Sunday 6 May 2012

Day #7 Forgotten brothers

The first person dealing with an eating disorder that I really identified with was in fact a male. Australian musician Daniel Johns challenged the perception that eating disorders were solely a ‘female’ affliction by making his battle with anorexia a public one in the late 1990's.  He wrote the song ‘Ana’s Song’ about his experience. 

In a interview some years later, Daniel (who is now recovered) was queried as to whether it seemed strange to him that most people assume it's impossible for a man to have an eating disorder.   He replied: "I think the biggest myth about eating disorders is that it's all to do with fashion, and it's all to do with feeding a certain stereotype. It's not about losing weight to a lot of people, it's more about just having control."

Eating disorders, and  their effect on a person and also a life is severe regardless of whether you are female or male and gender certainly shouldn't determine who gets the most attention nor assistance. More than anything it upsets me that boys/men battling eating disorders don't have it as easy as us females because (sadly)  it is 'accepted' that girls may develop body image and eating concerns, whereas boys are socialized to be 'tough' and pretty much unaffected by what the world may throw at them.  But brothers are only human too  and shouldn't  ever be forgotten.

2 comments:

  1. Anas songs says alot. I saw him on a ytube talking about his ed. And its true men get eds too, and it is about control. Like you said brothers are only human and shouldnt ever be forgotten

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  2. i love this post! i don't know much about him, but he sounds like such an incredible inspiration for other men out there. i am gonna have to look up more about him.

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