As I read the last 2 pages Bordo's Unbearable Weight excerpt I couldn't get the image of an anorexic young woman out of my mind. For some of us disorders seem so far fetched and ridiculous, we can never imagine "starving" ourselves or puking just to look good. We view the people who take complete control of their bodies as "diseased" or "ill", but maybe we are too narrow minded. It is possible that we have failed to see things in our own lives that parallel the level of extreme "control" sufferers of anorexia and bulimia have reached. What else could a "disorder" instilled in women because of cultural pressures.
Women may have the ultimate "docile body"- that is the most impressionable characteristics. And it is more than simply looking at a magazine ad, or watching a movie and thinking "I wish I looked like that." It is the desire to be accepted. The need to be wanted. The pursuit of perfection. Now, I am not saying that this is the way all women think and feel, but for most, at some point in our lives, we have felt insufficient, maybe not in a large way, but in some way. This is where real, medically recognized illnesses can come into play, anorexia, hysteria, severe anxiety, etc.
We allow the culture around us to mold our thinking, our choices, and our dreams. Sometimes even subconsciously. Think about it, every single princess in the classic "princess" movies end up living happily ever after. And how many of you ladies reading this want your "fairy tale ending" someday? (come on, be honest with yourself) We are looking for the "perfect" man starting at age 15. Would anyone dare to call this "dream" a disorder?
Let's look at how women(typically) socialize. So many times our conversations turn into "did you hear about...." and "Sally and Joe slept together last weekend." That's right, gossip. If every conversation we have can somehow be related to gossip is that considered an addiction?
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