A modern day holy anorexia? Religious language in advertising and anorexia nervosa in the West

Objective : In this review we comment on the media, in particular advertisements and the internet, using religious and moralistic motifs in connection with eating and their possible role in promoting modern-day ‘nutritional’ consumerism and fundamentalism (diet, discipline and discipleship). Method...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:European Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2003-01, Vol.57 (1), p.43-51
Main Authors: Griffin, J, Berry, E M
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult and adolescent clinical studies
Advertising
Advertising as Topic
Anorexia
Anorexia nervosa
Anorexia Nervosa - epidemiology
Anorexia Nervosa - psychology
Biological and medical sciences
Clinical Nutrition
Eating behavior disorders
Eating disorders
Epidemiology
Female
Humans
Internal Medicine
Internet
Language
Male
Mass Media
Medical sciences
Medicine
Medicine & Public Health
Metabolic Diseases
Miscellaneous
Morals
original-communication
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychopathology. Psychiatry
Public Health
Public health. Hygiene
Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine
Religion
Religion and Psychology
Sex Factors
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Summary:Objective : In this review we comment on the media, in particular advertisements and the internet, using religious and moralistic motifs in connection with eating and their possible role in promoting modern-day ‘nutritional’ consumerism and fundamentalism (diet, discipline and discipleship). Method : We have reviewed historically the concept of holy anorexia and have analyzed the pictorial and language content of some representative advertisements. Results : Words used include ‘temptation’, ‘decadent’, ‘heaven’ and ‘purity’ and suggest a connection with eating and moral values. They also imply eating as either heaven or sin, to be yielded to in both circumstances. Conclusion : Such messages identifying eating with guilt or reward could precipitate ‘atypical’ eating disorders in vulnerable subjects, invoking the historical associations with extreme religiosity and anorexia. It is not clear how these ‘fundamentalist’ trends developed but health educators should be aware of them in dealing with at-risk subjects for eating disorders.
ISSN:0954-3007
1476-5381
1476-5640
DOI:10.1038/sj.ejcn.1601511