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Have Today's Social Pressures Caused Men To Become Anorexic?

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Have Today's Social Pressures Caused Men To Become Anorexic?
Dalton Patterson
Professor St. John
English 1020
November 15, 2013
How Have Today’s Social Pressures Caused Men To Become Anorexic?
Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder that is commonly associated with young women. Most people would never assume that anorexia would be a problem for men, but recently, eating disorders in men have become an increasing problem. "As recently as a decade ago, clinicians believed that only 5 percent of anorexics were male. Current estimates suggest it 's closer to 20 percent and rising fast"(Penn, Nathaniel). Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by immoderate food restriction and irrational fear of gaining weight. The part of the brain that concerns those that suffer from anorexia is …show more content…
IIan Meyer points out that, “according to a study conducted at Columbia University 's Mailman School of Public Health, gay and bisexual men have higher rates of eating disorders”(IIan H. Meyer). Many researchers point out that men who are affected by social pressures are much more likely to use steroids in order to obtain the perfect male body than to develop an eating disorder. In The New York Times article “Eating Disorders in Straight and Gay Men”, Dr. Kathryn Zerbe, a highly esteemed expert on eating disorders, suggests that straight men, “tend to use steroids to develop a desired masculine build, a condition sometimes called ‘reverse anorexia,’” rather than become anorexic(Zerbe). They argue that the only reason these men have eating disorders is because they are feminine in nature and have the same self-esteem and confidence issues of many women who struggle with anorexia. Although there are a number of studies that show the majority of anorexic men are gay, that does not disprove the fact that there are thousands of men with anorexia who are not gay. Therefore, those thousands of men who are not gay, yet still struggle with eating disorders, most likely have them for different reasons than their female …show more content…
Farrow. "Global And Physical Self-Esteem And Body
Dissatisfaction As Mediators Of The Relationship Between Weight Status And
Being A Victim Of Bullying." Journal Of Adolescence 32.5 (2009): 1287-1301.
OmniFile Full Text Mega (H.W. Wilson). Web. 14 November. 2013.
Gueguen, Juliette, et al. “Severe anorexia nervosa in men: Comparison with severe
AN in women and analysis of mortality.” International Journal of Eating
Disorders 45.4 (May 2012): 537-545. Omnifile. Web. 14 Nov. 2013.
Hausenblas, Heather A., and A. V. (Albert V.) Carron. "Eating Disorder Indices And
Athletes: An Integration." Journal Of Sport & Exercise Psychology 21.3 (1999):
230-258. OmniFile Full Text Mega (H.W. Wilson). Web. 15 Nov. 2013.
Johnson, Craig, Pauline S. Powers, and Randy Dick. "Athletes And Eating Disorders:
The National Collegiate Athletic Association Study." International Journal Of
Eating Disorders 26.2 (1999): 179-188. OmniFile Full Text Mega (H.W.
Wilson). Web. 14 Nov. 2013.
Mehta, Julie. "An Equal Opportunity Destroyer." Current Health 2 36.6 (2010):
12-15. OmniFile Full Text Mega (H.W. Wilson). Web. 13 Nov. 2013.
Meyer, IIan H. "Gay Men Have Higher Prevalence Of Eating Disorders." Science
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