Defeating Anorexia Athletica

In my problem-solution speech, I addressed the problem of anorexia athletica and how it affects athletes in multiple sports. Because the main issue is lack of awareness, there are hardly any organizations dedicated to solely decreasing the number of athletes developing anorexia athletica. One woman, named Marion MacLean, wrote a book titled Defeating Anorexia Athletica—One Woman’s Journey through Exercise Addiction and Beyond. It is a true story, taking readers through her life-threatening battle with the disease. It demonstrates the complexities of the fixation with physical perfection as well as other eating disorders. Her aim in writing this book was to raise awareness of anorexia athletica, because it is an unexplored topic, with little to no research done on it. I feel that this book has mixed effects. To those who read it, I’m sure it has an impact on them; however, in today’s society, many people do not have time to sit down and read a book. If more people were informed of the existence of this book, the message may be more effective.

A more widely known campaign to stop eating disorders is linked with the show Make it or Break It. One of the main characters, Kaylie, develops an eating disorder after she had been told by her coach that she could not perform a skill because she was not small enough. Josie Loren, the actress who plays Kaylie, appears in commercials that air on ABC family, which lets the viewers know that eating disorders are a serious matter. I feel that this is a more effective way to raise awareness of eating disorders because there is a great number of teenagers, who are at risk for developing these diseases, who watch these television shows. The only thing I would change about this campaign is that it does not specifically raise awareness for anorexia athletica. It is more focused on informing others on how to receive treatment, which is beneficial, but how can people be treated for a disease that they do not even know exists?