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Ethnography: Image of Perfect One of society's biggest issues is a persons image. People rely so heavily on what they look like. While some spend hours in front of the mirror, or even spend thousands on surgery, others have serious and even fatal clinical problems because of society's image of what is perfect. I chose to write my ethnography on people who suffer from anorexia nervosa and / or bulimia nervosa. My opinion on people who are anorexic or bulimic is that they are somewhat of weak people. I say this because, to me, it seems like if a person would either starve themselves or make themselves purge, only to try and meet the standards of being thin, than they are weak.
There are other ways to go about getting into shape, besides harming yourself in these kind of ways. I spoke with three different victims of eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia. They all claimed to have had many warning signs which people began to notice as signs of their eating disorders. Anorexia nervosa symptoms include: significant weight loss, excessive dieting and exercising, and constipation. Bulimia nervosa symptoms consist of making excuses to go to the bathroom after meals, and eating large amounts of food on the spur of the moment. All victims interviewed had a fear of becoming overweight, a distorted body image, and experienced some form of hyper activity.
Mood swings also seemed to be pretty common in all three. Thus, eating disorders affect a person not only physically, but emotionally too. When a person has a disorder such as anorexia or bulimia, they are affected in many ways and sometimes dont realize the effects of the disorder. Anorexia nervosa also has many medical effects some of which can be life-threatening. I dont think it is that hard to see signs of someone who suffers from either of these conditions.
According to all three people I spoke with though, it is almost impossible to get someone who is anorexic or bulimic to admit it and ask for or receive help for it. A lot of people who suffer from these conditions, either dont believe it is as severe as it is, or simply dont care. All that these people can understand fully is that, in their mind, they are not perfect, or do not live up to their own standards. One girl even admitted that when she was at her record lowest and unhealthiest weight, she still felt obese and disgusting. This is obviously a psychological problem. The most important thing that one can do for a person who is suffering from any kind of eating disorder is help them through it and help them seek medical attention.
The medical attention that is required for this kind of treatment is not just normalization of eating patterns, but also enhancement of self-esteem, development of solid self-concept, and improvement of problem-solving and decision-making skills. Support from family members and friends is vital for recovery. After interviewing people who suffer or have suffered from anorexia and / or bulimia, my concept of who these people are and why they do what they do, changed. I do not believe that people who are anorexic or bulimic are simply weak people who strive to mold themselves into society's idea of what is perfect. Instead, I think these people suffer from something that is mainly psychological.
Yes society may have had a little, if not a lot to do with how these people became this way, but in the end, I believe it is all in their head. There is no certain weight limit for someone to become anorexic or bulimic. A person could be 50 pounds overweight, or even be the epitome of perfect. Anorexia or bulimia could start from either a person who is marginalized, either in their own mind or in society, as imperfect or obese.
It all comes down to a persons own self insecurities. Even if a person is at the supposed perfect weight, if, in their mind they can never be perfect, then they will never be perfect. It seems to me, that these people are not just striving to be society's perfect, but striving to please themselves, and to become what they believe is the ideal weight. Their standpoint theory is not that of an average (I say that hesitantly) person who is content with their body, but of a different perspective; a perspective that they will never look the way they want to look.
The problem with people who are anorexic and / or bulimic, is that in most cases, no matter how extreme they take their condition, they never will reach what they believe is the ideal weight. Not until they receive help. It seems as if these victims believe that they can be either perfect, or not. They do not believe that there is any in between to be themselves, and just that. In voice of not only the people I interviewed, but people everywhere who suffer from anorexia or bulimia, just know that this disease is not a sign of immaturity or a phase, but a serious condition that shouldnt be taken lightly, and should be treated as soon as possible. Not only do victims of anorexia and bulimia need medical attention in most cases, but in ALL cases they need psychological help as well.
I even found myself relating strongly to these people. A lot of their emotion toward not only themselves, but other peoples images too, sounded and felt familiar to me. I saw my own insecurities began to unwind. I believe that everyone, no matter how perfect or imperfect will always have, if not many, at least one flaw with themselves.
It is human nature to find flaws and judge, especially in your own self.
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Research essay sample on People Who Suffer Anorexia And Bulimia
