Anorexia

Many people would look at this picture and see an anorexic girl who thinks she's fat and will never be confident and satisfied with her body. But there is much more beyond just that. The lighting is dark to show that there is sorrow and pain being felt by this woman. Looking at her facial expression in the mirror, one can see the frown on her face showing that she is sad, but yet the cringing of her eyebrows to show that she is angry that she can't ever look good enough. As a woman, she wants to be accepted and when she looks into the mirror she is not accepting of herself. It is difficult to be accepted by others when you can't even accept yourself. You see a light that is shining off from the left to accentuate her bones and frail limbs and. The room is completely empty with only a mirror in it because she feels alone and the only thing on her mind is her body image.

When I first saw this picture it was painful to look at and I wondered how someone could honestly think of themselves this way. It made me feel pain and sadness and stress. When I took a second look I realized that regardless of how far fetched this epidemic is, anorexia is real and me denying it isn't going to change anything. Politically, size is becoming an issue in the Unites States. A fraction of the population is getting bigger and bigger and another fraction is getting smaller and smaller. The fashion industry is defining what the 'perfect' body should look like on television, in magazines and everywhere we look. Us girls are always trying to count calories, eat a balanced diet, get enough exercise while balancing homework, work, and relationships. We read in the tabloids that America is Fat, but what about the part of America that is starving themselves for acceptance? This photo is a representation of how we view anorexic individuals, as helpless and sorrowful people. Culture is showing us that anorexia is addicting and can take a tole on one's life to the point to where there is no more control. With America telling all of us that we are too fat, anorexic women are taking it to heart and doing more damage to their bodies. We need to encourage women to be confident in themselves and to know what healthy is, not what beautiful is. Surely, there is a large amount of obesity in the United States but it needs to be attacked at a different angle rather than telling everyone they're all too fat.