So, I've been encountering a LOT of people who're Anorexic, online, and offline nowadays. And sometimes it just gets to the point where these people are just BEGGING for attention. I'll list two examples.

One- I used to have this old friend I'd go to the mall with my friends and stuff. She was incredibly skinny. She was technically bragging this one day, telling us how she skipped dinner last night, didn't eat breakfast today, nor did she eat lunch. So me and my other friend hung around the mall for about an hour, met up with her at Hot Topic, and saw her eating a HELLOAD of candy going, "Look what I got! Hahahaha."
Me and my friend are just like, "What the hell?" Because she was telling us how she hadn't ate, how she doesn't like to eat. ><

Two- I used to have this other really old friend I went to school with. I had lunch with her. She never got lunch. Whenever I'd offer to buy her something, or give her a little bit of my food, she'd LITERALLY say to my face: "Sorry, I don't eat."
But then right when lunch ended, she used to go see her other friends, and she'd be taking fries off of their trays whilst talking to them. -___-

Seriously, I don't know which one of these girls pisses me off more.
If you want to be anorexic which is bad enough as it is, just go ahead and do whatever the hell you want, y'know?

MY QUESTION for YOU GUYS is, do you guys know anybody else who does things similar to these girls?
And does it really get on your nerves for some reason?

Maybe they just didn't like what you were eating?
In any case, even if they were anorexic as they claimed they would need to eat eventually.

My sister is incredibly skinny (a little less than 100lbs) and people are always asking if she's anorexic. She simply laughs in their face. She's actually trying to gain wait and eats nonstop. However because of her high metabolism she can't gain the weight no matter how much she eats.

But in relation to your question, I honestly don't believe I know anyone with an eating disorder. And if I did, it would cause more concern than annoyance.

Can't say it would get on my nerves per se, people are going to do what they want with their bodies no matter what you think.

As far as situation 1 goes, maybe she just feels the need to be validated by you guys for trying to maintain being thin. I wouldn't say anything implying she's "anorexic" though since it's rude. Instead stress in your friend circle that you accept each other for who you are, and food isn't anybody's enemy. If she continues to brag then just let her talk. I'm -sure- she eats something. People with eating disorders tend to hide their eating habits from friends and family since they feel deep shame and depression for it. She sounds like all talk.

I can relate to situation 2 because I never used to eat school lunch. I wouldn't say she's an anorexic either. Perhaps she just really dislikes the school's food but doesn't mind a french fry or two? Offer her some fries next time.

I'm not anorexic, nor am I thin, but I have an uncontrollable eating disorders and I've had them my entire life (remember you don't necessarily have to be thin or starve to have them). My parents largely ignored it, and at times I consider them enablers of my disorders.

I'm completely ashamed of mine. I only have the balls to talk about them online, or to people whom don't know me as personally.
I've tried to explain it to my family, but I've always been met with laughter, sarcasm, or "oh you're just trying to put an excuse to the reasons why you're fat." I just don't mention the toothbrush purging, the chew and spit technique, the binge eating, the manic-depressive exercise episodes...I just...don't. Not worth the humiliation.

I'm wondering if you fully understand eating disorders and the type of issues these girls must have that make them feel like they shouldn't eat and that they should brag about it. That was either a cry for help or a cry for attention, but either way, it's not coming from a stable place, and that's something serious, not something to roll your eyes at. Anorexics do eat, clearly, or they'd be dead, so that you saw these girls eat a few things doesn't really mean anything at all. A few french fries isn't a meal. And even let's say that they're not anorexic, try to imagine what issues you would have to have that would cause you to pretend to be or act in a way that implied you were... Whatever may be wrong with these girls is sad.

Mental illness is a very serious thing, and it is definitely not something you choose or "want to be."

I agree with the post above.

But again, I've known people who do to be "cool" or to fit in.
Sometimes, or what I've come to learn in my area, teenagers do it because they want to fit in
and such. In those terms, it's stupid just the general idea of their reason to do it.
Besides that, I think anorexia comes to close to the lines of self mutilation.
Meeh, it is mutilation.
It really depends on the person and their situations..

I used to only eat a little bit and never in front of people. Then I just stopped eating all together. It's not something that you "choose" to go through it is a mental illness and it is something that people suffering from need help. Most of the time they are not going to help themselves. I ended up being down to 90lbs and looked terrible and felt even worse. I ended up in the hospital and had to be forced to eat and be on a healthy diet. It was one of the worst things I have ever been through. It was hard for me to gain weight too since I have a fast metabolism and nothing makes me gain weight.

If those girls look like they're losing weight or look unhealthy then I would intervene and get them help they need. If they're saying it for attention then shame on them. It is not cool to pretend to be sick when you're not.

I don't get annoyed at people who say they're anorexic or make statements making it seem as if they are. I get annoyed at the people who see someone really skinny and start making accusations, even in jest. I don't know anyone who actually is, but it seems to me that if someone is and people are calling them out on it, it would make them more likely to hide their behaviour (for example, saying things like "Oh, I ate a huuuuuge breakfast. I'm not really hungry yet.") rather than get them to seek help.

Now, there is ONE exception. I have a friend who told me once that she was reading her psychology textbook, and all the symptoms of anorexia nervosa fit her perfectly...except the part about fearing weight gain and having trouble eating. She insisted that just because she had the same same symptoms caused by being underweight, then omg she must be anorexic. It kind of pissed me off because while yes, she is underweight, she constantly complains about it and tries to eat every chance she gets. -.-

Originally Posted by Deviant

I'm completely ashamed of mine. I only have the balls to talk about them online, or to people whom don't know me as personally.
I've tried to explain it to my family, but I've always been met with laughter, sarcasm, or "oh you're just trying to put an excuse to the reasons why you're fat." I just don't mention the toothbrush purging, the chew and spit technique, the binge eating, the manic-depressive exercise episodes...I just...don't. Not worth the humiliation.

Isn't it weird how sometimes you can find more comfort with almost-strangers online than with the people you're closest to? I've wondered sometimes if I have a binge-eating disorder but don't want to bring it up with anyone for fear I'll hear the same things you did from your family.

Also. :hug: I don't think it's fair for people to express feelings or fears and be met with laughter instead of comfort. Families are supposed to be there for support, but it doesn't seem to be the case anymore with a lot of people.

I don't know anyone who is actually anorexic, but a lot of the girls at my school skip lunch and also talk about how they never eat breakfast. I wouldn't say it ever really bothers me, but it does strike me as rather pointless. What does annoy me, though, is that I think it's one of the reasons why most of the girls at my school always seem to be in a bad mood. Whenever I go long periods of time without eating anything, it makes me feel tired and a lot more irritable than usual, and I can imagine it's probably the same for most other people as well. I can't help but wonder if the girls at my school would be less rude and irritable toward one another if they actually ate properly.

The second example you gave actually sounds a lot like me, though. I generally try to avoid eating much in front of people I don't know well. It's not that I think it looks "cool" or whatever to not eat, but I've been incredibly self-conscious about eating in front of people since middle school. Whenever I try to, especially if it's a large crowd or we're seated very close together, I get really nervous because I feel like everyone's staring at me and watching me eat. I've actually eaten things I brought from home in restrooms on school trips that none of my friends were on because I couldn't stand to eat in front of the other kids who I didn't know very well. On the other hand, if I'm just with a group of my close friends or family, I don't think about it at all. It could be something similar with her.

I have actually been anorexic before. Its very dangerous and scary when you actually realize what you're doing.
My friends gave me an intervention and I hadn't realized what I was doing to my body until that day.

What caused me to be anorexic was the want to be skinny and perfect like all of my friends. They had tiny waists and they could fit into size 0-2 Hollister and AE jeans. They could wear ANYTHING and look fantastic.
The boys wanted THEM and not ME, and that made my self esteem plumit. I started with a calorie counter on my phone, starting with 1500 a day, then 1200, then 1000, then 800, 500, and then like a few saltines throughout the day. It was dangeous but I didn't even know. I found things to keep myself occupied so I wouldn't eat from boredom. I took up an art class so I would focus on my art instead of eating. I would go running.

After a few weeks I started looking really tiny. I man walked up to me at the mall one day and asked me if I was interested in modeling. The day I went to the studio I had just drank water that day. We started taking a few pictures and I got really light headed, and passed out. They took me to the hospital a few blocks away and thats when the doctors told my parents I hadn't been eating. It was so dangerous and I hope no one goes through what I went through.

Btdubbs, I'm healthy now and at a good weight for my age, I'm not perfectly skinny and I don't look fantastic in everything I try on in a store. But I have accepted that and I guess its just the way it has to be.

I'm gonna sound like a smart ass, but you're not using the term correctly. Anorexia is something most people get from time to time, and it's more accurately used to describe someone who might have a bad case of the flu and doesn't want to eat for fear of throwing up. Or someone who has a very nervous stomach, and doesn't want to eat before taking a flight, for fear of throwing up on the plane. These are better examples of Anorexia.

What you're referring is more properly called Anorexia Nervosa. Anorexia and Anorexia Nervosa (the proper name for Bulimia is Bulimia Nervosa as well) are two different things. One is a disorder, and the other is not.

On to the discussion, I think it's very sad when people easily throw these terms around, especially to get attention. Both my younger sister, Anna, and myself are very underweight, but it is because of screwy messed up genetics passed on from our parents, and not because of eating disorders. However, it still does not stop people from throwing Little Debbie Snacks or from calling my sister "AnnaAnorexia". Both are quite humiliating and my sister has come from school in TEARS because she's made fun of her weight. Neither my sister or I suffer from eating disorders (although I do have stomach problems- this is related to a digestion problem, not an eating disorder) but we are so thin, that people think we do... and we get treated terribly because of it.

I think it might clear up the minds of those two girls you mentioned, to see how badly my sister and I are treated because we look so sickly and thin. They would see how badly it is to be so thin. It's NOT attractive (because people telling you look sick and throwing food at you DOES NOT really send of messages of people being attracted to someone) and it's NOT something you get good attention for, and we don't even have the disorders.

Sorry this got so... uh, heated. :sweat: It's just something I feel very strongly about because girls hurt themselves trying to look so thin, not realizing the consequences.

I have a couple of friends who simply don't gain weight no matter how much they eat. They have glandular conditions which burn calories so fast it's actually dangerous.

However, I have actually met girls dumb enough to think that anorexia, or bulimia are cool. Mind you these are two girls who didn't realize that World War II had actually happened, and their role models were Paris Hilton and Nicole Rici, but still it happens. I once met someone who was jealous of my mental state which is frankly pathetic.

I know that in most cases these are serious illnesses, and the people with them need serious therapy, and they are no more to be made fun of than I am for my own... issues. But there are of course some who are inexplicably stupid enough to think it's cool.

Originally Posted by Clair Voyant

I'm gonna sound like a smart ass, but you're not using the term correctly. Anorexia is something most people get from time to time, and it's more accurately used to describe someone who might have a bad case of the flu and doesn't want to eat for fear of throwing up. Or someone who has a very nervous stomach, and doesn't want to eat before taking a flight, for fear of throwing up on the plane. These are better examples of Anorexia.

What you're referring is more properly called Anorexia Nervosa. Anorexia and Anorexia Nervosa (the proper name for Bulimia is Bulimia Nervosa as well) are two different things. One is a disorder, and the other is not.

That's actually extremely informative. You learn something new every day. :)

Originally Posted by Cherry Flavored Antacid

I'm wondering if you fully understand eating disorders and the type of issues these girls must have that make them feel like they shouldn't eat and that they should brag about it. That was either a cry for help or a cry for attention, but either way, it's not coming from a stable place, and that's something serious, not something to roll your eyes at. Anorexics do eat, clearly, or they'd be dead, so that you saw these girls eat a few things doesn't really mean anything at all. A few french fries isn't a meal. And even let's say that they're not anorexic, try to imagine what issues you would have to have that would cause you to pretend to be or act in a way that implied you were... Whatever may be wrong with these girls is sad.

Mental illness is a very serious thing, and it is definitely not something you choose or "want to be."

Thank you for posting this. I used to be anorexic, and it's been a slow recovery over the past couple of years. Most of the time, it's not just wanting to be thin and weightless. The bottom line is that it's about control. Is it possible to have control 100% of the time, everyday? No. When the starvation takes over, it drives you mad, and you have to make sacrifices when you're on the brink of completely losing yourself.

Lots of girls feel terrible about eating in public. The girl who was eating the french fries probably found some safety in the company of her friends. The girl who bought the candy's perception has been distorted by the disease, and she really is trying to grasp any happiness she can. I turned to candy and sweets, a lot. When your serotonin levels are that low, you crave sweets like no one's business.

This disease is nothing to take lightly. Yes, some try to get attention for it. They are proud of themselves for having such control, but don't realize this isn't a socially acceptable thing, and that no one else can share in their victory.

P.S.: I'm wondering if this should have been placed in the debate section?

N/A

Ugh. Thankfully I don't know a single person like that.

Seriously, It's much more fun to be me and brag about how much I eat and how I don't gain weight >D

and severly anorexics are scarey looking ;-;

Note that this is a little harsh; I mean no ill will. I know there are real people who have such disorders (also I agree with Clair up there in definitions), and do such things in secret. I am not talking about them, and I respect such.

I've encountered this on dA before: an account dedicated completely to a person with what she called "Anorexia" (with pics included). It's horrible, especially since she did it completely voluntarily, as if there was nothing wrong. Now look, I know that in every case they don't know that what's going on is harmful in their mind until later on but... this person new fully well what was going on and what she was doing, and seemed to be doing it purely for attention and because it's cool. I go as far to not call it anorexia since she's so blatantly proud of it, and does it just to loose obscene amounts of weight. It makes me sick thinking about this sort of thing! Especially knowing some people who are actually underweight (no, not eating disorder), and are struggling to keep their weight up to a certain point. It just slaps them directly in the face.

And it's the same thing with cutting I've seen too. There's people who would hide such things for everything due to it actually happening for... a reason, and people who post pics of their self-harmed scars with "OOOH LOOK AT ME I'M SO EDGY!"

What gives people these ideas that trends should be harmful like this? I mean, I understand a little about groups revolving around fashion... but what really drives kids to just cutting only to show people their scars?

Wolfie - I understand that perspective. There are people out there that treat it as a trend, and I can understand how it can be an insult to those who are underweight naturally. But like trends, they come and go, and my observation is that they tend to grow out of it.

I have a friend though, who is honestly struggling greatly with an ED, but still talks constantly about her exercise, diet, weight, and complaining that she's fat (when she's tall and very lean). It's psychologically destroying her, but her way of crying for help is talking about these things. I have to be honest that at a point, it annoys me, because I can't afford to give into any triggers. I know it's because she feels alone, but she pushes people away all the same. So not only is she struggling with the disorder, but the consequences, too, and her problem is all consuming. Some people suffer alone, some people cry out for help - even when it comes across as if they're taking it lightly and as a joke. But in both cases they are both suffering.

Just giving a different perspective on it, not arguing.

I think having anorexia is not something that should be bragged about. It is a very serious condition that should be taken very serious and if you know some one that has this problem you should go to a teacher or to there parents and a doctor to try and get some help. It is really sad how many people have this condition. :i