A feeling of satiety after watching a video of a mountain of ramen noodles being eaten in earnest… Even elementary and junior high school students are reduced to skin and bones by “the shivering reality of the desire to lose weight.
Nonfiction writer Kota Ishii delves into the depths of Japanese society!
In recent years, the proliferation of social networking sites has led women to expose their appearance to the world through images. Now that image editing has become commonplace, images of skinny women abound, and this has influenced some people to go on excessive diets. This is not surprising, since the thinner they are, the more “likes” they receive and the more comments they receive.
There is also a growing trend for extreme dieters to form communities on social networking sites. They follow hashtags to find diet friends and engage in friendly competition to lose weight. In the process, they lose their inhibitions and unknowingly cross the line.
The Internet is also flooded with dangerous and erroneous diet information. There are methods such as vomiting using over-the-counter tubes, introducing drugs prescribed for other ailments as diet pills, and taking drugs imported from private sources that are not effective or safe.
Some medical professionals who claim to be experts also disseminate unreliable information. There are times when healers who are not well known in the academic community in this field are disseminating less than objective information about the definition and treatment of eating disorders, such as on hospital websites and videos. The Internet has the disadvantage of not being able to censor it. Viewers are led to believe that since a medical professional is saying it, it must be true.
Only the sound of chewing echoes.
Furthermore, there are videos on the Internet that can be called “simulated food experiences for people with eating disorders. When I once interviewed a woman with anorexia nervosa, she showed me a video, saying, “This is a video I watch every day.
The video showed an obese middle-aged man sitting on the floor of his house and eating a pile of ramen noodles. The ramen noodles were stretched out and the room was cluttered like a garbage dump. The only sound was the slurping and chewing of the noodles for several minutes. I could not understand why I was watching.
But then a woman with a nervous emaciation said.
When I watch this, I feel like I’ve eaten a full bowl of ramen and I’m satisfied. It’s a very popular video.
Indeed, the video has been viewed The number of views of the video exceeded 100,000. The number of views exceeded 100,000. There are many such videos on the Internet that can be called simulated food experiences, Kawai says.
Kawai says, “There is no danger that all the information on the Internet is wrong.
Not all information on the Internet is wrong or dangerous, and it makes sense to use it effectively. However, when we look at young patients, there are cases where they put their lives at risk or give up on treatment by accessing incorrect information.
Many of them get this disease because they are young, have some challenges, and are constantly aware of their insecurities. So it may be that they are more likely to be misled by straws or misinformation in the Internet than those who are not. Or perhaps they feel a temporary sense of togetherness or security by accessing such information late at night.
That is why professional organizations must disclose correct information, give appropriate advice, and connect the patient to a reliable medical institution. That is what our consultation hotline is for.”
In Japan, most women have an aesthetic sense that thinness is beautiful. That does not mean that all of them have neurotic emaciation. Those who cross the line often have their own reasons for doing so.
What are the causes that separate the two? Commonly seen are traumatic experiences at home or school, such as child abuse, bullying, young caregivers, and corporal punishment. Such negative factors can drive people to excessive and dangerous diets, putting their lives at risk. In a sense, it is a reflection of the dark side of modern society.
The line between a mere desire to lose weight and the development of a neurological emaciation disorder is there.
In Part 2, we will examine this mechanism and its treatment.
The National Support Center for Eating Disorders: Consultation National Support Center for Eating Disorders: Consultation Hotline
Phone: 047-710-8869 Phone: 047-710-8869
Hours: Tuesday through Friday 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. 3:00 p.m. Hours: Tuesday through Friday 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. (except holidays, year-end and New Year holidays, and Bon holidays)
Reporting and writing： Kota Ishii
Born in Tokyo in 1977. Nonfiction writer. He has reported and written about culture, history, and medicine in Japan and abroad. His books include "Absolute Poverty," "The Body," "The House of 'Demons'," "43 Killing Intent," "Let's Talk about Real Poverty," "Social Map of Disparity and Division," and "Reporto: Who Kills the Japanese Language?
