“She began to be reassured by these pains, tangible symbols of her success in becoming thinner than anyone else. Her only identity was being “the skinniest.” She had to feel it.” -Steven Levenkron, Kessa. There may be whispers about that girl who fixes herself a salad with only vinegar, and suspicious glances at the one who spends forty-five minutes on the treadmill only to switch to the stationary bikes. Self-starvation and over exercising are both indications of anorexia nervosa. Anorexia is a deadly fear of getting fat, going to extremes to be bone skinny. The anorexic life consists of eating minimal calories, and rigorously exercising to burn them off. Anorexia nervosa is a disorder that needs more attention and more effort to be conquered.

“There is no magic cure, no making it all go away forever. There are only small steps upward; an easier day, an unexpected laugh, a mirror that doesn’t matter anymore.” -Laurie Halse Anderson, Wintergirls. Anorexia continuously affects girls between the ages of thirteen and nineteen. Usually, the disorder, like any other sickness as simple as a cold, commences with warning signs. The anorexic will have an intense fear of gaining weight, and will show persistent behaviour to prevent weight gain. Her self-esteem concerning her body will be supremely low. Instead of spending time with friends and family, she will preoccupy herself with thoughts of weight, food, calories, fat grams, and dieting. Anxiety about gaining weight, or being “fat” can be evident. Food rituals such as eating foods in a certain order or moving food around the plate can also be evident. Lastly, the anorexic may have an excessive and compulsive exercise regimen -despite weather, fatigue, illness, or injury, and they feel the need to “burn off” any calories taken in.

“Soon I’ll be thinner than all of you, she swore to herself. And then I’ll be the winner. The thinner is the winner.” -Steven Levenkron, The Best Little Girl in the World. Contrary to peoples beliefs, anorexia is not just a matter of coldness and dizziness. Anorexia nervosa features many symptoms such as yellowing skin, insomnia, intestinal problems, anemia, kidney stones, kidney failure, and bone loss. Ultimately, it can also lead to death. As the anorexic does not take in enough nutrients, their heart rate and blood pressure slow down to save energy. While the risk of heart failure rises, the heart rate and blood pressure sink lower and lower. Osteoporosis is apparent, which results in dry and brittle bones. Severe dehydration, fainting, fatigue, and overall weakness are pronounced. The anorexia nervosa sufferer, if in a serious state, may also have a growth of a downy layer of hair called lanugo all over the body, including the face, in an effort to keep the body warm.

“Anorexia is not an illness of the body; it is an illness of the mind.” -Lynn Crilly -Hope with Eating Disorders. The goal of most anorexics is to become skinny, because being thin will solve all their problems. Without their excess weight, they’ll become popular, pretty, and liked. They become so set on losing the weight, so focused on losing fat and burning off calories. Someone who was never in that situation would see it as focus. Anorexics are not focused; they’re trapped. They develop routines and rituals, constantly weighing themselves, watching what they eat, barely eating, always making comments about their weight. They’re a slave to their own eating disorder.

“Even the models we see in magazines wish they could look like their own images.” -Cheri K. Erdman. Only bones. Just bones. Odd angles where her elbows and knees should be; a small slope for her nose and hollows for her eyes. An unnaturally small waist, and bones and veins and more bones. Anorexia makes that happen. The girls that are trapped within this sickness don’t see the bones. They see the fat. They think that the more bones they see, the prettier they’ll get. You wouldn’t call a walking skeleton gorgeous. You’d tell her to eat more. Wrist sized thighs and cold skin shouldn’t be a goal on any girls’ bucket list.

“We turn skeletons into goddesses and look to them as if they might teach us how not to need.” -Marya Hornbacher, Wasted A Memoir of Anorexia and Bulimia. In conclusion, anorexia nervosa is a dangerous disorder that affects adolescents between the ages of thirteen and nineteen. 90-95% of anorexics are female. Anorexia is not just a matter of dizziness and coldness, but has many short-term and long-term symptoms. The victims of anorexia are not just suffering physically, but more mentally. They’re mind tells them they’re overweight, so their body suffers by starving. Being skinny does not solve any of their problems. Therefore, anorexia should be taken more seriously and be payed more attention.