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The Bonier, The Better
Posted by Raven on March 28th, 2007
Cotillion sister Sadie sent me the link to this article. This is about very young girls, 6,7 and 8 year olds who are anorexic. The article says much, but the comments readers left say much more. A lot of people don’t think this is a problem; that it’s rare and we have more of an issue with obese children. Perhaps.
Children as young as six are being diagnosed with eating disorders. The shock findings come from the first national study into eating disorders in those under the age of 13.
The condition is more severe in young children as anorexia can permanently stunt growth, affect future fertility and damage bones.
Anorexia causes so much damage to growing bodies. Vitamin deficiencies, hormonal imbalances and other dietary problems directly associated with eating disorders also cause neurological problems. The bone damage can be permanent too.
Over a 13-month period from March 2005, 206 preteenage children across Britain and Ireland were newly diagnosed with serious disorders ranging from bulimia and anorexia to binge eating.
Half were admitted to hospitals for in-patient treatment. Some were showing symptoms of starvation such as a low temperature and a slow heart rate, while 10 per cent had to be fed by tube.
The youngest child diagnosed with an eating disorder in that period was just six years old and was showing signs of anorexia. An eight-year-old girl was the youngest to be newly diagnosed with anorexia.
Don’t think it happens just in Great Britain. Nope. It’s everywhere. And young girls strive to look like the fashion models and tween stars and music artists…even 6 year olds. I have access to several My Space accounts, and the following pictures are of girls ages between 9 and 12. Take a look. And ask yourself: Is this my daughter? (Disclaimer: I refuse to link to these MS pages because I know perverts come to ARS, and I refuse to give them something to drool over).
She’s 12…and thinks she’s FAT. The girls who do these things belong to a club…they call themselves ANA. They have guild lines on how to look; they WANT to be SKINNY, BONY, (un)Healthly…they have measurement protocols and take pictures of themselves…and share them on the MySpace pages. SHE weighs 84 lbs and is 5′5 as of the day this photo was taken; she has been “dieting” for a month…when she weighed 110 lbs. Her goal: 65 lbs.
She is a little older…13. She’s “getting” there, her posting tell us. She still calls herself FAT and most of her “friends” tell her she has a ways to go YET. She needs to lose another 15 to 20 lbs to get that “look” she wants.
Dr Dasha Nicholls, child and adolescent psychiatrist at Great Ormond Street hospital, said: “These are the sickest children on the spectrum. The typical pattern is that children will cut out anything they perceive to be fattening such as chocolate, sweets and puddings. Becoming vegetarian is often the first step as well.”
Over one third of the children in the study with eating disorders suffered from anorexia and almost half exercised excessively to keep their weight down.
No they’re NOT the sickest. But close enough. At the MySpace sites, one can read all about the diets to be on; what types of laxatives work best; how to use Ipepac syrup to induce vomiting. Exercise plans are also talked about. Excessive work outs and how to hide the fact they’re doing it. Advice on how to hide it all from parents is written of as well.
Experts said younger children tend to be more body aware and take a greater interest in fashion and celebrity culture. They are also likely to be influenced by parents on diets and exercising excessively. Research earlier this year showed anorexia may have a genetic link.
Our children will do what we do. It’s a fact of life. When we model certain behavior, the kids often pick up those behaviors and this is how we influence them. Many will not agree but Mothers who constantly diet, who constantly complain about how they look and how they WANT to look do push this onto their daughters. We see now, even the very young daughters.
She’s 11 and quite tall for her age…5′6″ She writes that a year ago she weighed 125 lbs and considered herself obese (hardly…)Now she proudly shares pictures of herself at 71 Lbs and of course…she wants to lose more weight. She brags how she hides her figure from her parents: By wearing baggy clothes and sleeved shirts whenever she’s home…but once out of their watchful (not) eyes…she bares down with t shirts and shorts and jeans that show her true size. She mentioned how a school nurse asked her about her weight and requested a meeting with her…and she now dons the baggy clothing at school as well.
Dr Nicholls warned parents that young children with eating disorders can become ill very quickly but it can still be months before the signs are picked up.
Dr Mark Berelowitz, who runs a child and adolescent psychiatry unit at the Royal Free hospital, said eating disorders in young children are no longer unusual: “Eating disorders tend to be more insidious in young children, they have been under-eating for ages and it has become normal for them.
“Any doctor who comes into contact with a child who is not growing properly, is a bit pale and a bit tired and is told they are always a bit thin and are a fussy, small eater should be alert to the fact there could be a problem.”
These are signs of a potential problem. Parents also need to be looking for other things like– what TV programs and music do their daughters listen too? Web sites? Magazines? Yes…with 6 year olds. Because this is when the indoctrination begins- the girls begin to see what society calls sexy and attractive. All the factors added up, along with physical problems should be a red flag for parents. Ignored, this is what happens.
Girls have others actually measure how far out their spinal bones protrude, as a measurement of attractiveness. SHE is 12 years old…and states that she is “So fat she cannot stand being around anyone”…
…and she’s 11 and is posing for this picture over her Mothers desk at her work. The caption for this picture? THE BONIER THE BETTER. Her “friends” tell her she still needs to drop another 10 lbs. She lists her height and weight as 5″3″ and 66 lbs. The more pronounced the ribs are the more attractive these girls are rated, by the so called “friends”. Hip bone protrusion is also a popular measurement here.
It’s sad. And really disgusting. I do think girls are being subjected to more and more totally inappropriate material at younger ages. We have SLUT dolls now; we have sexy lingerie for 3 and 4 yr olds to prance about in; we have anorexic role models in our magazines and popular culture TV programs; even cartoons have become more and more sexual in the past several years. Young girls, not even developed yet or in puberty, are yearning to look thin and sexy and they get their ideas of that through US…and our culture. What’s more sad is these girls, if they survive their anorexic episodes, tend to get older and gain more weight than is truly healthy for them…they become…fat. And they feel safe being so.
Know what your daughters really look like under the clothes. Know and watch what they’re doing…what they’re eating and NOT eating. Be aware of hours long treks to friends houses, where they could be working themselves out to their deaths. Be very concerned if they’re wearing baggy clothing all the time; and make them get on the scale while you’re present. It’s far better to be a little over concerned, than to be blissfully UNAWARE of this stuff until it’s too late. And make sure you’re not creating the very environment that causes these girls to HATE the way they look in the first place.
March 28th, 2007 at 7:29 pm
The pictures make me think of the posing done by weight lifters for their publicity shots.
I’m just curious about who is taking the pictures – especially of the girl over her mother’s desk at work.
So sad. They look like they just got liberated from a concentration camp.
March 28th, 2007 at 8:15 pm
Awesome post, Raven. I knew that you would do SO much better with this issue than I would have. Thank you. ;-)
March 28th, 2007 at 9:53 pm
So sad. There is nothing attractive about skin and bones. And it is unfortunate that there girls believe that starving themselves will make themselves feel prettier. That is one reason I am going to tell me little girls that they are beautiful everyday and not let there self-esteem falter, atleast not because I neglected them or did something to push them over that edge.
March 29th, 2007 at 9:24 am
beth- the girls take picture of themselves, or they have a friend-in-arms for this cause take pictures.
March 29th, 2007 at 9:26 am
Duncan- Fathers have a lot of influence over their daughters. Set some standards. Don’t be scared to openly admire women who are NOT perfect; don’t fall into the trap of making comments about the Hollywood plastic society and how beautiful they all are; don’t drop and drool over the models and others.
March 29th, 2007 at 9:27 am
Your welcome Sadie…and thank you for the link. We need to bring this issue out. Girls lives depend upon it- since so many refuse to even see this as a problem. Until it’s too late.
March 29th, 2007 at 1:17 pm
The take-home message I’m hearing is the need for adults to be aware and knowledgable about the disorder, keep their eyes open and probe enough to determine if something is going on, and be willing to intervene.
March 29th, 2007 at 4:46 pm
Yes CT…and SO many parents will be in denial of this too. I’ve seen it first hand..and one of my daughters friends DIED of this…her heart just stopped one day. Her parents were made aware of concerns; they were informed of possible problems but they chose to think differently. And now they live with guilt. I don’t wish this upon anyone. It’s AWFUL and it is UP to the grown ups to take control of this. If grownups start this process BEFORE it becomes an issue, we’re better off.
March 31st, 2007 at 10:40 am
Here’s what I find interesting. You’ve got these girls, starving themselves; and on the flip side juvenile obesity is at an all time high. Both extremes are indicative of an unhealthy psyche. It is obvious that there is something missing, something that is medicated by food or no food. Control issues, attention seeking. Children were happier when they were not told they were a choice, but rather a gift.