History of anorexia nervosa

The history of anorexia nervosa begins with the first recognition and description of anorexia as a disease in the late 19th century. It became widely known, particularly in the United States, in the 1980s.

In the late 19th century, the public attention drawn to "fasting girls" provoked conflict between religion and science. Such cases as Sarah Jacob (the "Welsh Fasting Girl") and Mollie Fancher (the "Brooklyn Enigma") stimulated controversy as experts weighed the claims of complete abstinence from food. Believers referenced the duality of mind and body, while skeptics insisted on the laws of science and material facts of life. Critics accused the fasting girls of hysteria, superstition, and deceit. The progress of secularization and medicalization passed cultural authority from clergy to physicians, transforming anorexia nervosa from revered to repulsed. [Brumberg, "Fasting Girls", pp. 62-99]

Changing attitudes about body and diet

Anorexia nervosa is thought to be a new disease by most people of today’s society. This disease, however, is known to have existed since the late 19th century. Today anorexia nervosa is classified as a disease. During the Victorian Era, the disorder was thought to be a form of hysteria that affected mainly women of the middle and upper classes. Obesity during this era was thought to be a characteristic of poverty.

In general however, the ideal woman’s body type during the Victorian era was one that was curvy and full- figured. Many women attempted to achieve this body type through the use of corsets. The role of restrictive corsets during the Victorian era shows the early focus on body type and exemplifies how women, as early as the late 18th century, have been taking extreme measures to achieve the believed ideal body type. (Brumberg, "Fasting Girls"), (Carol Lawson, "Anorexia: It's Not a New Disease")

Anorexia nervosa in contemporary culture

Although the medical facts of anorexia nervosa have been documented since the 1870s, personal details of anorexics' lives are more publicized today than ever before. Since Karen Carpenter's death in 1983, which resulted from complications of the disorder, people recognize and casually label overly thin women as anorexics. Since the late 1980s, many special eating disorder clinics have opened, but it may be difficult to change the eating behavior and mindset of an anorexia victim, especially when they are surrounded by numerous other thin women who have similar eating behaviors. Today, many young women are obsessed with dieting as a form of cultural expression and a way to look as thin as models and celebrities. Anorexia nervosa seems to be more prevalent as the ideal female body image becomes thinner; however, the disorder may have always been this widespread but just less publicized.

In the 1980s,slimness embodied the ideal of feminine beauty. It is this that caused many women to incessantly diet in order to keep up with the demands of modern fashion.In a 1984 survey carried out by Glamor magazine of thirty-three thousand women between the ages of eighteen and thirty-five, 75% believed they were fat, although only 25% were actually overweight.Indications of being thin was important to women of the upper class, and this class specific cultural model was pervasive throughout the media including television, film, magazines, and advertising.

After actress nearly died from severe complications caused by self-starvation, anorexia in children and adolescents became a more serious issue than in adults. Various pediatric organizations now focus on this issue with methods of counseling designed for the under-18 age groups.

Notes

References

* Brumberg, Joan Jacobs; "Fasting Girls: The History of Anorexia Nervosa". Vintage Books, 2000. ISBN 0-375-72448-6
* Carol Lawson; "Anorexia: It's Not a New Disease", Published: December 8, 1985
*"Palm Beach Post", December 26, 1985.