The Digest: Food, fat and feminism in the news

22nd September 2008

The Digest: Food, fat and feminism in the news

posted in Body Image, Eating Disorders, Feminist Topics, Health, Nutrition & Fitness, New Research, Pop Culture |

Lots of related topics on eating disorders and weight in the news…

Feminism & Politics:

Feministing’s Shark-Fu explains how she came to identify and even embrace her inner angry black bitchiness.

“The End of Faith” author Sam Harris questions Sarah Palin’s utter lack of qualifications for the office of the V.P. and defends elitism in a provocative and probing Newsweek article.

Speaking of Palin… is she qualified to become veep? Vote on the PBS poll here.

Recent media coverage on how tiny Wasilla, Alaska, while under the mayorship of one Sarah Palin charged rape victims for rape kits has raised larger national debates about not only rape, but a systemic culture of violence against women.

Illinois recently became the 17th state to require health insurance companies to cover the treatment of anorexia and bulimia, and now, Texas state representative Patrick Rose (Dem.) plans to sponsor legislation that would make the Lone Star State the 18th such state. Similar bills died in committee in 2005 and 2007, but Rose is hopeful that momentum is on his side for the 2008 legislative session, which begins in January.

The blog Feministe is soliciting stories about your voting experiences to help encourage registered and unregistered voters to vote.

In Weight:

A British survey finds that overweight and obese teens are more than twice as likely to consider suicide than average-weight teens.

Americans are finally catching on that diets don’t work, as a soon-to-be-released survey reveals the lowest dieting percentages in more than two decades.

Curve Magazine interviews Bertha Pearl, founder of the clothing line Big Boxers of Brooklyn, about her new business, Size Queen (“When large is just not big enough”).

Eating Disorders:

The world’s first major population study of psychosocial factors in bulimia during pregnancy reveals that pregnant women with the disorder have more symptoms of anxiety and depression than do pregnant women without eating disorders.

Remuda Ranch is now offering programs for eating and anxiety disorders for boys ages 17 and under struggling with anorexia, bulimia and binge-eating disorders.

University at Albany Psychology professor Drew Anderson is recruiting people with bulimia for a new study called functional contextual treatment, which focuses on why the patient is engaging in bulimic behaviors and tries to replace them with healthy behaviors.

“The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is leading a novel clinical trial to compare the effectiveness of online cognitive behavioral therapy, delivered through a Web site and augmented with therapist-moderated, weekly online chat sessions, to face-to-face group therapy for the treatment of bulimia nervosa.”

Mary Kay Pytel recovered from her 40-year struggle with the eating disorder bulimia. Read her inspirational story here.

Sadly, Ayşe Leyla Akçağlılar, a Turkish woman who struggled with anorexia for 21 years, lost her battle with the disorder Saturday at the age of 50.

Questions? Comments? Discuss any of the above in the comments below.

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This entry was posted on Monday, September 22nd, 2008 at 12:57 pm and is filed under Body Image, Eating Disorders, Feminist Topics, Health, Nutrition & Fitness, New Research, Pop Culture. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

1 On September 22nd, 2008, Krista said:

I find it interesting that the Daily Herald story about Mary Kay Pytel says of adults who enter treatment for eating disorders, “While some have struggled for years with an eating disorder, others develop it later in life, triggered by something as innocuous as a diet…”

Doesn’t this article, and the thousands of other articles about eating disorders, and all the research about eating disorders that says almost all eating disorders are preceded by “something as innocuous as a diet” indicate that diets are exactly the opposite of innocuous?

posted on September 22nd, 2008 at 4:27 pm

2 On September 22nd, 2008, Rachel said:

Krista – I understand what you mean, but while many an eating disorder does start as an “innocuous diet,” not all who diet will go on to develop an eating disorder. People who fall within this group usually have a genetic predisposition to developing an eating disorder, or they have other emotional issues that influence the development of a disorder. And I think the writer meant the term innocuous more so as a way to demonstrate how something that is usually well-intentioned can turn into something so deadly. I don’t know of anyone with an eating disorder who deliberately set out to develop one. It usually stems from good intentions (dieting to lose weight, become healthier, etc…) and spirals downward from there.

posted on September 22nd, 2008 at 4:33 pm

3 On September 22nd, 2008, Michele said:

Speaking of Sarah Palin, check this out:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/2008-09-13-anti-Palin-rally_N.htm
The women of Palin’s own home state held the biggest political rally ever in Alaska and did the media cover it? Not a chance in hell, because it was Anti-Palin. Check it out.

posted on September 22nd, 2008 at 6:09 pm

4 On September 22nd, 2008, Ai Lu said:

Reading articles about older women suffering (or dying) from eating disorders gives me a lot of motivation to stay healthy. I remember participating in group therapy once with a woman who was over 50 — the oldest of us by 30 years. It made me realize how utterly an eating disorder can wreak with your life.

The other thing about older women with eating disorders is that it is harder for skeptics to say “Oh, it’s just an adolescent thing that she’s doing for attention” or “It will go away on its own.” Obviously, if Pytel had to mortgage her home five times to pay for treatment, this is a serious condition!

Thanks for the good reporting, Rachel. Keep it up!

~Ai Lu

posted on September 22nd, 2008 at 9:50 pm

5 On September 22nd, 2008, Alexia said:

How sad/ironic that Akçağlılar had written several cookbooks, including at least one on healthy eating.

posted on September 22nd, 2008 at 10:23 pm

6 On September 23rd, 2008, littlem said:

Man, those first two “Weight”-column items really read like “Shock of the Week”, don’t they?

posted on September 23rd, 2008 at 12:34 am

7 On September 23rd, 2008, Kayla said:

I don’t quite understand the study on pregnant women with bulimia. Wouldn’t women with bulimia usually have more symptoms of depression and anxiety than women without eating disorders, regardless if they were pregant or not?

posted on September 23rd, 2008 at 2:51 am

8 On September 23rd, 2008, LonieMc. said:

A question, Rachel: I notice that you never point out studies on binge eating or compulsive overeating. Is this because you are not interested in those areas or because you don’t see studies being done on those areas? I suspect that its the second reason. I’m just wondering if much is being done on those aspects of eating disorders, and your knowledge seems like a good place to start.

posted on September 23rd, 2008 at 8:25 am

9 On September 23rd, 2008, Rachel said:

LonieMc: Unfortunately, it’s the latter. Even though binge eating disorder is thought to eclipse both anorexia and bulimia, there just aren’t as many studies or resources devoted to it.

posted on September 23rd, 2008 at 8:37 am

10 On September 23rd, 2008, Rachel2 said:

BED or COE are incredibly understudied, as symptoms are easily hidden and the sufferer, the doctors, etc, may or may not be condusive to getting diagnosed.