Analysis: The Teen Body Struggle

The ‘Teen Body Struggle’ temporary exhibition at the Red Cross Museum explores the wide issues regarding teenage anorexia, eating disorders and perceptions of beauty. Within the exhibit anorexia is portrayed as a largely physical disorder, however the Oxford English Dictionary defines anorexia as ‘a condition marked by emaciation, etc., in which loss of appetite results from severe emotional disturbance’. This suggests that it is just as much a mental concern. The idea that deterioration in mental health is the cause of the physical symptoms is a popular one. It is the notion that reason and sense perception result in severe weight loss, that eventually cause side effects such as loss of hair, shut down of organs or delays in menstruation (factors known from the AOK of natural sciences). The claim that reason is a WOK that results in the development of the disease is plausible. Reason can mean a lot of different things, but in particular it can be the way that we use judgement, emotion, personal experience and rationale to guide us through life and make sense of the world. When we make a decision, conscious or not, reason is called into play and

The notion of sense perception as a WOK uses touch, sight, taste or hearing to gain understanding or knowledge on a particular subject. It is the way we interpret the environments around us. This way of providing meaning is different from person to person and is hard to investigate. This links to scientific realism, with the idea that the way one may see the world can differ to the evidence provided by science. This is often possible with a patient suffering from anorexia as they continue to loose weight to feel better, even though doctors and experts are telling them that this desire and action is the main reason they