Eating disorders more likely when mom is educated

[Anonymous]

I just read that a Swedish research study which looked at 13,376 women born between 1952 and 1989 has found that the more educated a girl’s family is, the more likely she is to develop an eating disorder. What? Do you think that is valid?

[Anonymous]

of course. poor people are obese, not starving themselves.

[Anonymous]

It makes sense to me. It's the perfection curse.

[Anonymous]

Maybe. You really don't hear of eating disorders in places where people are poor and uneducated and food is scarce.

[Anonymous]

Totally makes sense. Women with eating disorders tend to be perfectionists, striving to be a straight A student, perfect girlfriend or wife, perfect athlete, perfect at her job, whatever. Poor people may not have that luxury, frankly, if they have other things on their mind.

Also part of our obesity problem is that there is a lot of high calorie, empty calorie food for very cheap.

[Anonymous]

"Where/under which circumstance people have time to worry about such things..."
KEY PHRASE!

Sometimes it is just SO obvious. Would you approach the subject, though?

[Anonymous]

I read somewhere that girls of moms who are runners are less likely to have eating disorders. Don't know if it extends to other sports as well.

[Anonymous]

This is just based on my experience, but I have dealt with disordered eating since age 16 (now 33). Yes, I am perfectionistic and educated...so is my mom.
I only began to gain strength in 'normal' eating when I began running about 10 years ago. I wanted to eat good food for energy and stamina to run at the level I enjoyed. if I skipped a meal or ate something pathetic like just a rice cake to stay in my size 0 jeans, I didn't have the energy to run the next day. It was learning to be a runner that also taught me to eat for nutrition and not for emotional reasons.

[Anonymous]

OP do you really think that underprivileged women will starve to look good or will eat whatever they can get?

[Anonymous]

Underprivileged in the U.S. is relative. There is plenty of unhealthy, salty food available cheap or for free. My parents run a church charity. I would not eat much of the food they receive as contributions unless reduced to poverty -- lots of plain white bread, cakes, cookies, donuts, canned foods. People are well-intentioned but chard, kale, fresh berries and fish are costly to preserve unlike Twinkies.

Interestingly, I have read that black women are more likely to develop bulimia. This corresponds to my experience as one of my relatives battled it. I believe that an anorexic black woman who was obviously emaciated would simply get too much flak from the community. Black people used to make fun of me for being skinny but y size was average - 5'5, 125 lbs. Bulimics can be harder to detect.

[Anonymous]

Of course. Have you been to a Georgetown playgroup lately and taken a look at the skinny moms?

[Anonymous]

I'm calling Harvard to get my money back.

Right after I eat a donut.