Anorexia Nervosa is a severely debilitating eating disorder that can lead to death. An anorexic shows the following characteristics:
- low body weight for the person's height
- resistance to keeping a normal body weight
- an intense fear of gaining weight
- thinks she or he is fat even when very thin
- misses three (menstrual) periods in a row―for girls/women who have started having their periods
Anorexia can affect anyone, although it mostly affects girls and women (90–95%).
It was once thought that women of color were shielded from eating disorders by their cultures, which tend to be more accepting of different body sizes. Sadly, research shows that as African American, Latina, Asian/Pacific Islander, and American Indian and Alaska Native women are more exposed to images of thin women, they also become more likely to develop eating disorders.
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