Eating Disorders
Vocabulary
Anorexia
Definition: An eating disorder
characterized by intense fear of
gaining weight, which leads people to
eat as little as possible, to the point
where their health is jeopardized.
Context: People with anorexia are at
risk for some serious diseases, including
This document was compiled by Ragia Magdeldin Youssef Page 1 osteoporosis, kidney problems, and
cardiac arrest.
Body image
Definition: The way an individual
perceives his or her physical
appearance
Context: Bridget had such a negative
body image that she thought she was
fat when she was emaciated and could
find nothing attractive about her body.
Obesity
Definition: An excessive amount of
body fat due to serious overeating;
people with obesity weigh more than 30
percent above their ideal body weight
or a Body Mass Index of more than 30
Context: Obesity affects more than 60
This document was compiled by Ragia Magdeldin Youssef Page 2 million Americans, putting them at
increased risk for diabetes, heart
disease, high blood pressure, and
stroke.
Self-esteem
Definition: A feeling of confidence and
respect for oneself
Context: Even after Brad lost 127
pounds and had a mid-body lift, he was
still struggling with self-esteem issues.
Top 10 Celebrities with Eating
Disorders
10. Princess Diana
This document was compiled by Ragia Magdeldin Youssef Page 3 Diana’s first public confession of dealing with
bulimia was in 1994. She had first struggled with it
in 1981, just before her marriage. It plagued her
all the way through 1992, where she started to get
a foothold on beating it. Since then, she fought to
help others deal with bulimia, and her death in
1997 marked a major decrease in bulimic incidents.
9. Jessica Alba
In 2005, Jessica admitted that she used to have
an eating disorder. She talked about how it was
because she grew up in a family that was
overweight, so she had always wanted to be
skinnier. Her anorexia had probably started around
2000-2001 during her role in Dark Angel.
8. Daniel Johns
This document was compiled by Ragia Magdeldin Youssef Page 4 In mid-2004, Daniel Johns interviewed on ABC
Television and talked about his struggles with
anorexia. After finally winning the battle with
anorexia, he had also had to fight arthritis only 2
years later.
7. Posh Spice
Having denied having an eating disorder in the
past, September of 2001 found Posh Spice openly
admitting to struggling with anorexia. She shared
of her obsession with her physical appearance and
her severe dieting habits.
6. Elton John
This document was compiled by Ragia Magdeldin Youssef Page 5 Through the late 1980’s, Elton John struggled with
bulimia and drug abuse. This pop superstar from
the 1970’s went through other struggles involving
sexual identity and alcoholism. In 1991 he founded
the Elton John AIDS Foundation.
5. Kate Moss
The original ‘waif’, this model not only struggled
with anorexia but drug abuse. Being the feature
model for a number of high-end products, her
downfall came in 2001, when she went into a drug
induced coma and had to be sent to the hospital.
4. Lindsay Lohan
This document was compiled by Ragia Magdeldin Youssef Page 6 Early 2005 showed us a overly-thin Lindsay
sporting skimpy outfits on the beach. Like many
other celebrities experiencing the main symptoms
of anorexia, Lindsay denied the existence of an
eating disorder.
3. Keira Knightley
Whether or
not Keira actually struggles with clinically
diagnosed anorexia is debatable, but what isn’t
debatable is her almost-too-skinny figure. The
very thin actress states that anorexia runs in her
family and she would be the first to know if she
had anorexia. Methinks she doth protest too much!
2. Mary-Kate Olsen
This document was compiled by Ragia Magdeldin Youssef Page 7 In 2004, right after her 18th birthday, Mary-Kate
Olsen (from the Olsen twins) showed dramatic
weight loss. That same year she hired a weightcoach to help her gain back her weight and
received treatment for anorexia, slowly making a
comeback. It is suspected that she is once again
dealing with anorexia, 3 years later.
1. Nicole Richie
Since at least early 2006, Nicole Richie has
seemed to be struggling with anorexia. To this day
she denies that she is dealing with an eating
disorder, but with a little bit of research it’s not
hard to see that a photo is worth a thousand
words.
This document was compiled by Ragia Magdeldin Youssef Page 8