Throughout this essay I want to explain sociological understandings of normal eating whilst looking at eating disorders – so in this essay I consider that the term normal eating is exactly the opposite of this new century diseases-Such as bulimia and anorexia. ‘Anorexia and bulimia bring abnormal low body weight. In the UK about 1 per cent of female have anorexia and about 4 per cent of collage aged women have bulimia’ (Macionis, Plummer; 2008:691)
In the very beginning of this essay I want to claim that normal eating is a lifestyle and world seeing not influenced by social structures, so what are the new social structures that influenced eating habits and do they link with modernity and post modernity centuries? ‘In modern/ post modern worlds food enters our magazines, television programmes, newspapers, magazines, films, arts and literature’ (Macionis, Plummer; 2008:224) Eating habits and perfect body stereotypes can be seen everywhere in our daily life. It is also essential to understand that eating habits and the main discussion is closely linked to what body represents for individual and society. So what are social institutions that affect the body image and forms societies mind about how you should look, eat and act.
Looking at eating habits and roots for eating disorders in micro scale, it’s family, friends, young girls affected by the teenage idols, when they are discussed in magazines and often criticised for getting fat, I would also claim that schools do not pay enough attention to how young minds are affected by unexplained stereotypes and how many attention is drawn to outlook starting with an early age. When it comes to meso scale, such institutions as a beauty pageant for kids, modelling school for youngsters, they do stress out the attention to beauty, not paying so much attention about eating habits and explaining healthy lifestyle. As a macro scale I can bring an example of American and Western developed societies ‘The impact of Western European and American attitude towards the cultivation of bodily appearance, as well as conflicting social role expectations for women that have become a worldwide phenomenon, have been profoundly influential’(Gordon;2000:7) It almost seems like these discussions about eating disorders and normal eating is a way of women reaction to given rights and stereotypes in the world – a price to pay for living in men’s world. ‘The impact here is especially on younger women and girls with the need to look attractive and slender. Susan Bordo (1993) sees these women as in some ways protesting against the cultural ideals of femininity’ (Macionis, Plummer;2009:691) As the essay question is not about the women only, I need to stress out, that as eating disorders rarely affects men(‘Only about 10 per cent of people with anorexia and bulimia are male This gender difference may reflect our societies different expectations for men and women. Men are supposed to be strong and powerful they are ashamed of skinny bodies they need to be big and powerful’ (Macionis,Plummer;2008:691) so it seems that the key issues must be closely linked to women roles in society and place in the modern world.
Thinking sociologically and linking this problem to my personal experience I can say, as mentioned above, people who mostly suffers from this eating disorders are exactly young women my age, and as I chose this topic for essay I can claim that even for me it is hard to see the borders where the healthy attitude of body image and eating ends and where influenced me starts to act with counting calories and reaching for some ideals discussed with my friends.
The outside appearance had been important throughout centuries, but it seems that nowadays it can be said that you are that what you eat, your body is what represents you. But to understand what roles does the body play in our life it is enough to take a look at Marcel Mauss work and claimed ideas about body and society. ’The antropoligist Marcel Mauss, who developed the concept of body practices to understand the nature of the self in social context. For Mauss the body is a physiological potentiality which is realized socially and collectively through a variety of shared body practices within which the individual is trained, disciplined and socialized.’(B.Turner; 2001:25) So as the body is your main instrument to socialise, here I can mentions the power of first impression, where your appearance is all that matter, (where your photo is obligatory when you send your CV and even job adverts mentioning to ‘look at yourself critically’ before sending your application) it is understandable that looking good for whatever price it takes is an issue today.
So we can conclude that normal eating nowadays cannot be divided as a single terms showing what is right and what is wrong, to provide yourself a normal eating it is not necessary to have a healthy lifestyle it is essential to have a healthy attitude towards yourself not to get influenced by negative social structures in any social levels whether it is your peers, your idols our the society you live in. In our postmodern society to be normal often means to become an individual who does not search an answers for becoming normal in newspapers or magazines.
Bibliography
John J Macionis, Ken Plummer(20080 Sociology- A global introduction Pearson Educations Limiter, Harlow (fourth edition)
Gordon, R. A. (2000) Eating Disorders: Anatomy of a Social Epidemic. Oxford:
Blackwell Publishers Ltd (second edition).
Turner, B. S. (1996) The Body and Society: explorations in social theory. London:
Sage Publications (second edition).
