#LETTER TO NEXT PREZ

Congratulations for winning dominance over the USA. Don’t let the power get to your head, it will make you rock, and not many people respect rocks. Now that I have your attention, I would like to talk (write) to you about eating disorders and how they are affecting the United States along with the rest of the world. Like all the other statistics show, girls have been shown to have more body mental issues than boys and that eating disorders portray to only girls. That is one of the most, if not the biggest, incorrect statement told.

Boys have been pressured to be “manly” and “macho” or else they are labeled wussies. This can cause a boy to overeat (Binge Eating), stop eating (Anorexia), over exercise (Orthorexia), or eat and purge (Bulimia). This also goes along with girls and their self-body images. I knew a boy who had Anorexia, I saw his struggle in society and in school. He was bullied for being too thin and was labeled a wuss for not eating or lifting as much as other boys his age could. Me personally, I suffered with both Anorexia and Bulimia. At first, I was treated badly for being “fat”, and as I got thinner I became “well liked”. But I noticed that when I had become too thin, I was bullied for not having “curves”. That boy and I became victims of bullying and had nowhere to go. Now, at 16, I am finally getting the treatment I need because there weren’t any clinics when I was younger. I think that eating disorder clinics need to be made globally and need to stop being ignored.

In South Korea, being very thin is glorified. Having a little boy’s body is accepted there. South Korean girls are taught to be thin to get a husband and be seen as appealing and the boys there are to be thin yet muscular. Their diets include small bowls of rice or noodles, low-calorie drinks, and junk food rarely. I will go out on a limb here and say most of Korea’s population have a type of eating disorder. I believe that if eating disorders get more attention and clinics to help boys and girls are built everywhere, it could be one more step to making the world ethical again.