Every person on the earth has at some point looked in the mirror and saw something they want to change about themselves, be it 'I really need a haircut' or 'If only my nose wasn't so bulky' or 'I need to lose some weight'. While these thoughts of dissatisfaction may seem innocent and in many cases are, if dwelt on for too long, they can result in low self-esteem, and sometimes even bodily harm. Eating disorders such as Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa are some of the more well-known forms of that self-inflicted harm. The mass media's stance on the 'perfect body' negatively influences the world through popular social opinion. This can be proven through sites on the Internet saying things like being thin the only way to make it in life. .
Body dissatisfaction is one of the biggest problems facing the young adult and adult minds of today. Very few people are satisfied and happy with their bodies and everyone at some point picked out their own individual flaws. One of the ways that people chose to 'cope' with this is to adjust their diets and eating habits. Most of the time these coping mechanisms are implemented without proper supervision or training and will be taken overboard. One of the negative and most detrimental side effects is the development an eating disorder such as Anorexia Nervosa or Bulimia Nervosa. "Although Anorexia and Bulimia are more commonly recognized in our society, most individuals would fall under the category of 'Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified' (EDNOS). The EDNOS category is for behaviors or disorders that do not necessarily meet the criteria for a diagnosis of anorexia or bulimia; it includes anorexic-like and bulimic-like behaviors such as drive for thinness, excessive dieting, excessive exercising, purging and binging." (Juarez et al.) Usually when the term eating disorder is brought up, the mind will picture an image most likely of a woman, naked, with every bone visible.
