Coping with and Combating Eating Disorder Culture in College
As the weather is getting warmer and bikini season is lurking around the corner, the pressure to “look fit” is building in college atmospheres. Today’s society breeds young adults to pit themselves against one another, constantly comparing each other’s bodies and appearances on social media. Students are made to feel like they have to fit a mold of what society deems attractive. On top of this, there are numerous other factors that contribute to a college culture that enables disordered eating.
*This article will explain the different triggers that exist in a college setting and provide information on what you can do to cope and combat them.
First, let’s share some stats:
An estimated 30 million Americans will struggle with an eating disorder in their lifetime
⅓ (or 12-25%) of people with an eating disorder will never seek treatment
According to the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders (ANAD), at least one person dies every 62 minutes as a direct result from an eating disorder
10-20% of women and 4-10% of men on college campuses are affected by eating disorders
40% if incoming freshmen already struggle with disordered eating
These numbers already exist at alarming rates and are only increasing. For that reason, it is so important that we educate ourselves to understand the severity of these diseases and be able to recognize them. I had the pleasure of speaking to my lifelong best friend, Katie Goddard, who struggles with anorexia, and she shared authentic experiences about eating disorder culture in college.
Katie taught me about the different triggers that exist on a college campus that perpetuate eating disorders.
The first one, and arguably the most important to be aware of, is disordered eating language that is normalized on a college campus. She explained that “there is never really an appropriate time to talk about how little you ate that day or are how full you are; you do not need to comment on that because you never know what will trigger someone or how it will affect them.” Here are some examples of disordered eating language that you should keep in mind:
“Freshman 15” or “Sorority 40”
These terms act as a big cloud hanging over young adults as they try to adjust to new lifestyles. Going to college and/or joining a sorority is a big life adjustment and vocabulary such as this applies additional pressure to an already really stressful time in one’s life. Not to mention, college students are at an age where their bodies are changing and growing and it is completely normal to gain a little weight!
“Pulling trig”
Making yourself throw up is not a casual thing and should not be treated as such! Anyone who is struggling with bulimia and is actively struggling to not make themselves throw up can be very triggered by hearing or seeing someone else do it.
Casually bringing up how you didn't eat today
It may be normal to you to not eat a lot in a day, but that is your business not anyone else’s. People don’t care if you only drank coffee today! Hearing about this can seriously affect someone who is struggling and speaking of it is enforcing that type of abnormal eating behavior. Do not romanticize eating disorders!
Another trigger that Katie and I talked about is the college environment, especially if you rely on going to the dining halls for your meals. Katie shared that if you are someone that gets anxiety about going to the dining halls alone then you are more likely to just not go to the dining hall at all. That habit can lead you to fall into a restrict/binge eating cycle where you can go full days without eating anything at all. A way to combat this to keep some food in your dorm room and to find friends that have similar schedules that you can grab meals with. Another aspect of the college environment is that you are surrounded by all new people that you are not used to. At home, you grew up around the same people and have gotten used to seeing what everyone looks like. Katie told me that it was shocking when she got to college and everyone had the same body of type of being stick-thin. She felt pressured to fit in with that look and it was hard to be surrounded by. It is so important to recognize that you do not know everyone’s story- someone can naturally be very tiny and struggle to gain weight while a different person might workout everyday.
The last trigger to be aware of regarding eating disorder culture in college is the social scene. It is so normalized at college to not eat a lot during the day to prepare for going out. Students will intentionally eat very little so that they can save money on drinks later or have more fun. This is dangerous for so many reasons! Your body needs food, especially if you plan on drinking later. You can end up getting way too drunk and putting yourself in a harmful situation. Additionally, people refrain from eating so that they can look good in their party clothes later that night. Let us break it to you- you will still look AMAZING, even if you have that extra slice of pizza. I understand it is hard to feel that sometimes, and it is so easy to be critical of the way your body looks but that is not what is important. You are not going out to try to look like a runway model, you’re going to let loose and to have fun!
College culture can be extremely toxic towards eating disorders and it is way too easy to fall into a routine of not taking proper care of yourself. Food is fuel! Your body is incredible and it deserves to be treated as such. If you are struggling do not be afraid to reach out! Every campus is equipped with professionals to handle eating disorders. Reach out to your friends, family and the resources at your school.
Here is a link for anyone struggling: https://www.bulimia.com/topics/eating-disorder-hotline/