Why Are So Many Men in Denial About the Existence of Eating Disorders?

Question by Implacable Platypus: Why are so many men in denial about the existence of eating disorders?
Every woman I have ever known – every single one – has currently, or has at some point previously, suffered from disordered eating (and by that, I DON’T mean over-eating).

Most women (and I DON’T mean obese ones) suffer from constant neurosis about food, can tell you the calorie count of every single food item, are constantly trying to under-eat or even competitively under-eat with friends, use dangerous diet pills, go on stupid fad diets, hell, would probably even inject themselves with toxic waste if they thought there was a 100th of a chance it would make them lose weight.

Again, I am NOT talking about overweight women here. I am talking about normal, every day women, your sisters, girlfriends, and mothers. They hate their perfectly normal, healthy bodies and spend hours and hours trying to starve them into an acceptable form. They hide this of course, and deny it, but to anyone with a pair of eyes and ears it’s obvious. Pick up any women’s magazine for God’s sake – diets, diets, diets.

It is absolutely epidemic, yet men refuse to accept it exists, and get very defensive about it. “There’s no such thing as eating disorders,” They say beligerantly “So-and-so is just naturally thin / eats healthy, anyone who says otherwise is just fat and jealous” etc etc.

So, what’s with this? Why won’t men wake up? [And no “but my girlfriend really IS naturally thin, seriously!” – obviously some people are naturally very thin. But most people aren’t, and most women are as I described above. Exceptions only prove the rule.]
Aaaand a big thank you to Struth for so expertly proving the point! Some stats for you, sweetheart:

*It is estimated that 8 million Americans have an eating disorder (seven million women and one million men – so yeah, it’s mainly a “feminist” problem).
*One in 200 American women suffers from anorexia
*Two to three in 100 American women suffers from bulimia
*Nearly half of all Americans personally know someone with an eating disorder
*Eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of any mental illness
*Only 1 in 10 people with eating disorders receive treatment

http://www.state.sc.us/dmh/anorexia/statistics.htm

Try and acquire some basic knowledge on a subject before you rant inarticulately about it next time, eh?
@ 0.o – Of course some people are thin due to medical problems, and I’m sorry to hear of yours. However, as you go on to explain, eating disorders are very common, and often in people who “seem fine on the surface” and so on. They are hideous, life-shattering illnesses, whether the person becomes emaciated or not – and anyone who’s ever known someone with an eating disorder will confirm this. It’s quite horrifying how little understanding and compassion there is for these people amongst men. Probably why men with eating disorders generally feel far too ashamed to ever seek help.
Haha, you silly little people make me laugh. So deluded and soooooo sure you’re right. Just like domestic violence – first you’ll argue it doesn’t exist, then you’ll accept it does, but that men suffer from it too, and then it will be that men suffer from it more. So when the number of men suffering eating disorders hits a few mil (which it most certainly will), then what will you do? Make it one of your quaint little “MRA issues” and claim women inflict them on men? Haha, morons.
I agree that the ephebhilia answer is closest to the truth – men like the way women look when they under eat (not healthily eat, not eat well and exercise – under eat), so they get very angry and very defensive when anyone suggests that actually, under-eating is not that great for women. Most men could care less that women are making themselves mentally and physically ill as long as they look nice. Very sad, and very true.

Best answer:

Answer by Struth
What a goose. Men say this do they. Links please or it didn’t happen. I have never heard this. Nowadays the AVERAGE female is FAT. There are more obese females than “normal” females.

However, just because females are such idiots that they have to watch what they eat because they are too lazy to do any exercise is NOT an eating disorder. Females with eating disorders make up 0.02% of the population which seems to me to be so small that it is safe to say eating disorders are WAY down the list. There are more homeless men than females with eating disorders so why don’t we take the money from eating disorders and put it into homeless men? Nah, that would be helping men with money earned by men so it’s not as important as females.

You MUST be a feminist since you know nothing of what you speak and your conclusions are the opposite to reality.

Give your answer to this question below!

 

 


 

anorexia nervosa – Knowing that their heart is slowing down, their hair is falling out, their skin is turning a deathly grey, they smell of death, they’re developing a layer of peach fuzz on their body, their enzymes are out of whack, their kidneys are failing…WHY does an anorectic continue to starve themself? The solution seems so simple to their family, yet impossible for the victim to accomplish. Who is willing to love them enough to accept the secret that might “tarnish the family name”, or leave a blemish on the innocent, trusting child? Are you willing to love unconditionally? How and WHEN do you express your love?

 

More Teenage Eating Disorders Information…