A Few More Thoughts- Girls and The Triple Bind

In my previous post, I wrote about girls losing their sense of self and the importance of helping them to see their worth and value by creating circles of protection around them. I came across a book this week that I wanted to share because I think that it complements some of these ideas. It is called The Triple Bind, which Dr. Stephen Hinshaw, the author, says is a term that represents a triple threat to young girls-- societal expectations, cultural trends and conflicting messages. He states that young girls are growing up in a momentous time- they have more opportunities than ever, but also more pressure than ever. He says that they are not only expected to excel at 'girl skills' (friendships, relationships, empathy, etc), but with increased opportunities, there is an expectation for them to achieve the same things that boys have historically succeeded in (sports, demanding careers, etc), AND do both while looking perfect in the process. That is a LOT to live up to.. It is no wonder girls are struggling to cope these days! Hinshaw states that by the age of 19, 1 in 4 girls will have either developed major depression, made a suicide attempt, participated in self-harming behaviors such as cutting, or practiced binge eating or other eating disorders. I would be surprised if this number were not higher.. For more information on his book, access Hinshaw's website here.

The Chicago Tribune published an article back in April about Hinshaw's book and made the point that any parent who has a daughter may want to read this book because regardless of age, all girls face these struggles today. The article, which can be read here, suggests that parents have a large role in helping their daughters develop healthy identities. So, as parents, what are some practical ways that you can help your daughter? I received an email in response to my last blog post asking a similar question as to what action to take to help young people navigate these pressures. An excerpt of the email is below:

Helping teenagers find their voices is also the reason I'm working towards teacherhood. I am aware of the difficulties facing young women, but as a public school educator, and a male one at that, what can I do to help specifically address these issues?

This is a great question. While the roles of parents and teachers are certainly different, I think there are a few suggestions that Hinshaw writes about that apply to both. First, encourage girls (as well as boys) to be discerning and critical of the media and the messages that are portrayed. Second, and this relates more to parents, spend quality time together over dinner; eating dinner together, while tough for many families to practice, has been shown to reduce the risk of eating disorders, as well as depression and drug/alcohol use. Third, encourage girls to volunteer and be involved in the community- whether it be community service, or involvement at church, being involved in something greater than yourself often helps one to gain a sense of purpose through a higher calling in your life. Talking and communicating with your daughters is SO important- talk to them and get feedback about the kind of support that they may need or want. Being able to communicate is so crucial, for both you and your daughter. For a few more pointers and helpful suggestions, follow this link to read some tips for communicating about body image, compliments of the Girl Scouts.

Disordered Eating: The Disorder Next Door

In a previous post, I mentioned a website called Finding Balance that specifically addresses disordered eating. Finding Balance is an awesome faith-based nonprofit whose goal is to provide resources, support, information and encouragement for those struggling with disordered eating. The creator, Constance Rhodes, was inspired by the statistics of a study published in SELF magazine in 2008. The article in SELF, which discussed these statistics, was entitled Disordered Eating: The Disorder Next Door.

The article begins by stating that 6 in 10 women are disordered eaters, and 1 in 10 have eating disorders. This means that 70 percent of women struggle with food issues!! And I actually think that this number is even higher. Here is an excerpt from the article:

Eating habits that women think are normal—such as banishing carbs, skipping meals and, in some cases, even dieting itself—may actually be symptoms of the syndrome. Although disordered eating doesn't have the lethal potential of anorexia or bulimia, it can wreck your emotional and physical health, says Cynthia Bulik, Ph.D., director of the eating disorders program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and SELF's partner in the survey. And it's everywhere, afflicting women like your sister, your friend, your coworker—or you.

The online SELF survey garnered responses from 4,000 women ages 25 to 45 to a detailed questionnaire about their eating habits and found that most disordered eaters fall into one or more of six categories. Calorie prisoners are terrified of gaining weight, tend to see food as good or bad and feel extremely guilty if they indulge in something that's off-limits. Secret eaters binge on junk food at home, in the car—wherever they won't be found out. Career dieters may not know what to eat without a plan to follow; despite their efforts, they're more likely than other types to be overweight or obese. Purgers are obsessed with ridding their body of unwanted calories. Food addicts eat to soothe stress, deal with anger, even celebrate a happy event; they think about food nearly all the time. Extreme exercisers work out despite illness, injury or exhaustion and solely for weight loss; they are devastated if they miss a session. Bulik explains that many disordered eaters piece together a painful mix of destructive habits. Others may shift between categories over the years, ricocheting from restricting to bingeing to purging, for instance.

The article goes on to provide examples and illustrations of these different types of disordered eaters. One of my favorite quotes in this article from Cynthia Bulik, (who has been on Rachel Ray, the Today Show, etc and who is a local hero of mine, who I love), stands out--"Imagine what women could accomplish if they spent that time and energy on things other than body issues." This is SO true! I am not going to pretend that it is easy to change your thoughts and simply make this happen. This often requires some form of therapeutic intervention, or distraction skills and tools, or other coping methods. But think about what we could do to change the world with all of the energy, effort, emotion and thoughts that go into our struggles with food! Just think of the possibilities:)

To read this article in SELF magazine's May 2008 issue, click HERE. And for more info on Finding Balance, follow this link to explore the website and click here to see my previous post on it.

Teen Girls Living on One Meal a Day?

I was at the mall this weekend, doing some shopping and I happened to notice that the entire side of the wall lining the escalator was advertising a new FDA approved non-surgical type of liposuction. There was a life-size picture of a very thin woman's lower-body in jeans, with her bare stomach exposed. My first thought- UGH, really?? So wrong. Is that really necessary?? My second thought- of course there is a huge ad about liposuction that is in plain view for everyone walking around the mall to see-- it is a commentary on our culture and a reflection of what society values. It made me sad. How do we expect and encourage young girls (and young boys), as well as adults (!!) to have healthy body image and a healthy view of what is beautiful if we are being bombarded by images and messages like this?

It kind of provides some context for some recent statistics regarding teenage girls and their eating habits. According to a recent poll, one in ten girls aged 14 and 15 are skipping both breakfast and lunch. For those of you who are math challenged like me, that is ten percent of girls!!! Most of the girls surveyed believed that they were overweight, even if they were not. Amongst a younger set of girls, aged 10 and 11, 40 percent believe they need to lose weight. 10 year olds should be riding their bikes and playing with their friends, enjoying life- NOT spending time loathing their bodies, or thinking that they need to lose weight. To read more about the results of this poll, follow THIS link.

Regardless of our age, when we repeatedly receive messages and see images about what our bodies should look like, we begin to think that we need to conform in order to be beautiful and accepted. This (of course) is a lie- however, young girls are seeing these images and taking in these messages being communicated and are reacting in ways that are not healthy. This is why there is such a need for prevention, as well as change!! This is what makes DOVE's Campaign for Real Beauty (click here to read more on that) such a great effort to help young girls build confidence and self-esteem and healthy body image. It is so important to be able to recognize the lies that we see and call them out as such. Whether you are a parent, a friend, a boyfriend/husband, have a conversation about these images, messages, advertisements, etc. with your daughter, friend, girlfriend/wife when you see or hear them. To act as if they are okay or normal is to perpetuate the cycle. We cannot control the messages that we receive, but we can control how we respond; to respond by challenging them and not believing lies is tough, but so crucial if we want to live the life of freedom that God has intended for us.

Orthorexia, Bacon and The Power of Food Culture

I recently posted about orthorexia, a form of anorexia nervosa that has been gaining increasing attention in the media recently. To recap, orthorexia is not a formal diagnosis- it is not included in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. And while it is a variation of anorexia, it is different in its presentation; typically, those with orthorexia are not necessarily trying to lose weight or be thin-- they are trying to eat as healthfully as possible. To read more on orthorexia, follow this link.

I decided to write more on this topic because I had a few thoughts after reading something about orthorexia on the Huffington Post yesterday. I really like the Huffington Post, mainly because there are so many different opinions and thoughts represented, and people from all walks of life write articles/entries/blog posts. If you are unfamiliar with HP, check it out here (HP has dubbed itself the online newspaper). Some of my favorite articles consist of those in which celebrities (both educated and not) write and create controversy! Haha. Anyways, the article that I read yesterday is called Orthorexia, Bacon and The Power of Food Culture and it was written by Darya Pino, a self professed 'foodie and advocate of local, seasonal foods.' The gist of her article is that we should be able to enjoy eating healthy food both for the quality and the experience of it. She examines both orthorexia and obesity and contends that our culture of food in the US has made it difficult for us to view food without taking it to one extreme or the other. While I am not sure about her take on eating disorders and do not fully endorse all of her opinions or comments about food, I did find her article extremely relevant in its commentary on our food culture.

She emphasizes that food's sole purpose is not just to keep us alive and healthy, but it also exists to enrich our lives, to bring enjoyment, it is part of being in community with people, it is about tasting, it is about social relationships. When we are not able to engage with food in these ways, we lose something. And when we engage too much in these ways with food, we lose things as well. Balance can be a tough act to pull off with food, and it is clearly something that we have struggled to maintain as a culture. If we can begin to work on having healthy food cultures in our own personal lives, and in our families and social lives, maybe we can begin to impact change on a larger scale. It sounds like a lofty ideal, but why not try? :)

Every BODY is Beautiful...

Each year, NEDA (the National Eating Disorders Association) holds an online auction to raise money to support individuals and families affected by eating disorders. This year is NEDA's 5th Every BODY is Beautiful Online Auction and bidding begins today! Bidding is open until December 2, so you have an entire month to peruse and bid on any of the items. Items are added each week and range from vacations to donated items, such as signed books, etc... If you would like to donate an item or know someone who might, you can do so by clicking here. Or, if you would like to browse the items that have been added to the auction thus far, click here.

For more on NEDA, access their website here. By clicking on this link, you can watch NEDA's video story, a recent public service announcement that was put out, and also media from their 2009 campaign. They are each powerful, check them out!