"Anorexia? Não, olha seu tamanho": anorexia nervosa "atípica" em mulheres gordas

Abstract

The goal of the present dissertation is to reflect upon what is considered “atypical” in anorexia nervosa, particularly in cases determined as atypical because of body weight. In the images disseminated by various media platforms that feed social repertoire, the anorexic body is feminine, white, young and extremely thinned: they have their ribs emphasized and their waist is very slim. This perception ends up inferring erroneously on the detection of the presence or the gravity of eating disorders: people can be naturally thin without diets and people considered “overweight” can develop problematic patterns of eating restrictions. This research consists of presential interviews with four women that self-identify as fat as well as two health professionals. I believe that the experience of anorexia nervosa by people that don’t “fit” the diagnostic’s criteria of “significantly lowered body weight” helps bringing our attention to the frontiers between typical and atypical, over and underweight, healthy and unhealthy. A body weight criteria can distance people in high levels of suffering – but that don’t necessarily have what’s considered a “low” BMI – from qualified treatment.