Anorexia NERVOSA & Bulimia: A rich white girl's problem?
A common stereotype of eating disorders such as Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia is that they are a "rich, white girl's disease". However, research has shown that rates of eating disorders are relatively the same across all races. An exception is with Anorexia Nervosa, which has been shown to have a higher rate in Non-Hispanic Whites. A noted theory on the disparity in the rates of Anorexia across races is the higher tendency for whites to seek treatment, and thus appear to have higher rates in research studies. However, if these rates are in fact racially dependent, might it be attributed to an access issue?
The data above indicates that Internet consumers from 2000-2011 were primarily white and Asian. Though the gap between the races is narrowing, it may describe the higher rates of Anorexia in Whites versus Hispanics and African Americans. If the people who are primarily consuming the dangerous media that can promote negative body images and self-harm habits are white, then it would make sense that this racial group would present with higher rates of Anorexia. This, in combination with most mainstream written media and television that are targeted at white audiences, makes this negative media more readily accessible to one racial group. This is not to say that other racial groups are not exposed to equally negative media messages. However, for the purposes here it seems to indicate that access may play a role in the higher rates of Anorexia seen in Whites across America.
(Sources: http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/diversity; http://www.census.gov/prod/2013pubs/p20-569.pdf)
(Sources: http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/diversity; http://www.census.gov/prod/2013pubs/p20-569.pdf)