The entire entry at OED is worth reading, and it prompts a few thoughts on my end:
1) We love anorexia riffs. Obesity, not so much.
Why the casual co-opting of anorexia while leaving obesity alone? It's not like we as a culture shy away from poking fun at fat people. I think it's because even as our culture pities the anorexic, we're also more eager to identify with her—and diminish her. Developing an acute case of "bridorexia" sounds better than developing "bridesity," though certainly it's not unheard of for women to gain weight before their wedding from stress-related overeating. We may cluck at the former, but we ignore or shame the latter; we can't glamourize it with a sweet little suffix. A better term for tanorexia might be willful path to melanoma, but tanorexia is adorable and sort of harmless. As seriously as we take anorexia, we're also eager to belittle it by making it seem as optional as teeth-whitening. We affix the -orexia because that signals that it's a compulsion—but a cute, girlish compulsion. It's the -ette, -ina, and -trix of disease suffixes.
2) Our bodily attentions are fickle.
Notice when mentions of both obesity and anorexia dropped? Right around when the stock market did. This makes sense, of course—the economy was in crisis, and frankly it felt more important to focus on what was happening with the S&P 500 than with our bodies. (In an oddly refreshing twist, I remember losing my job in October 2008 and suddenly realizing that after a week of mourning, freaking out, and drinking, for the first time since 1983 I'd gone seven days without giving the size of my body a single thought.) But it also points to how much "obesity crisis" reporting boils down to a trend piece. I'd wager that, ironically, eating disordered behavior—both the kind that results in obesity, and the kind that results in anorexia—increased during this time, as stress of any kind is a primary trigger for eating disorders.
3) Obesity comes in His & Hers colors.
The Oxford English Dictionary graph got me thinking about the relatively sudden shift from fat as an appearance issue to obesity as a health issue. I see the relatively recent emphasis on body size as a marker of health—as opposed to simply a marker of hot-or-not—as being designed in part to create a fact-based path to reprimand heavy people for their size. There's no doubt in my mind that this is gendered: We as a culture love to examine women's bodies, and having a "legitimate" reason to do so—I'm just worried about your health, honey—gives us carte blanche. Look at the incidence of the term "fat women" and "obese women" as opposed to "fat men" and "obese men", as charted through uses in all Google Books published between 1950 and 2008:
If this were truly a case of reconsidering the term fat, or of the heightened cases of the medical term obesity (which only means "excessively fat," after all), or of a shift in the way that we report and record these terms, the charts would look roughly similar for both sexes. But they don't: We suddenly found a lot more "obese" women to write about (she-besity?) compared to steady numbers of "fat" women, whereas in the mid-'80s, we started writing about "fat men" and "obese men" as if they were one and the same.
Regardless of how you feel about the term fat—or obese, big, heavy, plus, zaftig, or slender, trim, thin, or skinny—data like this points to how what we're describing with these terms often isn't really a body at all. We're judging our fears and desires alongside the target's shape and size; we're evaluating our cultural attachments to bodies, not the bodies themselves. Once we're able to step back and see that, I'm guessing we'll be one step closer to not judging one another's bodies at all.
"No doubt in my mind that this is gendered: We as a culture love to examine women's bodies, and having a "legitimate" reason to do so—I'm just worried about your health, honey—gives us carte blanche." AMAZING! Very well-stated. I honestly believe that is one of the biggest lies for-profit industries use to convince women their appearance is a health issue. We see this over and over again in the diet and weight loss industry, women's magazines (as you know all too well), especially "fitness" magazines, etc., where thinness is extreme thinness (and cellulite-less-ness and smoothness and curviness...) is portrayed as optimum health for women. And for men, they're just fine how they are as long as medical indicators like cholesterol and blood pressure are in check. This is such a profit-driven crime. THANK YOU for writing so insightfully about this! You are amazing.
ReplyDelete-Lindsay
BeautyRedefined.net
Just weird: I prefer the original "anorectic" which fell off in use.
ReplyDeleteLindsay and Lexie, I feel like I've seen a major shift in the past 12 years (the length of my career thus far) in how weight is treated by women's magazines--there is MUCH more emphasis on "health" now, which should be a good thing, but the net effect is the same on the street as far as body image goes. (And I love the phrase "profit-driven crime" for this...)
ReplyDeleteDoll, we should bring "anorectic" back. It's close to "apoplectic," which we should also bring back, oui?
read this article earlier and thought about this post, maybe you have seen it - but if not have a looksie! http://www.huffingtonpost.com/galia-slayen/the-scary-reality-of-a-re_b_845239.html
ReplyDeleteGood point re: apoplectic! I think I'm just a word nerd, so apoplexy = apoplectic, and anorexia = anorectic.
ReplyDeleteThere's a great use of the word in Norman Rush's "Mating," which I'll have to look up but is near verbatim here: "The dominant female types in America are either gaunt, anorectic women jogging themselves into amenorrhea or women so fat they can barely push one thigh past the other when it comes time to locomote." #sadstateofwomen'shealth
Fonda, that is downright frightening! Frankenbarbie!
ReplyDeleteDoll, I was surprised just now to learn that "anorectic" is also the proper term for a medicine that causes decreased appetite (though I've never actually heard it used that way).
if you want to grab free hack and cheat tool then click at the link to free tools to gems and coins for brave frontier game online.visit us.
ReplyDeleteNothing cant be bettr place for cheats for boom beach . Visit this link to grab all these for free.
ReplyDeleteJust an awesome one.....Weekend Getaways from Delhi are just like the best site for you to enjoy holidays..
ReplyDeleteSimply an amazing posting....Day Outing near Delhi
ReplyDeleteNice posting....Day Outing near Delhi
ReplyDeleteSuch an awesome posting...Tree House Resort
ReplyDeleteTree House Resort Jaipur
I just want to let you know that I just check out your site and I find it informative and very interesting.
ReplyDeleteWe have numerous options for weekend getaways from Delhi, you will definitely love them all. Holiday destinations where everyone wants to escape for relaxation. Weekend getaways near Delhi have handpicked selection, offering that very luxury resorts for unforgettable lively experience. These destination are simply fantastic, mind-blowing offering adventure with best places near Delhi.
ReplyDeletehttp://resortsneardelhi.in/weekend-getaway.html
Lovely post
ReplyDeleteLemeridian, Jaipur, is among the most loving places in Jaipur. It is a place where luxury and comfort go hand in hand. Over the years, it has emerged as the most visited place by the tourists
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing this valuable information.
ReplyDeletePicnic spots near delhi
Lovely Post
ReplyDeleteI value the post.Really looking forward to read more. Much obliged.
ReplyDeleteIndependence Day vacation packages near delhi
This is incredible! Really amazing.
ReplyDeleteterraces kanatal
Really informative article post.Thanks.
ReplyDeleteApartment for Rent in Gurgaon
I like this post. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteResorts Near Delhi
We are the leading realtor in Gurgaon with the best options when it comes to rent, resale, new bookings and sale of properties in and around the Gurgaon region
ReplyDeleteApartments for rent in Gurgaon
Really informative blog article.Thanks. Keep writing.
ReplyDeleteResorts Near Delhi
I am looking forward to know more information coming from you. It is really nice to know it.
ReplyDeleteSpecial Offers for Long Weekend
There might be differing reasons behind the such attempts.
ReplyDeletecrack facebook password
201592dogndong
ReplyDeletecheap ugg boots
michael kors outlet online
rolex watches outlet
michael kors handbags
ray-ban sunglasses
michael kors outlet
marc jacobs
instyler curling iron
louis vuitton
air max uk
michael kors outlet online
ralph lauren uk
polo ralph lauren
louis vuitton
louis vuitton
coach factory outlet
nike trainers
louis vuitton handbags
louis vuitton handbags
nike air max
polo ralph lauren
ray ban sunglasses
replica watches
hollister,hollister co,hollister jeans,hollister.com,hollister ca,hollister clothing
coach factorty outlet
cheap vans shoes
louis vuitton handbags
longchamp handbags
north face jackets
prada
oakley outlet
michael kors outlet
barbour coats
louis vuitton
If you are looking Best Packers and Movers so Just Visit At:
ReplyDeletePackers and Movers Pune
Packers and Movers Thane
Packers and Movers Ghaziabad
Packers and Movers Faridabad
Thanks for sharing your info. I really appreciate your efforts and I will be waiting for your further write
ReplyDeletePackers and Movers in Bangalore
Packers and Movers in Pune
Packers and Movers in Hyderabad