Abnormal Psychology

Eating Disorders 457

P S

N

by the body mass index, or BMI, an adjusted ratio of weight to

height), the average BMI of women age 20–29 has increased (see

Figure 10.5). During the same period studied by Garner and col-

leagues, the prevalence of eating disorders increased in the United

States. It is not clear whether the contestants and playmates were

creating or following a cultural trend in ideal body shape. What is

clear is that society’s pressure to be thin increases women’s—and

girls’—dissatisfaction with their bodies, which is a risk factor for

eating disorders (Grabe & Hyde, 2006; Lynch et al., 2008; Stice

et al., 2003).

The cultural infl uence on weight and appearance isn’t limited

to women: Men who regularly engage in activities such as model-

ing and wrestling, which draw attention to their appearance and

weight, are increasingly likely to develop eating disorders (Brownell

& Rodin, 1992; Garner, Rosen, & Barry, 1998; Sundgot-Borgen,

1999). Similarly, men who have a heightened awareness of appear-

ance (Ousley, Cordero, & White, 2008), such as some in the gay

community, are also more likely to develop an eating disorder (Carlat,

Camargo, & Herzog, 1997; Russell & Keel, 2002).

Eating Disorders Across Cultures

Eating disorders occur throughout the world, but are found mainly in

industrialized Western or Westernized countries (Kuboki et al., 1996;

Lee, Chiu, & Chen, 1989; Lee, Hsu, & Wing, 1992; Pike & Walsh,

1996). Immigration to a Western country and internalization of Western norms in-

crease the risk of developing symptoms of an eating disorder, as occurs among those

immigrating from China and Egypt to Western countries (Bilukha & Utermohlen,

2002; Lee & Lee, 1996; Perez et al., 2002; Stark- Wroblewski, Yanico, & Lupe,

2005). Westernization (or modernization) of a culture similarly increases dieting

(Gunewardene, Huon, & Zheng, 2001; Lee & Lee, 2000), which is a risk factor for

eating disorders. In addition, as girls and women move into a higher socioeconomic

bracket, they are more likely to develop an eating disorder (Lee & Lee, 2000; Polivy

& Herman, 2002; Soomro et al., 1995).

Within the United States, prevalence rates of eating disorders vary across

ethnic groups, based on different ideals of beauty and femininity: Native

Americans have a higher risk for eating disorders than do other ethnic groups

(Crago, Shisslak, & Estes, 1996) and black Americans have had the lowest risk

(Andersen & Hay, 1985; Crago, Shisslak, & Estes, 1996; Mulholland & Mintz,

2001; Striegel-Moore et al., 2003). However, prevalence rates are increasing

among black and Latina women (Franko et al., 2007; Gentile et al., 2007; Perez &

Joiner, 2003; Shaw et al., 2004; Taylor et al., 2007), perhaps because of the grow-

ing number of ethnic models in mainstream ads who are as thin as their white

counterparts (Brodey, 2005).

Finally, prevalence rates of eating disorders across ethnic groups may vary for

people at different ages; studies with participants from younger cohorts fi nd fewer

differences across ethnic groups (Wade, 2007).

The Power of the Media

The power of the media to influence cultural ideals of beauty and femininity is

illustrated by the results of an innovative study in Fiji by Anne Becker and colleagues

(2002). Prior to 1995, there was no television in Fiji, a group of islands in the South

Pacifi c. Traditional Fijian culture promoted robust body shapes and appetites, and

there were no cultural pressures for thinness or dieting. Researchers collected data

from adolescent girls shortly after the introduction of television in 1995 and again

3 years later. At the beginning of the study, when a large body size was the cultural

10.5 • Women’s Body Size Over Time: Playmates

and Average Young Women Over the last four dec-

ades, the size (specifi cally, the body mass index, BMI) of the

average young woman’s body has become heavier (orange

line); over the same period of time, the body size of Playboy

playmates has become thinner (purple line), presenting an

increasingly unattainable ideal.

When females move from a non-Western country

to a Western country, their risk of developing an

eating disorder increases.

Jeff Greenberg/Photo Edit

Figure 10.5g5

28

26

24

22

20

18

16

1954 1960 1966 1972 1978

Year

1984 1990 1996 2002 2008

U.S. average BMI trend

of young women

Playmate BMI trend

BMI =

weight in pounds x 703

height in inches

2