in discussion Independent Reading Critical Reading Journal / Arlene M. » Lesson Learned
Wasted: A Memoir of Anorexia and Bulimia, by Marya Hornbacher, is a memoir that is not easily described with words and in a sense it is ineffable. The memoir touches so many different topics that are extremely relevant to society, to this day. I now understand the mentality and reasoning of individuals with eating disorders, much more clearly than I did before my completion of the book. Young females, and in some cases young males, strive to gain a certain image that places them in a "higher class," above the regular people. In our society, models are looked upon with admiration. Girls yearn to possess the thin and fit bodies of models, but it should not be a goal that adolescents set for themselves to accomplish. This book shows me all of the pressure placed upon the youth, to look a certain way. Marya Hornbacher's mother suffered through some sort of eating disorder and Marya idolized her mother. If one's own mother falls prey to the pressures of society, then how is one expected to gaze past the imperfections of oneself? Those with eating disorders are trapped in a continuous cycle that breaks after the occurrence of a drastic event. Marya Hornbacher's cycle of eating disorders broke when she was admitted into the Methodist Hospital in 1966, but the chain continuously banded and broke off, until she eventually became steady and healthy. Eating disorders are like addictions and should not be treated lightly. No matter how small an eating disorder is, it has potential to grow; therefore, one must get help and pinpoint the causes of their actions during the onset of the eating disorder. The views of society must change, because society should not have the power to drive young women into cycles of eating disorders. The other solution is a change of mentality, one that all girls and boys should possess: If one is healthy, then one should brush off all thoughts and pressures of reaching perfection. Quite frankly, perfection is indescribable and, therefore, unattainable. Anorexia and Bulimia are two disorders that have always been intriguing to me and this book excellently describes Marya Hornbacher's journey and the reasons for her struggles with eating disorders. The memoir is definitely not what i expected, but nevertheless, it provided a great deal to reflect upon.