Eating disorders pose hazards
By Denise Grant
Of the Emerald
Twenty years ago, young women who were
concerned with their appearence primped their
hair and wore the latest in clothing fashions. But
many of today’s young women feel more compell
ed to focus on their figures. Magazine covers
feature attractive models who have “ideal”
bodies that are often 10-20 pounds below an
average person's weight.
This “thin” consciousness has led to the
growing problem of eating disorders, says
Michelle Lalouche, counselor for the University
Counseling Center’s eating disorder support
group.
Bulimia and anorexia nervosa have been in
terfering with many women's normal eating pat
terns for many years, but the surge in cases has
brought the problem out of the closet, Lalouche
says.
Lalouche explains that 25 percent of all col
lege females are victims of some type of eating
disorder. In addition to living under an extreme
amount of stress, college women also are very
appearance-conscious. Lalouche and others
believe these are just some of the reasons a large
number of women suffer from eating disorders.
And it is this “societal pressure” that is caus
ing more and more women to go to lengths to lose
weight, she says. One such example is the typical
lifestyle of many sororities, she says.
"There is a lot of pressure to eat, like at social
functions, formal dinners, beer gardens. But there
is also pressure to be thin,” Lalouche says.
Thus, bulimia is the more common of the two
afflictions among college women because of the
contradiction of increased eating while trying to
stay thin, Lalouche explains.
Bulimia is characterized by “binge” eating
followed by self-induced vomiting to prevent
gaining weight. On the other hand, an emotional
or psychological aversion to food causes those
suffering from anorexia nervosa to literally starve
themselves into sometimes fatal thinness.
Liver disorders, weakness, kidney failure,
low self-esteem, skin and hair problems and
eventually cardiac failure are only a few of the
problems that can occur in an anorectic or
bulimic person.
The central problem of the person with an
eating disorder isn't food, but is more directly
related to poor self-esteem and unrealistically
high self-expectations, says Jean Rubel, president
of Anorexia Nervosa and Related Eating
Disorders, a Eugene-based information and
support-group organization. Other key factors in
clude the desire to gain recognition and a struggle
to win power, control and approval, Rubel says.
Eating disorders are more common among
women than men, as less than 10 percent of men
are reported as having eating disorders. But
Lalouche says that the rising belief that “muscles
are in” has lead to an increase in eating disorders
among men.
“In the next year we expect to see more men.
There isn’t a lot of research done on men yet, but
there is a growing social pressure put on men,”
Lalouche says.
In recent years, the awareness of eating
disorders has increased and more cases have sur
faced, Lalouche says. More and more women are
realizing that they are not alone, and help has
become more readily available. The counseling
center now sponsors an on-campus eating
disorders support group.
Each term, the center receives 10-15 calls
from people seeking help, Lalouche says. The
group is limited to eight people, but the
counselors try to advise as many of the phone
callers as possible, she says.
Concerned students must call the center
within the first few weeks of the term if they want
to be in the group due to its limited size. And
Lalouche says a second group has started from the
overflowing waiting list of callers.
The center also offers a 24-hour crisis line for
any kind of problem at 686-4488. The Counseling
Center daytime number is 686-3227.
Anorexia Nervosa and Related Eating
Disorders offers literature, speeches,
bibliographies and other reading materials. The
organization also offers a support group for peo
ple with eating disorders and another one for
their parents and partners.
“ANRED has been growing by leaps and
bounds,” Rubel says. The organization helps
about 5,000 to 7,000 people a year, either victims
or concerned individuals, she says. For more in
formation about ANRED, call 344-1144 or write to
ANRED, P.O. Box 5102, Eugene 97405.
Lalouche says the Counseling Center wants
to get the message out that help is available and
that people with a problem need to seek it.
“We can’t do anything until they come to
us,” Lalouche says. “But we want them to know
that there is help.”
Party marks sign’s leave
The official whitewashing of
the EMU “statement of pur
pose" sign begins this morning
in the EMU lobby at 9 a.m., and
members of the Women’s Refer
ral and Resource Center are
holding a “taking down” party
and discussion session in honor
of the event.
According to Patt Olson, ad
ministrative secretary, the sign
covered wall will be repainted
half a section at a time to keep
disturbance in the EMU to a
minimum today. Olson adds
that the painting should be
finished during the Thanksgiv
ing holiday break, if not by
tomorrow.
Adell McMillan, EMU direc
tor and board member, says the
board has arranged to have a
picture taken of the sign to put
in the University Archives.
The EMU board members
voted unanimously Thursday to
have the sign removed, almost a
year after the initial controversy
began. The sign, written by
William C. Jones, has been call
ed “sexist” by critics because of
particular wording it contains.
During the past year, various
women’s activists protested the
sign’s wording, covering the
words “men” and “man’s”
with ‘‘women’’ and
“women’s.”
Both students and faculty are
invited to attend the informal
party, which will begin shortly
before Physical Plant employees
start painting.
Families protest
kids’ ‘war’ toys
Plastic soldiers, guns and
other “military toys” will be
condemned by protestors of all
ages at noon Friday in front of
Toys ‘R’ Us, located in the
Valley River Annex. Families
For Survival, a group of about
120 families working for future
peace, will meet toy shoppers at
the store on what is expected to
be the busiest shopping day of
the year, and will carry signs
with messages such as “Our
Children Are Our Future —
Don’t Buy Military Toys.”
The purpose of the protest is
to urge parents to give their
children peaceful toys for the
holidays.
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Academy Award winner Giorgio Moroder presents Fritz Lang's dassk vision of
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Directed by FRITZ LANG music GIORGIO MORODER Lyrics PETE BELLOTTE
Songs performed by PAT BENATAR-BILLY SQUIER-JON ANDERSON
ADAM ANT-BONNIE TYLER-FREDDIE MERCURY-LOVERBOY
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EMU Cultural Forum presents
Mr. Valery Belokurov
A Soviet Vice Consul
A Discussion of
The State of
SOVIET/AMERICAN
RELATIONS
Monday, November 26
8:00 p.m.
Gerlinger Lounge