Carol Emery Normandi and Laurelee Roark

Carol Emery Normandi and Laurelee Roark, authors of It’s Not About Food, from which the subsequent viewpoint is taken, contend that dieting is a major cause of eating disorders. Women who starve themselves to lose weight often develop a preoccupation with eating, which in turn places them at risk of developing eating disorders. The authors argue that the prevalence of dieting among women is caused by social pressures that encourage women to strive for abnormally thin bodies.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. What evidence do the authors provide that diets do not work"

2. How do the authors support their claim that young women are obsessed with food and weight"

3. What societal pressures do women face, as stated by Normandi and Roark"

I have been a compulsive eater ever since high...