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Eating Disorders in the Spotlight
An Interview With Eve Eliot
In general, beauty is anything that is the opposite of death. A field full of tall corn is experienced as beautiful, because it can feed us amply and food means life. A similar field all parched and with nothing growing in it to eat is not seen as beautiful. Things that are old, dirty or worn are not considered beautiful because they indicate that time has passed, and the passage of time scares people because it reminds us we are closer to death. Clothing with stains and worn-out places give us the willies, and rooms in which the paint is peeling are not considered pretty because worn out paint means we are wearing out along with it.
In our highly technical affluent societies, the definition of beauty is more complex because survival is defined differently than just being able to have babies and feed them. No longer does survival have to do with access to food, the ability of women to produce progeny and the ability of men to support them. Women support their own progeny, and survival is more related to whether we can afford fuel to keep warm. Value is hooked into the system of supply and demand in which what is scarce is what is considered valuable and therefore beautiful. An antique – worn and dirty and, of course, old – is considered beautiful because it is rare, and scarcity makes things valuable.
Want to see more?
- The Big Fat Truth: Is Obesity a Disease?
- Walking a Thin Line: Recognizing and Preventing Eating Disorders in Your Teen
- Hope for Overweight Teens
- Carrying the Weight: Helping Your Overweight Child
- Read more about Eve Eliot here.
- Have a question for Eliot? Ask it here!
- Making Fitness a Family Issue: Setting You and Your Children on the Path to Health
