A federal judge has approved a settlement of $55,000 in a first-of-its-kind lawsuit by a woman who claims her daughter was bullied into anorexia. Mary V. filed the lawsuit against the Pittsburgh, Pa. Schools last August on behalf of her daughter, who is now 15. Her daughter cites daily harassment by boys during the 2006–07 and 2007–08 school years, when the girl was in sixth and seventh grade. The harassment involved unrelenting taunting about the girl’s weight, including comments about her being “fat.” She subsequently developed anorexia, and entered an inpatient treatment program for because her weight was “dangerously low.”
Although bullying has always occurred, focus on the issue and the affects it has on children has reached an all-time high since the suicide of Phoebe Prince in Massachusetts last January. As with the Prince case, staff at the school in question were aware of the harassment — but neither teachers, school officials, nor the guidance counselor intervened on her behalf. Peer harassment violates Title IX, an antidiscrimination law. Under Title IX, a school must stop the abuse and can be liable if a student will lose an educational opportunity as a result of the harassment.
Although there is no evidence that bullying in and of itself can case cause an eating disorder, many things are disturbing about this case and the school’s lack of support for this student. The early teen years are pivotal in terms of a body image development, and peer rejection or acceptance are extremely important to the teen psyche. Thomas Cash, author of The Body Image Workbook, writes that “The teen years are a tough time for body image. Teenagers’ feelings of social adequacy depend in part on how they think their appearance is perceived by peers.” He finds that teasing by peers is a factor in those who have disordered body image.
It is important, though, not to oversimplify the connection between bullying and the development of an eating disorder. There are many factors that can play a role, including low self-esteem, family issues, school and other pressures, and cultural norms that exaggerate the need for thinness.
Dr. Ed Dragan, a nationally known expert on bullying who is based in Lambertville, N.J., thinks that it’s good that the case was settled rather than going to court. Dragan, author of the upcoming book The Bully Action Guide, says drawing a direct link from bullying to anorexia would have been an uphill battle. “There are so many variables, other than just bullying, that are clinically linked to this disease. Like the Phoebe Prince case in Massachusetts, kids who are emotionally fragile are already vulnerable to eating disorders, suicide, and other issues,” he says.
“Schools, if they know of students’ emotional issues, need to be more diligent when implementing their anti-bullying policies. These kids, who are already vulnerable, can — with just one more mean word from a classmate — be pushed over the edge to an eating disorder or even suicide.”
Comments
Thanks for shedding light on the connection between bullying and anorexia. Fragile kids need all our support, and your article provides much needed information to schools and families.
I find your article heartwrenching. I was also bullied about my weight and developed an eating disorder. I wish for all the world to wake up and read about this. This is a powerful topic that really resonates with many people. I was certainly touched. Thanks so much for posting this. I look forward to learning more.
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The War on Obesity is the current excuse for otherwise civilized people to abuse yet another group-- to put heavier people down to make themselves feel superior. We've used race, gender, disability, sexual orientation and now we're using weight. The attitudes that fueled and condoned the bullying of this girl are rampant and not just limited to a few school age children in a negligent school. It's very encouraging to read about action being taken that has yielded results.
While I think that the article is right in that there are many factors that contribute to the development of eating disorders, I think it downplays the harmful effects that bullying has on girl's and women's body image. Every day we are forced to look at images portraying bodies that we will never have- the model's don't have them themselves! This constant bombardment coupled with hurtful words, particularly in such formative years, can be the tip of the ice-berg and trigger an eating disorder. Is it all? No. But it is still part.
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