Peeling Back the Onion: Sucking the Life Out of You

      Since our teen culture has been obsessed with vampires in recent past years, I thought I might compare them to eating disorders. For me, I understand things better when I can compare a new topic to an old, recognizable one. I build a bridge. For those of you who don’t know the official term, it’s called an analogy.

      Let’s play a free-association game. When I say vampire, what do you think of? I bet you’ll say a dark, mysterious guy who has fangs and a cape. Or maybe you’ll say Edward Cullen, a totally normal-looking “high school student” who has supernatural powers and preys on a young lady (Bella). The latter answer is closer to what I’m looking for.

      Vampires don’t have to look like the stereotypical Dracula. Let’s think about what actually makes a vampire a vampire. Have you ever realized that no matter how old the vampire is, you are somehow attracted or drawn to him? There’s something about bad boys that us good girls go for. Also, when the vampire conquers his victim, he grows stronger as his victim gets weaker. His victim, no matter how hurt, still wants him. He/she doesn’t see the destructive side of the relationship while he/she is in it. It’s only in hindsight that vision is 20/20.

      So what comes of this ill-fated relationship? Body shame, seduction, temptation, and most importantly, danger. Eating disorders are very harmful, and actually kill more people than you would think. The mortality rate of an eating disorder is 20%. Eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of any mental illness. The mortality rate associated with anorexia nervosa is 12 times higher than the death rate of ALL causes of death for females 15 – 24 years old. Only 30 – 40% of sufferers ever fully recover.

      Eating disorders have all the qualities of being a vampire. Eating disorders torment their victims until they finally give in and break down. Having used up everything that is vital in their victims, the eating disorders leave the sufferers to waste away and die. The eating disorder will move on to its next victim. The eating disorders don’t care if they ruin lives. They just care if they keep living forever. That’s their main goal.

      When we get down to it, vampirism is really about exploitation. Vampires use other people to get what they want. They deny someone’s right to live in order to satisfy their overwhelming demands. They place their desires above the needs of someone else. All they care about is themselves. Anyone else in the world has a fate that matters less than theirs.

      So how do you kill a vampire? There are two ways. First, we all know that vampires hate sunlight. Now, let’s translate this from the literal meaning and apply it to eating disorders. Sunlight is a symbol for knowledge. Eating disorders work so well because their victims don’t have knowledge about them. Neither does the entire society, and that’s why eating disorders continue to survive. What we need to do is educate people. Tell them the facts. The more that people know about eating disorders, the less likely they are to develop them.

      The other way to kill a vampire is using fire.  Vampires weren’t born with a special weakness to fire, like they were with sunlight, so it will be harder to kill them this way. But rest assured, it can be done. Vampires are strong. They are stronger than you can imagine. In this area, they definitely have an advantage over you. You have to become as strong, if not stronger, than the eating disorder in order to beat it. Fight fire with fire. The eating disorder will bring its ‘A’ game, so you have to bring your ‘A+’ game. Do whatever you have to in order to come out of the arena alive. This is a life-and death contest of will. Only one of you can survive. Beat the eating disorder at its own game.

      I know that thinking of eating disorders as vampires has its flaws, but it works well enough for now. So girls, leave the dark side.

Peeling Back the Onion: When Do People Get Eating Disorders and Who Gets Them?

      Most people start their eating disorders during their teenage years. More stress is put upon them, and they need a way to cope with it. They feel out of control. Eating disorders give them the control that they need in order to handle their lives. The teenage years are also a time when kids get interested in magazines that show off bodies in almost every advertisement. Teenagers will think, "Oh, she's so beautiful!" or "He's so muscular. I must work out in order to be like him. He's so popular and he gets all the ladies."
       Magazines have influenced how I see myself, particularly in respect to my weight and self-confidence. When a woman reads a magazine geared to her own gender, she is immediately drawn to the Diet section. While it kills her confidence levels, she still can’t put the magazine down. From my perspective, it seems like the Diet section is like female pornography. The Diet section advertises “Tips and Tricks” and “Do It Yourself” and “Look as Beautiful as the Super-Models”. It is the Diet section that dictates what is beautiful and how to achieve it if we aren’t quite as skinny as the airbrushed and photo-shopped models who only eat cubes of cheese and carrot sticks when they’re about to pass out from hunger. I used to subscribe to those kinds of magazines, but I don’t anymore because I realized that it’s harmful to my body image. Beautiful comes in all shapes and sizes. I’m perfect just the way I am, and I don’t need to listen to anything that tells me otherwise.
       Let me get one thing straight for you, right away when my blog is new: Guys get eating disorders, too. I know that the common belief is that only girls get it, but that's not true. Many guys hide it too well. They're ashamed of what people would say or think. Girls have those concerns, too, don't get me wrong, but guys  believe that it is a girls' disorder. Guys will more often exercise as a means to keep their body slim. It's an easy excuse because guys are expected to work out anyway. Girls will more likely restrict calories because as a stereotype, guys are expected to eat large amounts of food. As a fact, guys don't always eat large amounts of food. Especially guys with eating disorders. And if they do have an eating disorder yet still eat large amounts of food, they'll still find a way to stay slim, whether it be the previously mentioned exercising, or purging.

Peeling Back the Onion: Introduction

      Hi, my name is Brooke, and I am a sibling of an eating disorder sufferer. Over the past couple of years, I haven't found much support for siblings. I've found my share of support groups, books, and therapy for family and friends of eating disorder sufferers, but I haven't found any targeted towards the siblings specifically. This is why I created my blog. I want to give a voice to the siblings.
      Siblings are often forgotten and pushed into the background when dealing with a family crisis such as an eating disorder. They are usually "the good child" because they don't want to cause any more trouble or stress for their family. On the other hand, though, since they aren't getting enough attention, siblings will often act out in order to get the attention that they crave.
      I have been "the good child" type. I've been fine taking a backseat to my brother's situation, but sometimes I need attention, too. I bet that most, if not all, of the siblings need attention and want to be listened to. I'm here to pay attention. I'm here to bring up issues. I will speak for you, for me, and for everyone out there. Now that I have a voice, I intend to use it.