Ware's study reveals a profile of bulimics: "Bulimics were more depressed, felt higher levels of stress, weighed more, were more perfectionistic, were likely to eat in response to stress, dieted more frequently, saw themselves as less self-accepting, thought thinness was more important, and were more ashamed of their eating habits than individuals with normal eating patterns," she says.

The women and men with anorexia and bulimia are on physical roller coster rides. The physical repercussions can be deadly at times, though for bulimics the prognosis is usually brighter. Anorexics at various stages can experience a cessation of menstruation, insomnia, hypothermia, fatigue and depression. Bulimics suffer dehydration, internal bleeding, enlargement of salivary glands and severe loss of potassium which can lead to heart or kidney failure, says Honnet.

Many individuals with eating disorders divide foods into "good" and "bad" categories. "If they've eaten one bad food, they might feel they've ruined the day; they might as well eat more; it won't matter. It's a painful cycle to be in. Women feel compelled. It's a kind of veil coming down over them. They feel like they can't break the cycle," says Honnet.

Sociocultural Explanation

Women comprise between 90 to 95 percent of all people with eating disorders, according to experts. A sociocultural view explaining the increase looks at the increasing importance placed on the body for finding social acceptance, according to Honnet.

"Our environment creates a real crazy attitude in demanding people to be thin and exercise a lot, be successful and perfect, all as a package deal. There's also the suggestion that we can still eat what we want [and maintain this image]. There's no woman who isn't affected [in some way by this pressure]," says Honnet.

Women have been more vulnerable to the disorder because they have been judged by men on how they look since time immemorial, says Honnet. "Now society has gotten even more intense. In the 1960s, there were a lot of plump women in miniskirts, and they managed to feel fine. Over time, as models became more culturally significant, they became icons. We all know their names. Increasingly, movie stars and models embody what women should look like. In the 1950s, women could be curvy and look like Marilyn Monroe. Now there's Jane Fonda [with a fit, muscular-looking body]," says Honnet.

"There are definitely society pressures," says Julie M. Mihelich '86, co-director of Eating Problems Outreach (EPO). "There's a dislike of femininity, with the roundness associated with it. If you're really slim, you are denying the notion of femininity," she says.

According to Mihelich, since 1950 the body weight of women between ages 20 and 30 has been increasing, yet the ideals for women have been decreasing. "Women are biologically heavier, but [are under pressure] to become slimmer," she says.

Women's self-esteem gets wrapped up in body shape. "There's an equation: if I don't have a nice body, I'm not worth anything. This seems to be a pervasive attitude. Many charming, attractive, lovely young women come in thinking they're `gross,'" says McKenna.

The key issue is self-perception, says McKenna. "Plenty of people may tell them they look great, but they don't believe it." she says. "And these are extremely successful people.

It is difficult to classify who is most vulnerable to an eating disorder, says McKenna. "One type of person who is commonly described as a stereotype is the controlled perfectionist, the highly successful and driven individual," she says.

While only 5 percent of all individuals with eating disorders are men, Honnet believes men are starting to become more vulnerable. "In the 1980s, men's magazines increasingly focus on looks--GQ and Esquire both have clothing spreads. There's more focus on men's weight," she says.

The most vulnerable are those who find themselves on crash diets, says Honnet. "Male athletes, especially wrestlers and rowers, can develop bad habits. Both use drastic measures to get down to unrealistic weights."

Jennifer C. Keeler '86 studied men and women on the lightweight and heavyweight crew teams as well as the basketball team for her senior thesis for the Psychology Department. While she found that men on both teams were more concerned about weight than normal, they did not have an excessive or dangerous preoccupation with weight. "In general, athletes tend to be pretty healthy," she says, though she adds she did find some individuals who had problems. "It's more of an individual thing or predisposition than something that is caused by a sport that has a weight restriction," she says.