Bella Santulli, NAMI Intern
Beauty is both currency and a curse. In association with society’s strive for vanity and indulging a life of hedonism, our reflections have become a worship for image, and not a person. Collectively, we forget that flesh was never meant to be flawless, but lived in. And in this forgetting, we starve ourselves of freedom and compassion, all in a pursuit of a standard that was never real to begin with.
This is where eating disorders place their foundations: the fracture between personal identity and societal pressures. Although according to Mayo Clinic there is not a known set of causes, there are several risk factors, including biology/genetics, bullying, trauma/mental health issues, stress, and frequent dieting. Additionally, there is a spectrum of eating disorders– although anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating are the most common, there are approximately eight disorders recognized by the DSM-5.
- Anorexia nervosa → Characterized by restriction of food intake leading to low body weight, typically accompanied by intense fear of gaining weight and disturbed perception of body weight and image.
- Bulimia nervosa → Binge eating is followed by compensatory behavior to prevent weight gain like forced vomiting, laxatives/diuretics usage, restricted eating, or excessive exercise.
- Binge eating disorder → Chronic, compulsive overeating. Eating large quantities of food in a short period, accompanied by loss of control during binge-eating behavior.
- Avoidant or restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID)→ A significant limitation in the amount and/or types of food a person is willing or able to eat. This differs from other eating disorders, such as anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa, because the food restriction is not driven by concerns about body weight or shape.
- Pica → One of the eating disorders in which an individual craves non-food items like soil, chalk, soap, paper, ice, or hair.
- Rumination → A new addition to the eating disorder in which an individual regurgitates the previously swallowed food, chews it again, and then swallows or spits.
- Other specified feeding and eating disorders:
- Purging disorder → Characterized by purging behaviors like vomiting, excessive exercising, using laxatives or diuretics to control weight.
- Night eating syndrome → Characterized by overeating, often after awakening from sleep. It has a strong association with sleep disturbance.
- Atypical anorexia nervosa → Has similar features to anorexia nervosa except for BMI in the ‘adequate’ range of 20–25 kg/m2 or higher. Management is similar to anorexia nervosa.
- Subthreshold bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder → Do not meet the ideal definition criteria of bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder.
- Orthorexia → An obsessive focus on healthy eating. Individuals with orthorexia may eliminate entire food groups, fearing they are unhealthy.
- Unspecified feeding and eating disorders → Experiences symptoms which are characteristic of a feeding and eating disorder, causing significant distress or impairment in social, occupational or other important areas of functioning.
Generally, Eating Disorders are behavioral conditions marked by disturbances in a person’s relationship to eating, food, and/or their body that affect at least 9% of the population worldwide. These conditions can impact physical, psychological, and social function in varied and severe ways. Among the deadliest of mental illnesses, eating disorders are responsible for over 10,000 deaths each year, but in the vast majority of cases, full remission is completely possible with early intervention.
In this new age of digital media, we see the monumental impact it has on people, specifically the immense pressure to conform to narrow beauty standards. This pursuit of achieving thinness enhances shame in others everywhere, creating an unsafe space for millions. Although there are benefits to this online presence, hence recovering communities, it is overrun with triggering and deteriorating videos, with many slipping back into the horrors of this mental challenge.
- Monetized Insecurities: The weight-loss industry, worth billions of dollars, banks on the premise that bodies need to be “fixed.” Countless products—from detox teas to appetite-suppressant lollipops—reinforce the message that weight loss is the ultimate key to health and happiness.
- Language Around Food: Everyday terms like “clean eating” or “cheat meals” moralize our choices. This mindset can trigger guilt or anxiety when people deviate from rigid “rules.”
- Underrepresented Body Types: In mainstream media, bodies that deviate from the thin or toned archetype are underrepresented or depicted only in “before” pictures. As a result, many people rarely see images of body diversity in positive, empowering contexts.
Early detection and intervention can mitigate these harmful cycles. Therapies focusing on body acceptance—such as cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), or body image–specific interventions—are critical for challenging negative thoughts and improving self-worth.
Additionally, the National Alliance for Eating Disorders is a great resource when struggling, as they have helplines, can connect you to therapists, and provide more resources on the road to recovery. For more information, I would recommend reading the toolkit by a fellow NAMI Intern, A Parent’s Guide to Eating Disorders, to help navigate supporting someone with an eating disorder. Furthermore, the National Alliance for Eating Disorders gives helpful advice and steps to take to move towards a healthy body image:
- Curate Your Social Media Feed: Unfollow accounts that trigger harmful comparisons or promote restrictive behaviors. Instead, seek out body-positive creators or mental health advocates who remind you that all bodies are worthy.
- Expand Your Media Exposure: Seek body-diverse TV shows, magazines, or campaigns that celebrate diverse body types, ages, and cultural backgrounds. Representation can ease the sense of isolation.
- Practice Self-Compassion: Tools such as mindfulness, journaling, or guided meditations can help counteract negative self-talk. Feeling guilty about what you ate, or how your body looks, can be met with gentler internal language: “It’s okay to be learning. My body deserves kindness.”
- Avoid “Diet” Language: If “diet talk” pervades your social circles or family gatherings, politely redirect the conversation. Normalizing a wide range of eating behaviors helps everyone reevaluate harmful norms.
- Celebrate Function Over Form: Focus on what your body can do—dance, hug loved ones, enjoy nature—instead of how it appears to others. Physical activity can also be reframed as a way to reduce stress or increase energy, not just alter appearance.
- Seek Professional Guidance: Therapists, dietitians, and support groups can help unravel deep-seated beliefs about body image. Early intervention is proven to reduce risk of severe eating disorder behaviors.
Book of the Week: The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
Dorian Gray, enthralled by an exquisite painting of himself, soon realizes he will not be young and beautiful forever. His new friend, Lord Henry Lotton, reminds him that there will be a day when he accumulates wrinkles and turns sour. Outraged at this idea, he makes a deal and exchanges his soul for immortal beauty, but there is a price. The painting will become a reflection of his sins and the deterioration of his age. In the eyes of society, he is a beautiful, polite gentleman, but in secret, he indulges in his corrupt desires and in the process, corrupts his soul.
For I am nothing if not beautiful.
A Verse in Motion
But with every pulse of my pupil,
I see an agonizing reflection,
a reflection I wish to fully love.
I yearn for a kiss that wakes me,
but am left with the apple’s rotten taste—
clinging to the first sweetness.
Before hunger became obsession.
Before the mirror whispered back—
that beauty is measured in empty spaces.
Somewhere, in the depths of this glass,
a portrait rots where I cannot see it.
Each moment of indulgence is carved into my skin.
Marks that only once will never be satisfactory.
The gods ignored my prayer,
in a victory more agonizing than defeat.
I was given no such bargain to trade my soul for youth—
only a body I cannot return,
a face I must wear,
even when I no longer recognize it.
Resources
-NAMI Mercer Helpline Phone Number: 609-799-8994 x17
-NAMI Mercer Helpline Email: helpline@namimercer.org
-https://www.allianceforeatingdisorders.com/
References
-“12 Different Types of Eating Disorders | DSM-5 & Related.” Withinhealth.com, 2023, withinhealth.com/learn/articles/types-of-eating-disorders#types-of-eating-disorders-in-the-dsm-5. Accessed 18 June 2025.
-Mayo Clinic Staff. “Eating Disorders.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 28 Mar. 2023, www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/eating-disorders/symptoms-causes/syc-20353603.
-jkandel@allianceforeatingdisorders.com. “Body Image & Society: How External Pressures Fuel Internal Struggles – National Alliance for Eating Disorders.” National Alliance for Eating Disorders, 12 June 2025, www.allianceforeatingdisorders.com/body-image-and-society/. Accessed 18 June 2025.
-Balasundaram, Palanikumar, and Prathipa Santhanam. “Eating Disorders.” National Library of Medicine, StatPearls Publishing, 2023, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK567717/.