Nudist Anorexia

[Rebecca]

Not long ago I was talking to a friend of mine. He is not a nudist but he posed a good question. Anorexia as a desiese, is it effected by nudism?

Can our lifestyle cause, stop, belittle or exacerbate the condition. Is it a cure or is it the final nail in the coffin and enough to push someone over the edge. Or could it have nothing to do with it?

[Kouak]

Fantastic question. My thought is a person who is anorexic would not become a nudist. One of the major problems with the disease is a warped body image. Many people, without the disease, say one of their biggest fears of becoming a nudist is that their body is not "good" enough: shape, size, etc.

So if "regular" people are scared of nudity because of their body, I would seriously doubt that an anorexic person would ever make the leap. I think if they could accept nudity, they would be cured of their disease and would be at peace with their body. This is a huge point: nudity cannot cure someone of the disease but rather, if they were cured, they could become nudists.

[Lord Drakkus]

Fantastic question. My thought is a person who is anorexic would not become a nudist. One of the major problems with the disease is a warped body image. Many people, without the disease, say one of their biggest fears of becoming a nudist is that their body is not "good" enough: shape, size, etc.

That is definitely true! But, if you can get somebody with anorexia to go to a nudist venue of some sort, then there may be a chance that their body image may change. This could be a double-edged sword, in the case of an anorexic who sees overweight people and think "I LOOK LIKE THAT!" These people could actually become worse by seeing what most people really look like, instead of simply accepting it.

The best thing is to know the person with Anorexia, and decide whether or not they would have a proper reaction before taking them out.

[Mosquito_Bait]

I've always thought that a visit to a nude beach or a nudist park would be a good way to fight anorexia. Women (and men) who are extremely thin do not look good naked. Protruding ribs and hip bones are very unattractive. Protruding bones look worse in real life than in still photos as any movement highlights them. A person who is a healthy weight just looks right when nude.

[daviszr1]

Fantastic question. My thought is a person who is anorexic would not become a nudist. One of the major problems with the disease is a warped body image. Many people, without the disease, say one of their biggest fears of becoming a nudist is that their body is not "good" enough: shape, size, etc.


You're partially correct. The other factor that needs to be mentioned is that most anorexia individuals gain pleasure out of controlling their diet. A significant portion of the disorder is cognitive, meaning the ability to control is mentally rewarding to them. Nudist outings tend to throw "control" to the wind, at least in terms of outward appearance. There isn't much you can do on the beach if you all of a sudden feel insecure in some capacity.

[jon71]

While I believe that social nudism can be very positive for people and really especially for women it may be too much to claim in can prevent/cure anorexia nervosa. I think there is a lot about that we don't know. Of what little is known it's about 95% of the time female and the closest thing to a "typical" case is a woman who is very successful, smart popular and often comes from "good" homes. The thinking is all of that puts pressure on her to be perfect and sometimes that will manifest in the form of anorexia. Anyway while I believe nudism is positive I would recommend going straight to therapy for anorexia, no playing around no half measures. It's too serious and too little is understood for anything else.

[Mosquito_Bait]

This thread reminded me of Diane Webber, who worked as an actress and model during the 1960s and 1970s and also appeared in many nudist publications. She was gorgeous, but I have heard the comment that she could not be a model today because she was too "full figured". I did a web search and found the following statement at the end of her biography on the IMDB website.

"Diane Webber died at age 76 from complications following surgery for cancer on August 19, 2008 in Los Angeles, California."

[puffledud]

While anorexia has been mainly thought of as a female disorder, more and more males are being diagnosed with the condition. Though, in both groups there are probably way more than is known. I've been a nudist since my teen years and I've been told that I have anorexia tendencies. I do obsess over food choices and even though others tell me I am thin I still feel the need to lose weight. I don't think nudism helps cure anorexia. I think you can be a nudist and still be anorexia.

[NudonyII]

Very interesting and thought-provoking question. I don't know enough about anorexia to make an educated statement; but it seems to me that the psychological "intensity" of the condition would make an anorexic person less receptive to the psychological benefits of nudism than, let's say, a moderately overweight or underweight individual.

I once saw an obviously anorexic lady at a resort. She did not seem to have any issue being seen nude, as she walked around the pool area seemingly quite comfortably. So obviously anorexics can be nudists. But it seems doubtful that nudism was instrumental as a healing mechanism for her. As a matter of fact, it would seem that in some cases, seeing overweight nudists could actually reinforce the unhealthy drive to remain thin.

[Ken Palmer]

Hey Kouak. These are excellent points you have made here on this subject. Me personally, I have never had any views on this because I am not too familiar with the disorder or know anyone with it. But it is true that someone with this disease or disorder would have a serious problem with making a step towards nudism or naturism due to the image problem they have about their bodies. As I said, I never thought about it that way.

Ken Palmer



Fantastic question. My thought is a person who is anorexic would not become a nudist. One of the major problems with the disease is a warped body image. Many people, without the disease, say one of their biggest fears of becoming a nudist is that their body is not "good" enough: shape, size, etc.

So if "regular" people are scared of nudity because of their body, I would seriously doubt that an anorexic person would ever make the leap. I think if they could accept nudity, they would be cured of their disease and would be at peace with their body. This is a huge point: nudity cannot cure someone of the disease but rather, if they were cured, they could become nudists.

[Naturist Mark]

One of the major attributes of social nudism is body acceptance. By being exposed to all possible body types, and by being accepted by other nudists regardless of body type, a social nudist learns to dismiss destructive ideations about how their bodies must look in order to be acceptable.

Some of this body acceptance is learned through the social interactions of nudsim, some is self selecting - a person who willingly becomes a social nudist has probably already worked out a large degree of their body acceptance issues.

Nudism is seen by nude activists as especially beneficial in preventing, or possibly combating, body dysmorphic syndromes - including anorexia nervosa.

However - I suspect that a true victim of anorexia nervosa - a person suffering from a severe psychiatric illness that manifests as being extremely (and unrealistically) dissatisfied with their body, is unlikely to accept social nudism.

I once saw an obviously anorexic lady at a resort. She did not seem to have any issue being seen nude, as she walked around the pool area seemingly quite comfortably. So obviously anorexics can be nudists. But it seems doubtful that nudism was instrumental as a healing mechanism for her. As a matter of fact, it would seem that in some cases, seeing overweight nudists could actually reinforce the unhealthy drive to remain thin. I think we may be confusing extreme thinness (a physical condition) with anorexia nervosa (a psychiatric illness). That this very thin woman is unconcerned with other people seeing her body argues to me that she lacks the dysmorphic syndrome at the core of anorexia nervosa. She may just be naturally very thin - I know a nudist woman like that - she eats like a horse but has a metabolism that keeps her body extremely lean. Or she may be physically ill - cancer, thyroid condition, etc. Thin is not the same as Anorexia Nervosa.

[Kouak]

Women (and men) who are extremely thin do not look good naked. Protruding ribs and hip bones are very unattractive.

You are missing the point with the disease. You are describing anorexics from our perspective. From their perspective, they are still fat! That's the problem.

[NudonyII]

I think we may be confusing extreme thinness (a physical condition) with anorexia nervosa (a psychiatric illness). That this very thin woman is unconcerned with other people seeing her body argues to me that she lacks the dysmorphic syndrome at the core of anorexia nervosa. She may just be naturally very thin - I know a nudist woman like that - she eats like a horse but has a metabolism that keeps her body extremely lean. Or she may be physically ill - cancer, thyroid condition, etc. Thin is not the same as Anorexia Nervosa.

You might very well be right, Mark. Although her protruding hip bones and visible ribcage appeared to me as evidence of anorexia...well, it could have been something else.

[richinoregon]

I think we may be confusing extreme thinness (a physical condition) with anorexia nervosa (a psychiatric illness). That this very thin woman is unconcerned with other people seeing her body argues to me that she lacks the dysmorphic syndrome at the core of anorexia nervosa. She may just be naturally very thin - I know a nudist woman like that - she eats like a horse but has a metabolism that keeps her body extremely lean. Or she may be physically ill - cancer, thyroid condition, etc. Thin is not the same as Anorexia Nervosa.

For over 30 years I was like like that-6'6" 165lbs. People kept telling me that I needed to gain weight, and I could eat as much as I wanted without gaining anything. No longer! I'm now at 215lbs (right smack dab in the middle of what is called normal for my height) and neither gaining or losing, but I no longer can eat as much as I want. Fortunately I no longer have to have my clothes tailored and I don't have people telling me that I need to gain weight; occasionally people do say that I look slender (I think that is because most people my age are officially above normal in the weight department)

[Mosquito_Bait]

You are missing the point with the disease. You are describing anorexics from our perspective. From their perspective, they are still fat! That's the problem.

Yes, anorexics see themselves as fat and have great anxiety about being fat. The anxiety about being fat is based on the belief that thinner always looks better than fatter. If an anorexic were to see just how bad being overly thin looks, it might change their mindset.

[Mosquito_Bait]

... I suspect that a true victim of anorexia nervosa - a person suffering from a severe psychiatric illness that manifests as being extremely (and unrealistically) dissatisfied with their body, is unlikely to accept social nudism.
...

This is probably true.

[Martinline]

Great topic.

[Redtan]

To describe someone as 'anorexic' is like saying someone is 'wet'. They may have a few drops of water on them or they may be at the bottom of the ocean. The condition is highly variable.

I suspect that for some people with anorexic tendencies the 'body acceptance' side of naturism might help them. However, for others I expect it would just send them into a spiral of dieting and self-destructive behaviour. Even with a body acceptance message most people want to look good and an anorexic person's perception of that is severely distorted.

So my opinion is that it will all depend on the individual and the degree to which the condition has sunk its talons into their psyche. If someone is doing 'ok' and wants to try it out or pursue it I would encourage that. But someone who is really experiencing a severe form of it needs competent professional help and should probably discuss it with their psychiatrist/counsellor.

Thanks for raising this important issue. I think the more this condition is exposed and discussed the closer we are to dealing with it as a society.

[Rebecca]

Despite all the insightful and interesting answers submitted, I would have t o say that this is my favorite as it increases the depth of the question and also is very well worded :).

To describe someone as 'anorexic' is like saying someone is 'wet'. They may have a few drops of water on them or they may be at the bottom of the ocean. The condition is highly variable.

I suspect that for some people with anorexic tendencies the 'body acceptance' side of naturism might help them. However, for others I expect it would just send them into a spiral of dieting and self-destructive behaviour. Even with a body acceptance message most people want to look good and an anorexic person's perception of that is severely distorted.

So my opinion is that it will all depend on the individual and the degree to which the condition has sunk its talons into their psyche. If someone is doing 'ok' and wants to try it out or pursue it I would encourage that. But someone who is really experiencing a severe form of it needs competent professional help and should probably discuss it with their psychiatrist/counsellor.

Thanks for raising this important issue. I think the more this condition is exposed and discussed the closer we are to dealing with it as a society.

[Croydon]

Reading though these posts, I think there is a lot of misunderstanding on anorexia.

Anorexia is not a disorder of the body but a disorder of the mind. It does not start with someone believing he/she is too fat and needs to lose weight. Majority of anorexics start the behavior due to some lack of control. Often, anorexics feel like they are not in control of their lives and to gain some control, they turn against the one thing that no one can control, their body.

I'll give two examples: I suffered from bulimia and anorexia in high school and college. For me, it started with my struggle with my sexuality. I felt my life was beyond my control. To deal with all the emotional problems, I became bulimic, anorexic and then bulimic. In addition to the eating disorder, I was also exercising like crazy. I was convinced I was fat when I was not. My friend, a psychologist always says, "what others may see on the outside is not necessarily what is going on in the person's inside (i.e. mind).

Another good example is a college friend of mine. She was anorexic and it landed her in the hospital twice for blood transfusion. She was the model student, friend and daughter. Pretty girl, 4.0 GPA, boyfriend was the captain of lacrosse team and everyone had such high expectations for her. She had a lot to live up to. Again, another example of one feeling lack of control of their own life.

That aside, nudism is not something that would help an anorexic. You can show an anorexic millions of naked bodies in various shapes and sizes but she does not see what rest of world may see. She will always revert to the fact that when looking at the mirror, all she sees is a fat person.

Lastly, one is never cured of anorexia. Anorexia/bulimia is just like a drug or alcohol addiction. The person has to take things one day at a time. You can relapse just like a drug addict. The behavior never leaves the person and your mind sometimes play the games. Even though I have gotten help for my eating disorder, I do find myself still struggling with body image behavior and I haven't really gotten rid of my eating disorder completely. Once in a while, I may fall or even get tempted. I feel comfortable nude but I also do not practice nudism when I struggle with image of my body.

[fredm74]

Croydon, I'm very touched by your personal story. Thank you for sharing that with us. I do agree that showing a multitude of naked bodies of various shapes and sizes to an anorexic will not cure or help the disease. The illness starts out psychologically.

Great topic everyone!

[LamontCranston]

Lastly, one is never cured of anorexia. Anorexia/bulimia is just like a drug or alcohol addiction. The person has to take things one day at a time. You can relapse just like a drug addict. The behavior never leaves the person and your mind sometimes play the games. Even though I have gotten help for my eating disorder, I do find myself still struggling with body image behavior and I haven't really gotten rid of my eating disorder completely. Once in a while, I may fall or even get tempted. I feel comfortable nude but I also do not practice nudism when I struggle with image of my body. The phrase is, "cunning, baffling and powerful."