Starving for the Weekend

I was recently reflecting on how the current social ideals of over-consumption and indulgence can coexist and, in fact, thrive in a society that also proclaims that restraint and thinness are the keys to happiness. As part of this dichotomous reality, there appears to be a new and growing trend among young women to engage in binge drinking episodes as well as to adopt extreme dieting and weight loss routines. These socialized behaviors are built on superficial ideals perpetuated by the media that outline what a person needs in order to be accepted within our overly materialistic and image-driven society. Contradictory yet glorified, these behaviors are not only misguided but also destructive for the body, mind, and spirit. Not only can these behaviours lead to a viscous cycle of starvation and disordered eating but they can also produce dependency on substances in order to adhere to this dysfunctional lifestyle. The reliance on alcohol as a mechanism to justify eating, or dieting to offset the calories consumed from drinking, masks the presence of deeper issues that need to be addressed.

Having the perspective of someone who has struggled with an eating disorder, I am now more aware of the overwhelming presence of negative dietary and nutritional patterns that have become normalized among young women today. The model of maintaining a strict bird-like diet Monday through Friday, followed by partying binges consisting of copious amounts of alcohol and junk food consumption bears an eerie resemblance to the binge/purge cycle that I experienced with bulimia. This rollercoaster of consumption and restriction is a gateway towards more damaging disordered patterns that can be hard to identify and easy to ignore.

So why do so many of us feel the need to be saints Monday through Friday and sinners come Friday night? For many, the restriction in calories before going out seems to be a logical safety mechanism to prevent weight gain or to get intoxicated faster. Perhaps the draw comes from saving our limited funds for booze instead of food, so that we can party just a little bit harder. Or could it be that these patterns are overwhelmingly associated with positive social status, which reinforces the drive to eat less, weigh less, and party more? I believe that social reinforcement is the true root of this emerging trend and is exemplified in the media through shows like Jersey Shore and The Real World. In these mass-produced and hyped reality shows, twenty-something girls and boys sleep all day only to go out at night and indulge in a frenzy of alcohol and junk food consumption. I wonder where they got that idea?

As this trend towards binge drinking and dieting continues, the risk for the development of subclinical and clinical eating disorders and addictions rises. What may appear on the surface to be “normal” behavior for young people can actually be a slippery slope towards much deeper psychological problems that can have serious long-term health consequences. I think it is time that we stop excusing these lifestyle patterns as being some natural part of young adulthood and start looking for ways to create a more positive mental picture of ourselves that doesn’t depend on dysfunctional societal ideals.