social issue paper

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Eating Disorder as a Social Issue
Eating disorder has been classified among the leading social issues not only in the developed states but also in the developing countries. This has seen disrupted marketing trends in the food industry as the number of affected persons continue to grow exponentially over the last few years. Noted as a social menace, eating disorder victims are adversely affected in the wake of the modern society where persons are judged and applauded from their physical attributes and beauty.
From a sociology perspective, eating disorder becomes a problem when an individual is unable to tame and control their appetite and when they lose their self-esteem due to constant mockery from their peers. While little has been recorded on the possible causes of the predicament, victims are exposed to superstitious social and cultural explanations amounting to the disorder. They are also stereotyped theories and perspectives that have been imposed to explain such situation. Like it’s said, the effects of these ideologies are devastating in that they leave victims hurt or stigmatized which consequently ruins their social participation and exposure. Eating disorders have by far and large, have been reported among women than in men. Living in the era where among the many standards of defining beauty in feminism, includes a slender body, it becomes hard to change the social perceptions. Eating disorder victims will be exposed to humiliation, abuse and ridicule from the social domain (Boyd, 2011).

Worse still is where these victims are forced to accept that these are personal problems. From these, they are left sympathizing with themselves and owning up the disorder rather than making efforts to seek medical assistance in a bid to curb the disorder. Blaming oneself for such predicaments not only diminishes their ego but is also bound to loosen their social ties and bonds.
References
Boyd, E. M. (2011). Adolescent girls’ race/ethnic status, identities, and drive for thinness. Social Science Research. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.