Shane EvansRecently, women who have complexes about their physical form found they are not alone. More and more men these days are admitting to being anorexic. They are no longer referred to as being anorexic, but “manorexic,” which is the name given to the newest twist on anorexia.
It is a term that was coined in the mid-’90s by famous actor Dennis Quaid. Quaid acknowledged the fact that he was manorexic when he dropped 40 pounds for the part of Doc Holliday in the film “Wyatt Earp.”
Quaid admitted, “My arms were so skinny that I couldn’t pull myself out of a pool. I’d look in the mirror and still see a 180-pound guy even though I was 138 pounds. For many years, I was obsessed about what I was eating, how many calories it hadand how much exercise I’d have to do,” according to Best Life magazine.
According to Raderprograms.com, anorexia is described as a condition in which the main characteristic of the disease is restricting food and the refusal to maintain a minimal, normal body weight. Most anorexics lose weight by restricting their food intake. Anorexics usually start by limiting or excluding foods that they perceive as having a high fat or caloric content.
Someone suffering from anorexia will tend to hold a very restrictive diet that is limited to inadequate portions of food. If this turns out to not be enough, the afflicted will turn to vomiting, laxative abuse, diuretic abuse, insulin abuse, chew-spitting and excessive exercise.
“It’s a shame that this much time has passed since a terminology has come along for male anorexia. There have been men suffering from this disease for a long time, and it is nice to see it finally come out to the public,” Erik Parrillo, a junior marketing major, said.
According to the Eating Disorders Association, the majority of men who suffer from manorexia recall being teased about being overweight as a child. They remember being obese due to troubles at home and low self esteem, just to name a few.
Another reason men usually fall into manorexia is because of their professions. Occupations such as dance, horse racing, bodybuilding and other athletics can have a big impact on an individual’s outlook of themselves.
Manorexia is a term that has been dormant for a while, due to the egotistical males that plague society.
“It is more difficult to come forward. You cannot admit to your feelings in a macho culture; people think you are weak and you fear that you are going to lose respect from your friends,” an anonymous man interviewed by EDA, who suffered from manorexia, said.
Posted to the web by Shane Evans
