Calvin Klein anorexic-chic models, according to all data. Secular male will take any girl without tooths and with very shot fat legs.

Haredim.

Eating disorders are a problem in all cultures. . The example you use is of a Conservative Jew ,yet your headline states Haredim. There is NO research evidence of increased eating disorders among Haredim.

As a medical school professor and practicing physician of more than 2 decades, science tells us that these diseases are a cultural phenomenon. They are the result of social pressure, and this article clearly fortifies this concept. In the Orthodox community, standards of behavior are stricter and children are under greater pressures to conform. But, if we are also driving our children to illness, don't we need to examine both why this occurs, and how to combat these eating disorders. Doesn't Judaism teach that health supersedes law? Raising children is a challenge, in any community. Examining our errors, and improving our skills as parents and community leaders is the first step at reducing the tragedy of eating disorders. A recent study in the Netherlands showed a rate of 6.3 girls, per 100,000 had anorexia, and here in Israel 48.8 per 100,000. Almost 8 times the rate! Dutch society teaches self-acceptance, and individuality, ours is based much more on conformity. We want to be the best parents we can be, and examining our parenting skills, is always good medicine.

If a woman puts her religion and a potential husband before her health, I'm sorry, but she deserves to be ill. These women KNOW the dangers of starvation - they are old enough to make up their own minds and seek treatment.

The author of the article quotes doctors who have worked with orthodox people, while neither citing or interviewing not one orthodox patient or sufferer. What bearing does a conservative woman's jewish experience have on an orthodox woman's relationship to food? This is how so many ynet articles are written, especially when they're about observant jews: some sensational claim, with rarely if ever giving the other side a chance to rebut or at least comment. Because that's how sensationalist/yellow journalism is produced . . . .

They are rampant in Israel, and many countries, and they are not delt with well anywhere.

The subject of this article is not haredi, she is Conservative! So why is YNet connecting this article to "Haredim"? It is true that the "crack-ho" look is the feminine ideal for all white women. Secular girls all want to look like Natalie Portman, nobody wants to look like Queen Latifah. Kiera Knightly, Sara Jessica Parker, do these girls have anything whatsoever to do with "haredi" society? Not even Queen Latifah wants to look like Queen Latifah, I notice that even she has slimmed down some.

What about secular women who put their fashion and show business careers before their health? Even though they should be well aware of the dangers of anorexia? They also deserve to die? Oh excuse me, but the fashion industry does not like to be reminded about Isabelle Caro and the dangers that it represents to young SECULAR women. The fashion industry has done nothing to change its ideal body shape as the skeletal heroin addict.

The boys and girls cannot date freely, cannot masturbate freely, cannot have any sexual outlet so why not destroy ones libido, it makes life easier. The girls estrogen free and the yeshivas look like testostorone free zones. Use it or loose it.

The fashion industry? The film industry? The entertainment industry? These industries all hypersexualize young people, and also promote the "heroin addict chic" as the ideal of beauty. You are making the asinine and easily debunked assumption that eating disorders exist exclusively in the religious community and did not just happen to slop over from society in general.

Jodi Krumholz makes an idiotic statement, "If you're already struggling with an eating disorder and now you have all these foods that you can't eat..." Per Jodi were they originally secular, got an eating disorder, became religious, started keeping kosher, then got worse?? How can you miss foods you have never eaten? Kosher food is delicious with plenty of choices - especially in Israel. I started keeping kosher 10 years ago - and gained weight. The food is so much better than the American garbage.

Agree 100%. What about vegetarians? Vegans? Some health experts suggest that people with eating disorders will often adopt a macrobiotic or vegan diet as this is the most restrictive of all eating systems. The haredi "ideal body type" used to be "slightly zoftig," then Hollywood and Vogue started to sneak in to frum homes.

Most Orthodox married couples I know are having plenty of sex - and kids. They look very happy.

Why, on this page about such a difficult problem, is there an ad for losing belly fat? This only propagates the issue. Learning to be happy with your body weight at a healthy weight is important. Sending messages that you are never thin enough is harmful.

Yaakov, you said it very well. Thank you. My daughter struggled with an eating disorder, so I feel qualified to speak on this subject. (Thankfully, she is fine now.) Girls who develop anorexia tend more towards being of the "perfectionist" type. Often, they develop an eating disorder at a time of transition in their life (the biggest time is usually towards the end of high school or the beginning of college.) When life is changing and they subconciously feel a bit out of control, the ability to strictly regulate their diet gives them a feeling of being in control again. Also, society puts terrible pressure on girls to look a certain way, i.e., thin. The fashion magazines present an unrealistic image, and girls are often made to feel they aren't worthwhile if they don't have a certain look. Children even seem to be hypersexualized in the media. We as a society are failing our children. I read of one of the south pacific islands that was remote and had no television. The society valued plump women and pretty much everyone living there was plump. There were no eating disorders. Then they got television and "Baywatch" became very popular on this island. Within years, eating disorders and anorexia had reared their ugly heads. Something I observed (and maybe it's just a coincidence, but I wonder) is that girls with anorexia tend to already be better looking than average, and also they are of above-average intelligence and high achievers. (just goes to show that book smarts and common sense don't always go hand in hand.) As for Talulah, your comment was insensitive. Eating disorders are a mental illness. Saying that someone "deserves" it is very cold. P.S. I'm not haredi, nor even Jewish for that matter.

Very well said.

No wonder people are afraid to get help if they are labeled with a "mental illness." There are many reasons both men and women (and yes, men too) over or under eat and they do have emotional causes but few have mental illness. Many physical symptoms such as skin rashes, headaches and stomach aches also have emotional roots. We are a stressed out society and the first step is urging those who need help to get it so they can heal - without labeling and without shame. Susan - Fed up health care professional, Raanana, Israel

I also work in community health and I couldn't agree with you more. I believe it starts from day 1 and the emphasis for children to become "independent." They have to be weaned, diaper trained and go to gan (where they are often pushed to eat a poor diet) far too early. Both children and adults are labeled with everything and anything - including the new "in" syndrome of ADD when they don't fit into the society's bell curve. I am so happy to hear that there are Old School physicians who believe we need to address the root of these problems instead of putting on pharmaceutical band-aids. Susan, Raanana

I don't think that eating disorders amongst haredim are a result from dietary laws it is rather a result of having too high expectations on women (and girls since childhood) to never sin and always be perfect. It is good to be aware of trying to imptove as a human being but one has to find the balance and not put too high demands on women.

Even though, haredim are very modest they are still wearing modern clothes that feels best to wear when very thin !Thus haredim suffer like all other modern women from the pressure of fitting into clothes made according to "supermodel" sizes or shapes,which isn't realistic.