By: Karen L. Smith, MSS, LSW

Mary Kate Olsen has reportedly entered treatment for an Eating Disorder; a brave and honorable act. Now, if we could just change society before she gets out.

Eating Disorders don't happen in a vacuum. Unlike other mental health diagnoses, such as depressions and anxieties, which have appeared in writings throughout history, whether as 'melancholy' or 'nervous conditions', eating disorders have only occurred in significant proportions a few times in history, in a handful of cultures. We are in the middle of perhaps the most pervasive epidemic in documented history, and as Americans, at the center of its genesis.

Nor are Eating Disorders peculiar phenomena that occur outside the grasp of the average American, despite our insistence that "we just don't understand why anyone would do that". We all know exactly what a woman means when she walks into a room and says "I was so good today"; she ate nothing, or little, and as a society, we value, praise, and admire that. When we see a friend who has lost a significant amount of weight, we don't ask them if they have been ill, depressed, or so overwhelmed they were unable to eat; we give them congratulations and tell them that they look great. We covet the "self-control" and "willpower" to restrict food intake sufficient for weight loss. We try to cover our overwhelming desire to be thin when we are on a weight loss diet by saying "I just want to be healthier". Let's be clear; nobody eats steak and cheese day in and out for health.

If as a society we venerate extreme thinness in women, then the self-starvation that our current beauty standard requires for most women, will result in some women falling into emaciation and the behaviors that support it. If self-control is demonstrated in women by a willingness and ability to self deprive through starvation, then why shouldn't powerhouses like Mary Kate show their strength through dominance over the bodies.

Mary Kate is nothing if not a great role model for young girls, and this event will not hinder that. There is no shame in falling victim to an Eating Disorder. The shame is in the society that encourages and supports them.

Karen L. Smith, MSS, LSW is a Clinical Social Worker and Director/Founder of Full Living: Resources for Celebrating Body/Self, which offers national consulting services to organizations/schools/clinics. She speaks nationally on the topics of Eating Disorders, Body Image, Sexuality, Sexual Orientation and Gender, and maintains a private outpatient practice in Philadelphia.
She can be reached at www.fullliving.com.

Copyright © 2003, 2004, Karen L. Smith, MSS, LSW.
All Rights Reserved.