Breaking it Down:
Eating Disorders and Young Women of Color
By Nicole, former peer educator
“I think about food constantly. I am always trying to control the calories and fat I eat, but so often I end up overeating. Then I feel guilty and vomit or take laxatives so I won’t gain weight. Each time this happens I promise myself that the next day I will eat normally and stop the vomiting and laxatives. However, the next day the same thing happens. I know this is bad for my body, but I am so afraid of gaining weight.”~ “Patricia”[1]
Chances are you probably have read the title of this article. If so, you already know what the topic is all about. But let’s pretend that you did not read the title. Imagine that you are sitting in class and you overhear a young girl make the above statement to a fellow classmate. Without turning around, you would probably have made an assumption about the person. You envision her being one of your White female classmates: young, middle-class, and at a normal body weight. Why a white girl? It’s simple. Girls of color don’t get eating disorders. Girls of color are comfortable with body size and don’t have the need to use laxatives or eat large amounts of food only to vomit. Girls of color don’t feel the need to exercise for hours at a time or even to starve ourselves. Or do we?
What if you were to turn around to see that your classmate who made the above statement was an African American girl? “Patricia” is a 20-something African American young woman suffering from Bulimia Nervosa. Surprised? Well, don’t be. It is a common misconception that only White, middle-to-upper class girls suffer from eating disorders. And it is not because women of color are somehow immune from developing eating disorders, the deadliest of all psychiatric disorders. Eating disorders among women of color often go underreported as well as undetected because[2]:
- Eating disorders among young women of color may go undetected due to stereotyped body images of ethnically diverse women (Asian American women are petite, African American women are heavier, etc.)
- Eating disorders among young women of color may go underreported because seeking professional help for emotional problems is not a common practice in many cultural/ethnic communities
- Girls of non-White cultural/ethnic backgrounds often receive treatment for the accompanying symptoms of and eating disorder, such as depression or malnutrition, rather than for the eating disorder itself. When these girls are finally diagnosed as having an eating disorder, the disorder has become severe (esp. anorexia)
As women of color, we often have two conflicts: trying to hold on to the traditions and expectations of our distinct cultures while trying to fit in with mainstream society, especially if the United States is not the country we were born in. When it comes to eating disorders, conflicting cultural standards for beauty and acceptance are the culprits. Your culture of origin may hold one set of standards for beauty; but when you are met with another set of standards altogether, this can complicate your personal experiences with trying to be a woman, a youth, as well as a person of color. You may have been fine with your full-figured body, which may be mostly desired in your culture. However, in mainstream society, you may find that being thin is better, while being curvy is bad. In an attempt to fit in more with mainstream society, you may consider changing your body shape by vomiting after every meal, over exercising, or even starving yourself, putting yourself into the misunderstood and often deadly world of eating disorders. You may be aware that what you are doing is not only unhealthy and is going against your cultural values, but you are conflicted because you want to “fit in”.
Now that you know that eating disorders not only affect White girls and that girls of color are just as susceptible to developing them, it is important to know that even though we are women and girls of color, the road to developing an eating disorder may differ. Broken down are the four main groups of color and how eating disorders affect each group:
African American/Black Girls
According to the Office on Women’s Health[3], after White American girls, African American/Black girls are the ethnic and cultural group in which most studies on eating disorders are available. The African American culture is more accepting of diverse body sizes and appears to have a broader ideal of beauty. This may indicate that in the African American culture, women tend to include other factors for beauty such as how a woman dresses and carries herself. While this fact can protect some African American girls from developing eating disorders, as Black girls approach adolescence, they can quickly become more concerned about thinness. Although African American girls are reported to have a very positive body image, eating disorders can affect African American women and girls based on how much effort is made to adopt the values and behaviors of White American-dominated mainstream culture. African American women and girls who most closely identify with mainstream culture can place higher importance on physical attractiveness. Younger, more educated African American women thriving to seek perfection are more at risk of developing an eating disorder. Also, Media targeting African American and other racial and ethnic and cultural groups in the United States are rapidly embracing the standards of beauty made popular by mainstream society (long/straighter hair, thinner bodies, smaller noses, and non-brown colored eyes). Black female stars in the music, film, and fashion industries are looking more like their White counterparts, and these influences may contribute to body dissatisfaction and weight control behaviors among African Americans.
Latina Girls
As the fastest-growing group of color in the United States, Latinas have also been included in studies about eating disorders among groups of color. Like African American women, Latina women were thought to be immune to developing eating disorders because Latinas tend to have a preference for a larger body size and place less emphasis on physical appearance. The Latino culture has many things in common with the African American culture. Like African Americans, Latinas tend to have high measures of body fat/mass, with Latinas being less likely to exercise than White counterparts. As such, it is reported that Latinas consume the most fast food out of all racial/ethnic groups combined[4]. Also, it appears that eating disorders among Latinas may be linked to acculturation. As Latina women attempt to conform to mainstream culture, their values may change to include an emphasis on thinness, which can place them at a higher risk for bingeing, purging, and overly restrictive dieting. As with African Americans, media targeting Latinas, including television and magazines, are increasingly reinforcing the ideal of thinness as beauty. Heaviness is seen as a sign of wealth and achievement in many traditional Latin cultures; but as girls growing up and adhering to the standards of beauty in the United States, they may seek to achieve thinner bodies, especially if they were primarily raised in the United States. Thus, Latina women born in the United States are more likely to prefer thinner bodies, whereas Latinas coming to the United States after the age of 17 continue to prefer a heavier body size. Latina girls also tend to suffer other difficulties. Latina girls are reported to have lower self-esteem and less body satisfaction than girls of any racial group, and as they move from middle school to high school, they tend to suffer a greater loss of self-esteem than White or African American girls. Latinas may lack not only the high sense of self worth demonstrated by many African American girls, but also the academic opportunities available to White girls, leaving them susceptible to developing eating disorders.
Asian American/Pacific Islander Girls
There have been limited studies on Asian American/Pacific Islander girls, but the studies done have been very significant. In these studies it appears that eating disorders are less prevalent in Asian women than in White women, reporting less binge eating, weight concerns, dieting, and body dissatisfaction. Although this can be looked at as a positive, it must be taken into account that Asian American/Pacific Islander women and girls have been studied less than White, African American/Black, and Latina women and girls. Many Asian American/Pacific Islander girls are subject to conflicting messages of their culture as well as dealing with the Westernized ideal of beauty[5]. Many Asian American/Pacific Islanders struggle with self-esteem and identity when it comes to attractiveness, especially when it comes to physical features, such as eye and nose shape, skin color, hair texture, and height/stature. In American society, Asian American/Pacific Islanders are considered the “Model Minority”, meaning that Americans expect Asian/Pacific Islanders to be successful and high achieving. When an Asian American/Pacific Islander girl develops an eating disorder, not only may it be due to not being satisfied with her body, but it can also be an attempt to seek power and her own identity. The drive to be in control and to become perfect can lead to perfectionalism, which is strongly linked to eating disorders. As with seeking perfection, many Asian American/Pacific Islanders equate psychological problems as a sign of weakness or embarrassment and therefore will avoid treatment for an eating disorder. When Asian American/Pacific Islander girls try to adapt to American culture, especially if they have moved to the United States, girls become stressed trying to maneuver between expectations and influences of their home culture versus American culture. In Asian culture, identifying with one’s culture and being loyal to one’s family is the ideal. However, an adolescent girl raised by her family to be obedient and reserved may experience emotional turmoil in a Western culture that encourages independence and individualism.
Native American Girls
Native American women and girls have been studied the least out of all cultural and ethnic groups. Although Native Americans have been less studied, it has been discovered that Compulsive Overeating is the leading eating disorder among Native Americans. Out of all racial/ethnic groups, the Native American culture has thoroughly suffered from the effects of obesity. Out of the studies that have been done on Native Americans, more than one-third of Native American youth, ranging in age from 5 years to 18 years, are either overweight or obese[6]. When Native American girls perceived themselves as overweight, they were more likely to report having used vomiting, laxatives, diuretics, and diet pills as a means to lose weight. Also, “disordered eating” (troublesome eating behaviors, such as restrictive dieting, bingeing, or purging, which occur less frequently or are less severe than those required to meet the full criteria for the diagnosis of an eating disorder) occurs more frequently in Native American culture than among African American/Black, Asian American/Pacific Islander, Latina, or White girls. Disordered eating can be a direct result of racism, being socially isolated, having low self-worth, and experiencing the pressure to look like women and girls in mainstream society. Increased contact with the mainstream culture that equates thinness with beauty seems to contribute to higher rates of disordered eating among Native American girls. Consequently, Native American girls that are living in communities that are considered “mainstream”, especially urban areas, tend to be more affected by eating disorders. Native American girls are particularly vulnerable to eating disorders. Not only are compulsive overeating and disordered eating dangerous, disordered eating is also linked to other harmful behaviors such as high emotional stress, physical and sexual abuse, binge eating, alcohol and tobacco use, thought and attempts of suicide, and delinquent behaviors.
What We Can Do To Help Ourselves
There are many things that we can do to educate ourselves as well as our culture when it comes to eating disorders:
- Remember that it is important to eat healthy and to get regular exercise as a means to promote overall health, and not to seek a standard of thinness. Also, seek out health professionals for information on achieving a healthier weight.
- Educate yourself and your friends on cross-cultural differences and eating disorders. Also, remember that within cultures there are also subcultures. Health and weight standards may vary among Mexican/Puerto Rican/Cuban cultures as they would among Chinese/Japanese/Korean/Indian, African American/African cultures as well as Native American tribes (with respect to traditions and heritage).
- Educate your family on eating disorders and their effects on young women. They may not understand why young women subject themselves to eating disorders, especially if the person trying to understand is an older family member whose home country is not the United States. Eating disorders are more prevalent in American society than in other countries.
- Celebrate images in the Media of women of your culture that embrace a standard of beauty that most resembles your own. You can do this by writing to the editors of your favorite magazines and writers of your favorite television shows to tell them to include more women of your culture that have a more realistic view of beauty in their advertisements, articles, and television shows. It is always a great boost of self-esteem to see someone embody a more positive and realistic image of beauty for you to look up to.
References
- “Minority Women: The Untold Story” by Marian Fitzgibbon and Melinda Stolley. From the documentary Dying to be Thin. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/thin/
- “At Risk- All Ethnic and Cultural Groups”. http://www.girlpower.gov/AdultsWhoCare/resources/Pubs/Diversity.pdf
- “African American Girls”. The Office on Women’s Health. http://www.4woman.gov/bodyimage/kids/bodywise/uf/AfricanAmericanGirls.pdf
- “Latina Girls”. The Office on Women’s Health. http://www.4woman.gov/BodyImage/kids/bodywise/uf/LatinaGirls.pdf
- “Asian & Pacific Islander Girls”. The Office on Women’s Health. Taken from the National Asian Pacific Islander Mental Health Association. http://www.naapimha.org/issues/AAGirls.pdf
- “American Indian and Alaskan Native Girls”. The Office on Women’s Health. http://www.womenshealth.gov/bodyimage/kids/bodywise/uf/AmericanIndianGirls.pdf
>>Return to the Body Image Index
|
