From 2018 to 2022health care visits for eating disorders among Americans under 17 increased by a staggering 107.4%, and visits for anorexia nervosa increased by 129.26%. In the UK, researchers report that eating disorders among girls aged 13-16 were 42.4% higher than previous standards and 32% higher for girls aged 17-19. Similar increases were also reported across the EU.
So why is this alarming trend of eating disorders on the rise in Western nations occurring? As with most mental health disorders, there is no single acute cause to be identified. However, factors such as isolation during COVID-19 and social media can exacerbate the issue.
In this article, we discuss the impact of isolation caused by COVID-19 and social media on self-image, and briefly touch on whether the trend can also be attributed in part to more people being open about eating disorders. disorders.
The isolation of COVID-19 has led to unhealthy coping strategies
The COVID-19 pandemic, and the isolation and fear it has brought, has not surprisingly resulted in a significant increase in mental health disorders around the world. Eating disorders are often used as an unhealthy coping strategy for fear or stress and are exacerbated during such times. Additionally, lockdown isolation and limited social options provide the perfect environment for people to hide their eating disorders.
In 2020 onlyhospitalizations for eating disorders doubled, and we have to wait until the future to assess the full extent of the damage the pandemic has done to mental health can only be appreciated in the future.
Children and adolescents are especially vulnerable to eating disorders such as bulimia, anorexia and binge eating, with pediatricians in the US noting great lift in the number of children referred to eating disorder programs. Since children and teenagers haven’t had time to develop coping mechanisms like adults, and social interaction is even more critical to the development of the mind, fear and isolation hit them especially hard.
Social media misleads “normal” people Box Look like
In the days before social media made it so that anyone with a Smartphone and a work ethic could become an influencer, models, actors and Paris Hilton’s occasional entourage were the primary setters and enforcers of the beauty standard.
There was still a sort of separation between what the “normal” body looked like, what the average person might see at the grocery store or at the beach, and what people who had far more fame and money (or were genetically blessed to land on the cover of of Vogue) is represented. Now, many of the fashion and beauty industries have shifted from top-down channels to a semi-democratic model of Influencers selling idealized lifestyles to their niche audiences.
On a micro level, influencers are powerful because they appear to be people who could be in your peer group. Micro-influencers who create relevant, everyday fitness, cooking or beauty content are empowered by the intimate nature of social media. you feel like these are people you know or that you could possibly become.
Few people realistically aspire to live like Naomi Campbell, Kate Moss or Winona Ryder, but micro-influencers sharing their daily routines and lives on TikTok and Instagram make it look like you could be just like them if you you did the same thing. Non-medical fitness advice it can turn into orthorexia and other types of body image disorders, especially for sensitive young girls.
On a macro level, the visual nature of social media has literally given the marketing power of self-transformation. Take the case of the Kardashians. The Kardashian empire, run by Kim and extended through Kylie and Khloe, has perfected how to set beauty standards by physically transforming their appearance and then selling products to women who strive to meet them. Kim and her sisters initially found fame through popularizing Black and Brown beauty standards as Caucasian innovations. Kim was the poster child for curvy women of the 2010s and set the precedent for Brazilian Butt Lifts.
When she came out blonde and dramatically thinner Met Gala in 2022 (public starving herself to fit into Marilyn Monroe’s dress, ironically often used as a nostalgic example of curvy beauty), people were watching her third act. Unfortunately, as BBLs exploded in the wake of her incredible curves, many followers may now be taking extreme measures like e.g. weight loss drugs to lose weight
More people may self-report or recognize eating disorders
One positive aspect to consider in the unfortunate rise in self-reported eating disorders – especially among young men – can be attributed to the fact that today’s society is more accepting of open discussion about the issue. While eating disorders were much more taboo in previous generations, many of today’s youth have turned to social media to share their experiences, and being able to hear and see peers talk about their experiences can lead to more widespread recognition of eating disorders.
The positive side of social networking platforms like TikTok is that more people can connect with others in recovery, relate to their story, and be able to recognize their illness and seek help. Although it has generally been less acceptable for men to discuss eating disorders and self-image, as they risk appearing “weak” or “less masculine,” one in three people struggling with body image issues are men, and men 10% of anorexia and sufferers of bulimia.
As we become more open as a society about discussing male body image, it is likely that the increase in eating disorders in young men is because they are more willing to recognize and report their illness.
