousands of women who do not fit
these categories for whom eating is an emotionally laden issue
and a health problem as well. Most women have had some form of
dysfunctional relationship with food in their lifetime. Who
hasn't gone on a diet, eaten too much for emotional reasons, or
worried about how much they weigh? While on the surface this may
not seem problematic, particularly when these issues are often
the subject of everyday conversations with other women, it does
reflect an insecurity about our bodies and a stressful
relationship with food.
Having issues with our body and food can range from a woman
worrying about her weight and what to eat once in awhile, to, on
the other end of the continuum, worrying every moment of every
day. The pain some women carry around about their bodies and
food can be devastating, and is fuelled by seemingly innocent
conversations about weight, dieting and the size of women