I delivered a presentation on eating disorders to a racially, economically, and culturally diverse group of ten Northeastern University male and female students in a seminar. I asked the group to shout out a description of what type of person they thought would have an eating disorder. They all agreed, “Girl, wealthy, obsessed with pop culture, and white.” This response isn’t at all surprising. Some of these beliefs are based in reality; others are not. The popular conception held by mainstream Americans is that only middle-upper class, white females are affected by eating disorders. But when looking at the literature, it is clear that these disorders span across all different types of people and cultures. This analysis works to debunk some common misconceptions about the gender, race, and class of eating disorder sufferers as well as explain how beauty ideals have become so destructive in contemporary society.…