Lia and Cassie used to be best friends, but when they both develop eating disorders in adolescence, their macabre “I’m thinner than you” competition ruins their friendship. When Cassie dies after trying unsuccessfully to reach Lia 33 times by phone, Lia is left with guilt and unanswered questions that have her mentally spiraling. With a unique and intense narrative style, Anderson takes readers directly into the mental anguish that is anorexia.
Anorexia Nervosa
Anorexia Nervosa is a psychological disorder that manifests in sometimes deadly physical symptoms. An anorexic suffers from a distorted perception of her own body image - perceiving herself as too fat no matter what the reality. This false perception results in an intense fear of gaining weight and continuous, obsessive efforts to lose weight. Unfortunately, this psychological disorder is usually not recognized until it is advanced enough to create life-threatening physical changes.
Recognizing Anorexic Behaviors
Catching anorexia in its earlier stages means focusing on the behaviors that lead to those physical symptoms. Anorexics develop an obsession with thinness that doesn’t happen overnight. Some warning signs that an unhealthy obsession is developing include:
- A growing preoccupation with calorie counting, fat content, and dieting.
- Secretive and ritualistic eating behaviors like pretending to eat, measuring and dividing food (or other rigid eating regimens), and refusing to eat around others.
- Continued and rigid dieting.
- Using diet pills, laxatives, and diuretics for weight loss.
- Denying obvious thinness (distorted body image)
Physical Effects of Anorexia
Anorexic behaviors lead to dramatic weight loss. Simply put, anorexics starve themselves. The physical symptoms of anorexia are the symptoms of starvation. A drop in body fat and a lack of dietary fuel induces the body to essentially begin eating itself. Body systems slow and eventually shut down. Often, by the time physical symptoms are apparent to others, the disorder is advanced, and treating physical symptoms without addressing the underlying mental disorder is often counterproductive.
Anorexia in Wintergirls
In Wintergirls, we are invited to witness the mental processes that result in the behaviors and then the physical manifestations. We experience Lia’s obsession with not eating and how much effort it requires to methodically starve herself. We see how desperately she wants to eat, but how overwhelming her obsession is to deny that need. Wintergirls' unique narrative style effectively demonstrates the internal self-talk of an obsessed individual.
References:
Anorexia Nervosa: Signs, Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment. Helpguide. (Accessed September 3, 2011).
Wintergirls. Laurie Halse Anderson - Mad Woman in the Forest. (Accessed September 3, 2011).
Jennifer Groepl - Living the good life in beautiful Cape Coral, Florida, Jennifer Groepl is currently working on her YA fiction projects. An intrinsically ...
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