Universal health care. Democracy. Eating disorders. It seems that these have become the markers of a developed country. I do not mean to imply that underdeveloped countries don’t have eating disorders, but with the exception of malnutrition by poverty and famine, there is much less of a focus on them. Contrastingly, in wealthy countries anorexia, bulimia, and overeating are popular topics. Here I hope to divulge some of my feelings on the consuming topic of overeating and weight.
As an underweight minority in North America, I have often been ostracized from the associated female bonding ritual of weight watching and weight bitching. The culture (which we are debatably in control of), dictates that we, women, are hyper-sensitive to our physical appearances. And of course, the most important feature or our appearance is our weight. The content of most waiting room magazines reflects our obsession with weight and the related topics of dieting, fitness, movie stars and fast food.
It is a magical point in a relationship between two women, when they first confess their dissatisfaction with the shape of their own bodies. The more similarly shaped a pair of woman, the sooner on in the relationship that such confidences are exchanged, but even women in different weight categories commonly will rant about their often imagined obesity. I sit on the sidelines for this ritual as ‘too skinny’ is not a valid complaint in the land of dieting and I am left with a quirky envy of my more curvy peers.
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