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History of Eating Disorders

Eating disorders are not new, but the change in vocabulary and how we understand them have evolved over the years. 

The history of eating disorders goes back to the 12th century. It is not something that started now with people’s obsessions with social media and their bodies.

The first time that we are able to look or observe eating disorders was in the 12th and 13th centuries, when people started to use starvation as a sacrifice to God. This was because of the belief in religious starvation, and this made starvation become something that was glorified or something that was considered selfless.

In the year 1689, Richard Morton is described as the first example of the symptoms of anorexia nervosa. This was something that started to be seen because medicine and science evolved, and eating habits started to be seen in a more medical way, and this affected the way the illness of anorexia nervosa was seen, when this was seen as a form of religious practice it was seen as a choice made by specific people and from the medical point of view it started to be considered an illness. He named it or noted it as a “nervous consumption”.

In the early 1900s, they were considered or were thought to be endocrine disorders, and this was because the medical field started to explore eating disorders more thoroughly, and they thought it came from the endocrine system. They wanted to find a medical and logical reasoning because of this, and they tried different forms to fix it, such as prescribing pituitary hormones in order to get this treated. This is definitely something that affects eating disorders, but it is also deeply psychological, and it is no longer considered the main reason why this happens. 

In the 20th century, the way that they approached these disorders was through parentectomy, and this is when children are removed from their parents. This was something that was considered useful at the time because the thought process at the time was that eating disorders were the parents’ fault, and they had caused them. However, this was a limiting belief, and it created great pain to the children suffering from this as well as to the parents who received all of the blame.

In 1903, Dr. Pierre Janet started to see bulimic behaviors in some of her patients, and this led to eating disorders and gave them a new light as a form of behavior, not just medical.

In the 1930s to 1940s, eating disorders started to be understood as psychological conditions. This was the moment in which they stopped being seen as something that was purely in the body, but that it had a mental aspect, and they started to become part of the mental health spectrum, which led to treatment being much more focused on behavioral and psychological treatment. This was considered a better approach because it focused on the root cause. This completely changed the way this disease was viewed and how it could or should be approached.

In 1959, there was the first conversation about binge eating disorders because before this year, people thought that eating disorders were just anorexia, which was not eating food and extreme thinness, as well as bulimia, which consisted of throwing up or the use of laxatives. Binge eating was something that came at this time; even though it was something that had existed before, it was thought that this was just a part of bulimia, and it took years for people to realize that it was its own type of disorder.

In 1973, Hilde Burch published a book that examined case studies of eating disorders, noting that this field had started in psychology and was beginning to explore different treatments that might be needed. He shared very specific details about people struggling with these disorders. The book is called “The Golden Cage,” and it really shows the challenges and issues that come with a person suffering from eating disorders. Since the book was published, he has worked with countless patients and has been a source of information for professionals in this specific psychological area.

In 1980, the DSM added an eating disorder section, which completely changed the way that eating disorders started to be seen and treated, and made people realize how serious they are and the type of care they require. 

In 1987, Bulimia became its own eating disorder in the DSM, and this was really important because it made sure that people understood that it was a different type of disorder, specifically from Anorexia. This meant that people with these different disorders began to ensure that the approach to diagnosing and treating them was in place.

In 2013, Binge eating disorder was recognized by the DSM as well, and this is relevant because this is a disorder that is completely different from Bulimia and Anorexia, which are the most commonly known. However, this is the disorder that most people suffer from, and it is extremely hard to deal with for those who suffer from it. This really shows all the different ways in which eating disorders can rage so differently and shows how they may not be seen in different specific ways. 

Eatica is an eating disorder clinic in Barcelona, Spain were they treat all kinds of eating disorders and disordered eating and through conversations with one of their psychologist I was able to learn a new fact that I had no idea had any correlation between the two and it is of neurodivergent and Bulimia Nervosa and it is that there is a direct correlation between the two especially when the neurodivergent hyperactivity Is not diagnosed and is left to the child to deal with that they experience coping mechanisms and one of them is binging and purging which is a clear symptom of the eating disorder swell as the fact that the only medicine that has been approved by several countries for Bulimia and its regulation is one that is also used for ADHD which brings us to the idea of inadequacy and that if a person is not diagnosed for several reasons with ADHD they have a higher risk of developing an eating disorder such as this.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/z2w7dp3

This is an article I came across called “From New York to Instagram: The history of the body positivity movement.”

One of the main things that is seen here is how everyone talks about “love the skin you are in” This is because the body positivity movement is something that has been ongoing for a long time it has also brought along a lot of controversy because a lot of people believe that it promotes people to settle into being obese however people who agree with the movement have said that it is about helping people embrace self acceptance and not letting physical appearance be your entire self worth. Even though this is something we might see a lot of people are not familiar with, it is how the body positivity movement actually started. Tigress Osborn, who works with NAAFA (National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance) in the United States, is the organization that has helped shape the body positivity movement as it is today and how it has evolved worldwide. One thing that they talk about is the fact that every day of one’s life we are reminded that no one’s body is good enough, and this can come from a lot of different sources, even something as simple as a self-depicting text about themselves and their appearance, a diet company showing a new fad diet, a before and after picture of a diet, or an influencer. This is where body positivity comes in, reminding us that our bodies are actually okay and that accepting and loving our bodies is more important than what we look like. It is important that we understand we have to block out the toxic culture that makes us feel hatred for ourselves. This can also be a form of fighting against self-esteem; it is a form of questioning capitalism, patriarchy, fat-phobic, sexist, racist, and ableist (had to look this up). 

The origins of the body positivity movement trace back to the fat rights movement in 1969. It began when Bill Fabrey, an engineer in New York, was upset by how people mistreated his wife, Joyce, because of her size. After reading an article by Lew Louderback about discrimination against fat people, Fabrey shared it widely. He later formed a supportive group called the National Association to aid fat Americans, now known as NAAFA, which remains central to the cause. On the West Coast, Californian feminists organized their own activism for fat liberation, creating the ‘fat underground.’ Their 1973 fat manifesto demanded equal rights for fat people and opposed the diet industry. As fat activism grew, it drew inspiration from civil rights and other liberation movements, recognizing connections between different types of oppression. However, early fat activism failed to include people of color, mistakenly believing their communities were more accepting, which led to exclusion within the movement.

This was a movement that continued growing and gaining more force by the time of the 1980s, when there was a lot of enthusiasm when it came to fat liberation and being seen all over the world, one of the greatest ones is the London fat women’s group, which acted in the mid-80s and was active for years. There was different vocabulary because body positivity was not something that existed in the 70s, 80s, and 90s, but there were activists who talked about the diet industry being a scam. By the 90s, it was a huge movement protesting in the White House and having protests in gyms, and also taking part in the San Francisco pride parade, where they talked about loving their bodies, and this made people feel inspired to love their bodies no matter how they looked. 

There was also a movement that began in the 2000s, in which bodies were presented online in larger formats. This was because of the online idea and how body shame and love were seen or presented. This, however, began in the 90s through chat rooms, which were their form of social media, and created an activist community. Later on, it went through Tumblr, Instagram, and Facebook, as well as hashtags, to build stronger connections. People who were considered fat started to have their own role as them bringing in fat visibility as a form of activism such as the creation of people presenting OOTD showing their own way of moving through life even though there is a other of back lash with this as well. There is also vocabulary such as “fierce fatties” to call themselves more confidently, and new forms of digital companies on social networks, such as websites about self-love, one of which was created in 2012.

Body positivity became a social media movement and has led to changes like body acceptance, self-love, and more, and it has been used in a number of movements. There are two sides; some people are fitness influencers, and others want people to love their bodies as they are. However, most of the people who talk about this are people who are considered to have imperfect bodies, or who are fat influencers. This, however, has led to a lot of controversy, and it has been said that they are telling people that it is okay to be obese. However, this has become a movement controlled by certain people, and the people who originally started it have lost their voice. 

https://ualshowcase.arts.ac.uk/project/510139/cover

While I was converting my research and discussing projects and ideas in our class time, one of my classmates told me that someone in a previous year had tackled a similar subject, so I decided to look into it. I have contacted her and would love to talk further, but I also looked at some of her work and found inspiration and ideas I could adapt or learn from in her intervention. This alumnus ‘ name is Shuang Zheng, who works as an independent illustrator. She also researched eating disorders in young people and wanted to use her creativity to help people suffering from this. She created a self-help guidebook, which could be used by professional institutions, not necessarily as a standalone. This book specifically examines eating disorders in China and helps foster a more accurate perception of food, while also helping people in one’s society or close community better support these individuals. This is hopefully something that can help someone recover in the long term. She created a conceptual model of eating disorders and the different stages of someone who has this disorder, showing when someone is sick, in recovery, and normal, and shows different materials to show the different feelings that come with all of this. She also led art therapy workshops in London to help people become more aware of their feelings. In the book she created, she aims to address the different disorders and how people view them at different points throughout their course, as well as the illnesses that accompany them, and the importance of treating them seriously. (One concern is that if the person does not look ill, people do not think it is a problem; they are just getting too thin or too fat, or just want to lose weight.) This is also a book I would feel comfortable showing to a young child, and I would understand the importance of food and its relationship, because it is not always just about someone’s body but about using food as a regulating tool.

https://poosh.com/the-top-insecurities-in-women-and-how-to-overcome-them/

One of the main issues I have come across while completing my research is the amount of insecurities women suffer from, and all the work one has to do psychologically in order to get over them. Insecurities come in many forms, and some of the most common among women stem from their bodies, careers, intelligence, age, and relationships. One thing that has caused this is that, at times, we are always trying to reach perfection. Now that people are showing us their perfect lives on social media, however, perfection is not a real thing one can achieve, no matter how hard one tries. This leads people to develop very low self-esteem or a sense of inadequacy. According to psychologists, the top three insecurities women face are beauty, relationships, and intellectual ability. Beauty is a huge problem because women look at themselves with the hardest eyes and can become very harsh on themselves and feel as if they are not good enough because of their fisical appearance, this is a very hard balance because if there are certain procedures that make you feel amazing about yourself such as botox and facials you can use them but it is also important to understand and see your imperfections as something you can use to your advantage and embrace it because this are the things that actually make you unique you should be secure in your insecurities if that makes fence because it makes you unique, it is also very important to look at some of our inside qualities because beauty and fiscal appearances can leave and it is important to be secure on something other than that. Secondly women feel insecure about relationships women feel insecurity and as if they are not wanted or loved in a relationship, there is also the problem that women start to compare themselves as human beings we focus more on what we are missing than the things we have swell as looking for our partner to validate us instead of working on the reason why we might have our own insecurities to begin with we want to find security through them and in order to try to fix this we need to try to exercise actually self love and compassion for ourselves it is okay to not be perfect and to make mistakes without hurting ourselves or feeling as if we are not enough and out self worth is wrapped around that, one way this psychologist suggests we do this is through a confidence file whenever you are feeling insecure and as if you are not good enough you can bring it out and let it remind you of all your positive qualities instead of just your negative qualities, another insecurity I have seen in women is the lack of having a partner at a certain time as if they are not good enough if they are not married at a certain moment in their lives or as if they do not have a partner and this makes them less worthy but I believe this is something that is more cultural than others because women are valuable if they have a man next to them. The third and last one is women’s intellectual ability and how they feel insecure when they feel they have nothing to say or that what they are saying is not worth it. Women feel insecure for many other reasons, but whenever this happens, it is important to realize that everyone has their own insecurities and their own stories they are telling themselves to deal with them, but it is important to focus on hugging and loving your own insecurities because they are not even imperfections, they are what make you yourself.

This is a book I am currently reading that was recommended by one of my instructors, and I have realized there is so much behind people who have a problem with food, especially at a young age. This is the autobiography of a child actress, best known for her work in Scarily, in which she recounts her life and her childhood and career. She expresses how she really never wanted to be an actress it was her moms dream and she had such a crippling fear of not being enough for her mom since her mom made herself her best friend and was an extremely ill woman in more ways than one and had a dependency to her children and lived in fear swell as through manipulation to her children that she had been sick and it was gods miracle that she was alive. Her mother did not care what her child wanted, since her child always went along with whatever her mother wanted to make her happy, and just went along without being truthful to herself. She always felt a fear that she would be a disappointment to her mother and a fear of not making her happy, I believe, because her mother did not have the self-esteem to be herself and put everything onto her children and wanted to live life through them; however, this created a pattern of abuse. Her mother started to use food as a bargaining tool so if she did well in an acting audition she would tell her daughter they could go get ice cream but if this did not happen then this would not be a possibility, she also gave her child dangerous sports drinks for a child her age to get her to preform in the way it was asked such as sugar free Red Bulls to make sure she had energy. Her mother also was always tampering her appearance in order to try to make her natural beauty perfect which ment they would go through maintenance trip and as Net was a child she Never understood why her natural beauty was not good enough at it always had to be enhanced which from experiences I have heard from other people it is something that is very common in a lot of cultures and parents are always trying to make their children as perfect as possible instead of letting them be as they are naturally. Even though some people would be concerned with some of Nets behavior and say that she might have OCD her mother could not tolerate her child being anything other than perfect which lead to a lot of issues because some times as parents you have to realize your children imperfections and let them be or get them the help they need such as Net might have needed a therapist but because of her mothers fears it was something that was taken away or an opportunity she was not given.

This is a movie with depicts a girl going through anorexia and entering her last chance clinic since she has been sick for a long time and does not understand why she can’t just stop however an interesting piece of the movie is the fact that she is an artist and she has gone viral for her drawings and depictions however a girl suffering through an eating disorder killed herself after seeing one of her drawings and I want to look more into that and seeing how some creative expression can actually make things worse before they become any better and seeing different things that keep on happening through similar things such as ana sights and support groups to help people get thinner and show inspiration which is very complicated and shows how things can be used in more than one way and you have to be careful.

https://allyz.cargo.site/the-starving-artist

This are some of the pieces done by the artist Ally Zlatar who shows her own experience through eating disorders she suffers from personally. She suffered through eating disorders since the age of 13 and got officially diagnosed at the age of 17 with Anorexia specifically with the subgroup of binge and purge but it later on developed into bulimia at the age of 19 and orthorexia when she was 20 which has showed not just her relationship with food but with her body image and the way she sees herself. She talks about how she did not feel as if the consequences were seen in her body and the physical consequences but the emotional and psychological problems she feels her art and her book has given not just herself a voice but other people suffering through this and see it in a different perspective as an illness. She speaks about her illness as ‘inner torment’ and how living with this illnesses is somewhat unbearable and how she really struggled in expressing going through this and how it impacts her life and other people see themselves when they are sick.Her art represents her personal experience and she wants to show her body through her art work.

She expresses how people living outside an eating disorder consider them to be simple and that people suffering through them are just choosing to cut calories and trying to be thin and trying to hold some sort of control over their own lives. However when this people understand that it is actually an illness were they are trapped inside their own bodies. She expressed how she can’t separate herself to her eating disorder it is intertwined.

https://www.iadb.org/en/news/eating-disorders-public-health-emergency#:~:text=Medellín:%20anorexia%20and%20bulimia%20capital,10.2%20percent%20in%20the%20US.

Even though this is an old article it is showing the way that the town I want to be doing my interventions in has a serious problem. One of the main thing that they talk about is the fact that even though people think that this is a problem in upper economic circle it is actually a problem in lower income groups as well and it is a women struggle because only 2% of women around the world are able to look at themselves in the mirror and say that they are beautiful which speaks a lot about self esteem.From all of the problems surrounding food in the world we can see that it is not just a problem of women becoming extremely thin but the opposite as well showing the fact that 10% of women world wide become obese, 3.7% suffer from Anorexia Nervosa, 4.2% bulimia nervosa and 5% binge eat. This stats are outdated and they have more then doubled in the past two decades and have had a great effect of self esteem and women feeling ashamed of their bodies and not playing a part of everyday life.

In this article Medellin is called the anorexia and bulimia capital of the world, in the past it was known as the fashion capital of latin America and held the world record of eating disorders were 17.7% of girls suffer through eating disorders. A doctor decided to start chnages having to do with this called project skinny and have worked with many girls and exposed the problem through the city clearly this intervention has had little to offer effect seeing as how many girls are now suffering through eating disorders but because of fears of speaking about it and feeling it only looks a very specific way there have been many problems and I have to see how I can actually make my intervention one that might actually work and not be passed by as this intervention was.

https://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2025/dec/body-image-issues-adolescence-linked-depression-adulthood

In this article from UCL talks about the fact that when young girls have low self esteem or issues with their bodies they start to see symptoms of eating disorders or depression when they become adults. This was a research study which was completed in 2,000 twins within England and it is used in order to understand how people not being happy with their bodies can effect their life latter on swell as looking at genetic and cultural reasons why this might be happening.

During this research it was found that the girls that suffered from dissatisfaction by the age of 16 are more affected in order to get an eating disorder and depression by the time they turn 21 this is still while looking at genetics and family background (I think this would be important for me to look at because I believe that most of the problem I see in Colombia it is cultural).

The reason why this test was so important was because when researching on twins was to compare identical twins who are practically the same and with fraternal ones share at least half. They used this in order to make sure that genetics is different from environmental factors. Most of the body dissatisfaction is based or explained by genetic factors and the rest by the environment they grow up in, for example life experiences.

It is not just something that happens with girls but with boys as-well but it is much higher in girls. What researchers think is the fact that society puts pressure on girls to have perfect bodies and there are unrealistic body standards especially when it comes to being thin and tiny (weight and shape).

The way that they suggest this is combated in the way that there should be regulation in social media and what people are allowed to see and the promotion of unrealistic and perfect bodies, no ideal weight when it comes to people and basing things on activities. There is also a lot of peer pressure, bullying and exposure to the supposed ideal body for girls.

This is the story we are hearing more and more about each day about how there are some genetic components as well as how life looks like and see the way that there are changes in how girls and boys can grow up without feeling pressures about their bodies but this will never go away because they see the bodies of others around them such as their parents and friends who have different genetics and experiences.