My take on it is that elite athletes are very driven. I think this is a fair assumption, being that you probably have to be driven to rise to that level of athleticism. Being a driven person myself, I would say that there is the risk of being very self-critical, intense, perfectionistic, and anxious when you are high-achieving and have standards and expectations that make it hard for you to sleep at night (on that note, does anyone else wonder how these athletes get to bed the night before a big event? I would be tossing and turning). The personality traits that come with being driven are common in most people who struggle with anorexia, so it makes sense that there would be a higher population of people with anorexia in elite sports. Similarly, there is probably a higher population of people with anorexia in the top levels of any career.
As I've said before, I see eating disorders as very complex mental illnesses. It's not as simple as saying, "Well, she felt pressure to be thin, so she became anorexic." I never felt pressure to be thin. Anorexia, for me, was about coping with anxiety and depression. It wasn't a diet gone wrong. I've been a little disappointed with some of the NEDA advertising. There is a slogan going around that says, "Every body is beautiful." Well, yes, of course, but this makes it seem like the key to overcoming eating disorders is body love. I never really hated my body. It may appear that way since I treated it so poorly, but I was really just trying to manage myself. If anything, I felt apathetic toward my body, annoyed with my physical existence. Seeing my body as beautiful doesn't really make the driving force of anorexia go away at all. Saying "every body is beautiful" is like countering my depression with "every cloud has a silver lining." Well, yes, duh, but there's still this funky wiring in my brain.
Anyway, relating back to the Olympics, if there are eating disorders amongst high-level athletes, I don't think the sports are to blame; I think it's the personality types that would reach that level of excellence. Furthermore, I don't think size standards in sports are all that awful or appalling. A comment to a figure skater that she needs to "tone up" could very well trigger an eating disorder, I suppose, but only if that skater was already predisposed. I'm sure there are plenty of athletes who hear this sort of thing, shrug, and think, "Yeah, this is just part of my sport. I need to be in better shape to skate my best." My sister has a good friend who is an actress and was recently told by her agent to "tone up," and it didn't affect her psyche at all. She just said, "Yeah, I'm an actress, I need to for these particular parts I want." Just because gymnasts or horse jockeys are compact in size does not mean the sports are evil. I was in gymnastics for years and I just got too tall. It's physics. I was a head above other girls, so when I was up on the beam, my center of gravity was higher. I had more chance of falling (which I did). On floor, I had 5 feet 11 inches of body to flip around. It's unlikely I would be able to do the same skill as someone who is 4'6" and half my weight. Smaller women are more likely to be successful in that sport. I'm fine with this. Maybe I should have gone into beach volleyball, though I hate sand. Or basketball, though I hate...basketball.
I guess I don't think sports are really about being a certain size; they're about achievement. If higher achievement is associated with being a certain size, I can see where things get confusing. And these athletes do perform under enormous pressure (self-imposed and external), and they may abuse their bodies in attempts to excel more (which, for a few, could lead to an eating disorder if they already have the makeup for that). Mostly, though, sports have always been good for my self-esteem. I feel they're about being healthy and strong, not thin. According to this article, skier Lindsey Vonn's weight and height put her at the high end of the "recommended BMI," but she's a world-class skier, navigating twists and turns, going 80 miles per hour down hills. She needs muscles. They benefit her. And she's touted as being the babe of the Olympics, by the way. According to this article from the NY Times, ice dancer Tanith Belbin was encouraged to gain weight so she'd have more speed and power on the ice and, when she did, she said it changed her performance for the better.
All in all, I love the Olympics. I get tired just watching cross-country skiers trudge up one hill. It doesn't make me feel guilty that I'm at home, on my couch, with a cat in my lap, looking forward to my nighttime snack. I don't have any athletic aspirations. I don't compare my body to those of Olympics athletes; I just like seeing what those bodies can do.
Have you been watching the Olympics? How do athletes affect your body image?
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Today's gratitude:
1. Our meeting with the mortgage lady went well yesterday. I think it encouraged both of us to be really grateful for our condo for now :) We have a lot of freedom without a hefty mortgage.
2. Hair appointment on Sunday. Not sure what to do, but I always love getting my hair done.
3. Women's figure skating finishes up tonight! I can't stay up that late, so DVR it is.
4. Larry! I love this guy.
5. My sister finally sent some pictures from our weekend. I realized there are none of her since she's the photographer, so it's just my mom, me, family dog Sammy, and the new puppy Sarah :)
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13 comments:
what a post - seriously - well said,,i dont go with the >beauty> thing either...for me...about sadness...nothing more..
i can relate to the athletics ..but not in the same way...too much to get in to or bore u with!
But what a great post Kim - lots to think on. Fantastic pphotos too.
I love the pictures! And I've never been athletic at all--I tried gymnastics and was terrible. And always watching the Olympics, as a kid, I felt bad that I couldn't do those kinds of things. I haven't really been watching this year--too busy mostly--but I think I've at least gotten over that bad feeling.
I can't say that I have been watching the Olympics. Although I can totally appreciate how much these athletes work towards their goals, I am not really a fan of sports in general. The five minutes of TV time that I have a day is usually spent on something completely mindless...like American Idol. Sorry!!
I can see how many athletes face eating disorders...I can't even imagine how much pressure they are under. I guess it is similar to modeling, it unfortunately goes with the territory.
Gorgeous pictures Kim. You look really happy.
This is very interesting, Kim. I think you are right to criticize the eating disorder awareness campaigns and journalistic reports on eating disorders as being too simplistic. I would agree that they tend to focus solely on concepts like "a diet gone bad" and poor body image, when your blog and your readers' experiences and a few studies I've read about suggest that anorexia is akin to an anxiety disorder. And no one would report on an anxiety disorder as "a To Do list gone bad." Ha!
But I think that in reminding us of this complexity, you are giving too easy an out to sports and other occupations that have a weight requirement, such as modeling and acting. There are a few sports that I can think of that have literal weight requirements, namely horseracing and boxing. I just can't imagine that any industry that requires a "one size fits all" approach to people's weight when everyone is different is healthy.
I did a quick Google search, and turned up an article from the Independent about a study done on jockeys and their incidence of anorexia. I thought it was very interesting, especially when coupled with what you've said about your own mood and ability to be healthy when you were at a low weight:
http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/racing/jockeys-run-risk-of-eating-disorders-in-bid-to-stay-slim-793964.html
The article suggests that there may be some sort of "priming the pump" that goes on with anorexia, similar to what happens with depression or anxiety. For example, a lot of people have family members who die, and some people cope with it and others develop clinical depression. The latter were predisposed in some way to being depressed, but certainly the loved one's death set in motion the mental health problem they developed. Perhaps similarly someone who begins to use restrict their food heavily in order to meet weight limits for their work may be setting in motion a chain of events in which the restriction itself becomes the problem.
And let me clear that I have NO PERSONAL OR MEDICAL EXPERIENCE WITH ANOREXIA and am just theorizing based on your posting and the article. So I could be getting it totally wrong but I think it is a really interesting question and worthwhile to think about.
so so so interesting. i definitely don't compare myself to athletes' physiques but i do admire their determination. that said, though, it is a bit intense and does remind me of my disordered thoughts. hmmm.....
I love the picture, they are beautiful! Looks like a great weekend. Thanks for checking out my blog too (and your e-mail), I definitely love reading your blog. And I think you should cut your hair short, I love changing my hair--and it always grows back! You'd look great with a Katie Holmes bob (before she had the pixie)! :) Just an idea. I'm sure you'll be beautiful no matter what, it's always fun getting your hair done.
First off, I have to say Sarah is such a cutie! Of course, you know I am a bit partial to Boxers. :-)
As for athletes and EDs and Olympics, you could get me going forever on this subject. With figure skating, I think you do see disordered eating more often. I read an article yesterday about figure skater Johnny Weir who eats practically nothing. He feels this works for him. In the past, Brian
Boitano has also talked about his struggles with food while competing. I think it just goes to show the food issues surrounding both male and female skaters.
During the ski jumping, the commentators also talked about the NY Times article of changing the BMI since so many male ski jumpers were starving themselves to fly high.
So with all this said though, I do agree with you that a lot has to do with the propensity towards an eating disorder and that those same traits are what make elite athletes. What worries me more about all these athletes, especially the young ones, is the immense amount of PRESSURE that these athletes feel for themselves, their coaches, their countries. It's one reason why I love when unconventional ways of approaching training--to provide a balance of work and fun are showcased.
Anyway, I'm going off on a tangent here. As for the slogan about everyone is beautiful, I agree and disagree. I can see how it seems like it simplifies EDs to just a vanity thing, but at the same time, I do think it is important as so many people do dislike their bodies. It would just be nice if this was pre-empted with saying this is not the only criteria to learning to get better.
First of all, love the pictures. Your family dog is just beautiful.
While I don't think that a sport "causes" an eating disorder, I do think that there are certain sports that might feed 'pre-existing' conditions. The book "Little Girls in Pretty Boxes" is definitely one-sided, but the New England Journal of Medicine published an article in 1996 about the "Physical and Emotional Problems of Elite Female Gymnasts" which I would be interested to read. While these may be dated (both from the 90's), there certainly are some sports where the pressure to LOOK a certain way is placed on the the athletes. Ice skating is a sport, I'll agree with that, but there is a certain amount of subjectivity because they are being judged. Yes, it's on their axels and loop-de-loops, but maybe also on the judges' perceptions of what a skater "should" look like, whereas Lindsey Vonn and Julia Mancuso can rely on a timer that tells them if they are faster than everyone else or not.
One LAST comment on athletics and eating disorders... People seem to focus on sports such as gymnastics and ice skating, but I knew guys in college who did ABSURD things because they were wrestlers and needed/wanted to fit a certain weight range. No doubt some boxers do the same, yet people don't immediately jump on the "wrestling and boxing are bad for boys' self-esteem" bandwagon.
I feel that I've contradicted myself here, but that's okay.
It's an interesting topic, and I don't think you can make a blanket statement about one sport. On the whole, I am a HUGE fan of the Olympics. What's not to like? Okay, plenty of things, but I've always been an Olympics addict.
I enjoyed this post a lot, Kim.
I agree that I think NEDA needs to tweak some of the slogans- it's no wonder why so many people correlate eating disorders with body dissatisfaction when it most of the time has to deal with far more complex issues- there really is a difference in body image from eating disorders and I'm glad you touched upon that.
Olympics- I'm saddened to say that this is the first year ever I haven't watched at all (it's difficult when you're in college and without your own TV)...oh well...I'm checking out the highlights at least.
I agree with you about how we should also acknowledge things besides body love for ED awareness. I was never overweight and never really had body image issues, I decided to change my diet to "be healthy", not to lose weight, at least at first, and it just took on a life of its own.
I haven't had a chance to watch any of the olympics this year, but in the past I felt like watching skating and even gymnastics was actually good for me...because those girls do indeed have muscle, and at least for me at the time I was usually way underweight, so it was slightly positive to see more robust specimens on there being gorgeous and athletic. Although I know many of them struggle with weight issues behind the scenes...have you read Little Girls in Pretty Boxes? I HIGHLY recommend it.
great post! i could definitely see how so many elite athletes could have eating disorders. there is SO much pressure for them to perform, in addition to looking a certain way.
and then what do they do after they retire? they are probably used to eating a lot of calories just so they can survive all the training, so how do you go back to eating like a normal person when you are not training like 8 hours a day?
Kim, I really loved this post. I will now tell you why:
-the puppy photos (obviously)
-you and your mom photos (your mom looks really young! be glad you got some of those genes!
-I love the Olympics too! D and I don't have a tv, so I have only caught glimpses here and there at work and at the gym, but I think the Olympics are a great testament to what bodies can do. To me, they are motivational--not triggering. I am in awe of what genetics, hard work/training, and resources (coaching, dietitians, etc) can produce. That being said, the countries participating in the Olympics fail to take a lifelong perspective when they work their athletes to their absolute physical limits. I see this even in in the lower levels of athletics--for example, my best friend in high school was our state champion for an individual sport and went on to play in college. She had played intensively since age 7 or 8, with the best private coaching available and MDs to monitor her progress, but by the time she was done with college, her body was broken. She probably won't be able to be active in older age. I think there is an element of the Olympics and other high levels of organized athleticism that emphasizes performance over lifelong health, which I find a little bit troubling, but not too troubling to sit back and enjoy the show :)
-Larry's shout out. I'm so glad you guys are back together!
I love the beautiful photos from the trip!
I only saw part of the Olympics, but did catch all of the talk about athlete weight... and kind of wished that it wasn't an issue, you know?
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