As I walked through the throngs of people all rushing and pushing their way through the crowded halls of the mall, I wondered if maybe it wasn't the best idea to venture to the mall on Black Friday, simply to buy myself a toothbrush. However, an incident that happened to me that crazy day at the mall opened my eyes to an issue of which I was always aware, but never internalized. The topic of eating disorders which has consumed our nation over the last century and continues to spread with no hopeful end in sight.

After I bought my toothbrush I decided to stop off in Old Navy to check out the sales. I found a nice shirt and went to the dressing rooms to try it on. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed a small, frail, sickly looking girl sitting outside the dressing room stalls, apparently waiting for someone inside the rooms. After I tried on the shirt I walked out of my dressing room and noticed a vibrant pretty girl talking to the frail girl while looking at herself in the mirror, examining how she looked in the dress she had on. The girl was noticeably skinny, however despite that she was healthy looking and energetic. The next words which emerged from her mouth however shocked me. "I am soooo fat. What should I do!" Without a beat, the frail girl replied, "You need self control like me. I'll help you learn how to withstand all food temptation!" Disgusted and upset by the conversation between the two girls I walked out of the dressing room. However, that little exchange which I overheard opened my eyes to the eating disorder problem which surrounds our entire nation. I soon began to notice how many girls among my friends, neighbors, celebrities, and even strangers had this strong, self consuming desire to be thin.

That small encounter happened three years ago. A year later, my best friend developed an eating disorder, which personalized this disease for me even more. Therefore, if there was one scientific discovery I could make in my lifetime, it would be the biological causes of eating disorders. If the biological causes of eating disorders was known than their could be a possibility of medication for severe eating disordered patients, or a test that could be done to catch the disorder before it becomes a budding disease. In a survey done on first, second, and third grade girls, forty percent of the girls wished they could be thinner. A survey then done on ten year olds showed that eighty percent wanted to lose weight. The difference in age between the two groups is about two or three years, yet the difference in mind set and self image doubled.

I feel that there must be many steps taken to stop this epidemic, not only in scientific study of the disease, but in the views and standards of our western culture. Society must stop putting pressure on young girls to be thin to the point of starvation. However, I do also feel that steps should be taken scientifically in studying what causes this disease, and how it can be stopped. I would want to discover the biological cause for eating disorders, so I can stop this fatal disease from ravishing our communities' young girls and women, and repair the broken spirits and low self esteems of the many suffering girls in our midst.

My best friend, with a lot of therapy and encouragement from friends and family, was successful in her battle verse her eating disorder. She is a success story, however many are not. I hope that maybe one day this scientific discovery which I chose as my one lifetime scientific innovation becomes for me not just a topic for an essay, but a dream that is brought to reality.

Learn more about this author, Esther Feder.
Click here to send author comments or questions.

---

Add your voice

Know something about Thoughts on eating disorders among girls?
We want to hear your view. Write now!