Juan José Labora González

By Juan José Labora González and Pablo Soto-Casás

Feeding has been subjected to a process of medicalization throughout history that has caused its perception to be assimilated to the intake of nutrients. However, it is necessary to conceive feeding as a total social phenomenon. That is to say, a phenomenon that impregnates food and the practices that surround it with different meanings. It is therefore necessary to understand how certain social dynamics (secularization, rationalization, bureaucratization) have modified the way we feed ourselves and how we interpret food itself. This, in turn, has generated a series of negative meanings that have influenced how we perceive the body and the image of people. The calculability of nutrients and an unrealistic and unattainable image canon for people have been installed. Thus, a social food imaginary has been created based on a whole series of myths that are transmitted through social networks and that produce that the society in which we live has become an obesogenic and lipophobic society. It is therefore necessary to understand how the social imaginary of fat and fatness has been constructed in order to understand how people perceive their body image and how this can be altered.

Part of the book: Recent Updates in Eating Disorders

By Juan José Labora González

Eating disorders are complex and have multiple causes, which may be genetic, biological, or psychological. Social factors are also relevant. In today’s societies, mass media and social networks play a fundamental role, acting as risk factors for eating disorders. This chapter analyzes the concept of image, differentiating between certain concepts such as reality, perception, and image. Image and self-image are difficult to differentiate and do not always coincide with the body object; one’s self-image may deteriorate to the point that it no longer coincides with the actual body. The mass media may serve as an instrument for the creation of reality. The images of women that are portrayed, especially in the media, tend to be based on sexist stereotypes that saturate social networks, video games, and movies. Currently, pro-ana and pro-mia websites promote identities based on unhealthy diets, exercise, and purgative practices. Therefore, pro-eating disorder socialization exists on Twitter and thinspiration image share is found on Instagram and other social networks.

Part of the book: Eating