Recently, I stumbled on an article entitled, "5 Reasons to Date a Girl With an Eating Disorder." This article, written by the mysoginistic personality Tuthmosis Sonofra, details the ways in which an individual can benefit romantically, financially, and sexually from choosing to date a girl suffering from an eating disorder. The author additionally includes the disclaimer that this article does not refer to girls who are overweight because according to him those "fatties" have "no self-control." The author is an expert on the topic he has chosen to write about; he has proudly dated several girls with eating disorders, some even sicker than others! While my expertise on the subject may pale in comparison to his, here are five reasons why dating a girl with an eating disorder might not be all its cracked up to be.
1. Her obsession with her body will improve her overall looks.
Yet, as the fat slips off, she still averts her eyes as she walks past glass windows for fear of catching sight of her own reflection. As she climbs into bed with you, she clings to the sleeves of the same baggy sweatshirt that she wears day after day, refusing to undress until all the lights have been turned off. You might want to be seen with your new-and-improved girl, but she will not leave the house. The hatred and humiliation she feels towards her body will leave her riddled with anxiety, forcing her to remain curled up under the covers fending off mental torment for weeks on end. She lies in the safety of her bed, taking comfort in the fact that she is doing a good deed, sparing strangers the disgust of seeing her malformed body.
2. She costs less money.
You don't even have to buy her a meal when you go out to eat. She'll pick at lettuce you plucked out of your burger, and then she'll be full for the next three days! The money you save on not having to a buy her an entrée can go towards the hospital bill you’re forced to pay next week when her frail, exhausted body collapses to the ground as a dehydrated, unconscious skeleton.
3. She’s fragile and vulnerable.
You can literally break her. Her bones have become so brittle they’ll shatter at the slightest of vibrations. Your gentle touch leaves fingertip-shaped bruises on her bluish skin, and every time you stroke her soft hair, clumps fall out into your hand. She’s fragile. She will fall apart right in front of you, and there is nothing you can do to piece her back together again.
4. She probably has money of her own.
She can spend it all on you, too! After all, she doesn’t need to save any for groceries. You can take, and take until there is nothing left. She has no energy to show it any other way, so she showers you with gifts to remind you that she loves you. As you sit on a pile of watches and ties, you lean back and enjoy the view of watching the love of your life die in front of you.
5. She’s better in bed.
Except she hasn’t eaten in a week. She has no energy left to give to you. She hits the mattress not with provocative grace, but with lightheaded desperation. She cannot physically stand up anymore. She can barely lift her arm to wrap it around you. Her sharp bones with stab your flesh as she wraps herself around you, closing her eyes and hoping not to wake up in the morning.
Eating disorders are not, as the author of the original article claims, "white girl problems." They can occur in women, men, or people of any gender, ethnic, and sexual identity. People with eating disorders can be overweight, a traditionally healthy weight, or underweight. They can take a variety of forms, including anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder. However, the one thing they all have in common is the tremendous amount of havoc they wreak on not only the individual afflicted, but on their friends and family as well. There is nothing beautiful or attractive about mental illness. While providing social support for a person struggling with a mental illness is fundamental for their well-being, gaining empowerment from their weakness and taking pleasure in their fragility is sick, demeaning, and not conducive to recovery in any way.
