Eating disorders have become an increasingly popular trend that young adults have followed to lose weight. (Courtesy of gmaonline.com)

In 2011, American Idol star and Oscar winning actress, Jennifer Hudson shed a shocking 80 pounds off of her plus size frame. Becoming a spokesperson for Weight Watchers, Hudson flaunted her slim figure and encouraged the public to follow in her footsteps. Hudson gained more media attention for her successful weight loss than her Oscar-winning career.

American culture is obsessed with size. Whether it is obesity or a new way to slim down, our society is consumed with “fitting” the perfect shape.

What is perfect? According to our media, women must be a size two and men have to exhibit cut muscles and a lean physique to even be considered to possess a flawless body. Even more startling is how people are instantly praised when becoming closer to this unrealistic body.

According to the Mirasol Health Advocacy Center, 116 million adults are dieting at any given time. Unfortunately, the dieting craze has led America to face a real issue: eating disorders.

As specified by Mirasol, 8 million Americans have an eating disorder. An eating disorder ranges from anorexia nervosa and bulimia to over exercising and binge eating. Eating disorders have become an invisible problem in our society. Sadly, many eating disorders are masked by the outward appearance of losing weight and “looking good,” when in reality they are deadly.

An eating disorder can cause many life-threatening health concerns. Eating disorders can result in orthostatic hypotension, hair loss, malnutrition, cancer, kidney failure, paralysis and even death. Eating disorders also cause life-long mental struggles of depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder and low self-esteem.

What is more alarming is how many people are unaware they have an eating disorder. From cutting meals and calories to hitting the gym for longer than necessary, eating disorders take many forms. With the pressure to cut pounds, some diets even cross the line into an eating disorder.

There is a stereotype and misconception about eating disorders, which is why they can be so easily overlooked. The false premise that a person suffering from an eating disorder looks sickly, gaunt and malnourished is a main issue in diagnosing a disorder.

Eating disorders can affect anyone: male, female, children, adults and even people who are physically overweight. Appearance alone is not a significant indicator of a disorder. It is sometimes overlooked that men are affected by eating disorders just as much as women. Today 1 million men struggle with eating disorders. According to the National Eating Disorders Association, an estimated 33 percent of male athletes are affected by eating disorders in aesthetic sports.

With the pressure to perform and be a successful athlete apparent in modern athletics, male eating disorders are a commonplace.

Furthermore, eating disorders are tremendously common among college students where the environment breeds stress and conformity. In a Mirasol study, 91% of college women admitted to attempting to control their weight through extreme dieting.

The images coveted by our society and media fuel these extreme disorders, however there are many other factors that are disregarded. Stress, athletics and false information regarding dieting can lead to a person’s struggle with an eating disorder. One of the biggest contributors to eating disorders is actually our use of language.

The language we use regarding body image actually intensifies eating disorders.

From phrases like “did you lose weight” to “your body looks amazing” can trigger these serious issues. Even simple words such as “thinspiration” and “skinny” can elicit disorders. Even in an interview with weight-loss icon Jennifer Hudson, she claimed that “what gets hard is when I get underweight, or under my goal weight, and then I have to eat, eat, eat. But you don’t want to lose control because you stopped checking points to maintain your weight. So it actually gets harder when you have to let your guard down.” Phrases like these are what motivate people to go to the extremes with dropping pounds.

Moreover, eating disorders are almost always regarded as a fixable problem when in reality they are a disease. Just like alcoholism or obesity, eating disorders are a life-long illness people suffering from them have to combat.

When our focus is so heavily fixated on issues such as obesity, our society needs to pay closer attention to eating disorders as well.As a whole, our culture needs to be more aware of the beliefs and values we foster. Rather than talking about weight, we should put more emphasis on people’s character and successes.

It is up to our generation to “lose” these unhealthy pressures and pay more attention to the well being of our lives.