{"id":4366,"date":"2019-04-09T13:30:04","date_gmt":"2019-04-09T13:30:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/catalyst\/?post_type=project&p=4366"},"modified":"2019-04-09T18:21:15","modified_gmt":"2019-04-09T18:21:15","slug":"starving-for-likes","status":"publish","type":"project","link":"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/catalyst\/project\/starving-for-likes\/","title":{"rendered":"Starving for likes"},"content":{"rendered":"

[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ fullwidth=”on” _builder_version=”3.21″ custom_padding=”0|0px|0|0px|false|false”][et_pb_fullwidth_header title=”Starving for likes” subhead=”How Instagram is affecting the modern day eating disorder” header_fullscreen=”on” admin_label=”this is the intro” _builder_version=”3.21″ title_font=”||||||||” title_text_color=”#ffffff” title_font_size=”60px” title_line_height=”1.2em” title_text_shadow_style=”preset1″ content_font=”||||||||” content_font_size=”17px” subhead_font=”||||||||” subhead_font_size=”24px” subhead_text_shadow_style=”preset1″ background_image=”https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/catalyst\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/INSTA-MT.jpg” parallax=”on” parallax_method=”on” text_shadow_style=”preset1″]<\/p>\n

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By Meg Sutton and Sarah Tsounis<\/strong><\/p>\n

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When scrolling through your Instagram feed, you might see dogs so cute you could cry, your parents posting a selfie, evidence of your friends on their most recent night out, mouth-watering bowls of food \u2014 and bodies you wish were yours. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s funny. I\u2019ll take out my phone and start scrolling, then close it. And for some reason, unconsciously, I\u2019ll pull it out and scroll again within the next minute,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s like I\u2019m addicted to Instagram,\u201d described M.T., a Carleton University student in her early twenties who enjoys reading Harry Potter books and drinking strawberry slushies. She agreed to talk on a condition of anonymity.<\/span><\/p>\n

M.T. is one of a million Canadians who have struggled with an eating disorder \u2014 a mental illness which claims up to 1,500 lives across the country each year \u2014 as reported by the<\/span> National Eating Disorder Information Centre (NEDIC)<\/span><\/a>. For M.T., it\u2019s anorexia nervosa, and she\u2019s not alone in feeling that seeing \u201cthinspiration\u201d or \u201cfitspiration\u201d on Instagram has an impact on her well-being. <\/span><\/p>\n

For centuries, men and women have been pressured by society for their bodies to look a certain way \u2014 ideals which are constantly changing.<\/span><\/p>\n

Critics have argued Instagram posts promote these ideals, that they are \u201cpro-anorexia\u201d content, and that they encourage the development of body image issues and eating disorders as individuals attempt to meet extreme appearance goals.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The power of these images, according to experts at the NEDIC, lies also in the fact they facilitate online communities dedicated to promoting and reinforcing harmful or dangerous behaviour relating to one\u2019s view of themselves.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”2_5″ _builder_version=”3.21″][et_pb_tabs _builder_version=”3.21″][et_pb_tab title=”Anorexia Nervosa” _builder_version=”3.21″]<\/p>\n

According to the National Eating Disorder Information Centre, anorexia nervosa is a life-threatening mental illness typically characterized by the following characteristics:<\/p>\n

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  1. Persistent behaviours, like restricting food and obessively exercising, to obtain a low body weight<\/li>\n
  2. A fear of gaining weight or being ‘fat’<\/li>\n
  3. Body image disturbances, such as overestimating and negatively evaluating body weight and shape<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    [\/et_pb_tab][et_pb_tab title=”Bulimia Nervosa” _builder_version=”3.21″]<\/p>\n

    The National Eating Disorder Information Centre says Bulimia nervosa is a life-threatening mental illness characterized by a reccurent restricting, bingeing, and purging cycle. Individuals may go to extreme lengths to hide these behaviours.<\/p>\n

    Binge eating is consuming an unusually large amount of food in a short period of time.<\/p>\n

    Purging, which is meant to prevent weight gain\u00a0after bingeing, can involve excessive exercise, self-induced vomiting and misuse of laxatives.<\/p>\n

    [\/et_pb_tab][et_pb_tab title=”Self Objectification” _builder_version=”3.21″]<\/p>\n

    Self-objectification occurs when individuals treat themselves as objects to be viewed and evaluated based upon appearance.\u00a0Studies have shown that men report lower self-objectification than do women, but young male adults are becoming progressively more worried about their physical aspect.\u00a0In line with findings about women, men\u2019s self-objectification is correlated with lower self-esteem, negative mood, worse perceived health and disordered eating.<\/span><\/p>\n

    [\/et_pb_tab][et_pb_tab title=”Fitspiration” _builder_version=”3.21″]<\/p>\n

    There are currently more than 49 million posts, according to Instagram,\u00a0with the hashtag #fitspo \u2014 the shortened version of “fitspiration.”<\/p>\n

    The word is a blend that combines “fitness” and “inspiration.”<\/p>\n

    The intent behind fitspiration is to motivate people to exercise, eat well, and take care of their bodies.<\/p>\n

    [\/et_pb_tab][et_pb_tab title=”Thinspiration” _builder_version=”3.21″]<\/p>\n

    In the context of this article, “thinspiration” is used as a hashtag on Instagram. It typically\u00a0references something or someone that serves as motivation for another seeking to maintain a very low body weight. The Oxford Dictionary connects it directly to\u00a0content on social media related to anorexia nervosa behaviours.<\/span><\/p>\n

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    \u201cIt\u2019s funny. I\u2019ll take out my phone and start scrolling, then close it. And for some reason, unconsciously, I\u2019ll pull it out and scroll again within the next minute . . It\u2019s like I\u2019m addicted to Instagram\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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    As multiple research studies suggest Instagram is potentially detrimental for people who have or are at risk for an eating disorder, the social media company has taken action. In 2012, Instagram banned hashtags like #thinspo in its search engine, but just this year in 2019, after facing calls to strengthen its anorexia ban, users are now faced with a content warning when interacting with graphic body images. It\u2019s a first step on a complicated path to supporting people with eating disorders on social media.<\/span><\/p>\n

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    According to the NEDIC, Anorexia is a mental illness characterized by persistent behaviours involving weight maintenance, fear of weight gain, and an obscured sense of self. The causes, however, are not well-understood by medical experts. <\/span><\/p>\n

    \u201cAn array of biological, social, genetic, and psychological factors play a role in increasing the risk of its onset,\u201d the NEDIC states on its website.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Danielle Kinsey, a Carleton University professor studying the history of the body, said anorexia has existed since the 12th or 13th century. Saint Catherine of Siena, one of the most notable eating disorder examples from that era, denied herself food as part of a spiritual cleanse.<\/span><\/p>\n

    \u201cEating was seen as a form of indulgence, or a sin, so clergy members would restrict their intake in order to be considered purer within the church,\u201d Kinsey said. \u201cThink of the poor people already starving and begging for food rations. There was no way they were going to willingly give up a meal, unless it was for the church.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

    According to Kinsey, eating disorders remained a classist problem, recorded as mainly afflicting the elite until 1973 when a book on anorexia was published by psychoanalyst Hilde Bruch.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Bruch\u2019s book allowed the general public to become more familiar with eating disorder cases, and reported cases of anorexia nervosa, in particular, spread beyond the upper class, escalating in numbers through the 1970s and 1980s, Kinsey explained. <\/span><\/p>\n

    In a 2014 report<\/a> about the state of eating disorders among women and girls, the Public Health Agency of Canada revealed an overall incidence of 1.5 per cent in 2006 \u2014 the most recent data available. The report also points to the need for high-quality data on eating disorders.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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    The social media link<\/h3>\n

    Now, as many people are tethered to their smartphone, researchers are beginning to study how social media impacts eating disorders.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Andrea Lamarre, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Waterloo, focused on the representations and perceptions of eating disorder recovery for her PhD dissertation, and found social media could be problematic for individuals attempting to recover.<\/span><\/p>\n

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