Wolf's claim sounds severe. According to the numbers Wolf reports, a true crisis exists within American culture. Crises are what get people to act, to become indignant, and to rise to the challenges of attacking the problem. I think that this particular crisis is quiet and subtle, and while outrage and indignation regarding the number of people who suffer from an eating disorder are appropriate, I also think that there is a need for a moment of silence and sadness. I call for a moment of silence because for so many women and men, the struggle of living with an eating disorder is a silent one.
People are ashamed of their lost sense of control in their lives.
So many of us are also afraid to be vulnerable for fear that we can hurt more. For my purposes in this paper, I am not concerned so much with the actual numbers, but more with the struggles of individuals surrounding this issue of eating in American culture. I know from my own experience and from studies that the number of women who hate their bodies in this culture is extreme. I can tell from the conversations in which I engage with other women. I can tell by listening to comments that other women make about their bodies in dressing rooms, at the gym, at holiday parties, and while reading fashion magazines.