Susan Sontag Illness As Metaphor Essay

The media and fashion industry are often held responsible for the apparent growth of eating disorders in modern society. Adolescents and young adults are bombarded with images of the “ideal body” or “beauty” at a stage of their lives where they are especially vulnerable to social comparison. An underestimated point of influence for people with anorexia nervosa, however, is not only the images used, but the words to describe the disorder, specifically the use of metaphors. An investigation of the metaphors used with anorexia nervosa reveal mixed conclusions on the appropriateness of the use of metaphors with the disorder.
Susan Sontag, author of “Illness as Metaphor,” argues that using metaphors to describe illnesses with unknown or multiple
She juxtaposes these two diseases and points out how the metaphors used for both diseases were similar until there was a known cause of tuberculosis. It is important to note that although Sontag’s thesis is concerned with the way that metaphors are used to describe illnesses, her theory can be applied to eating disorders, as well. The main characteristic of the metaphors Sontag analyzes is that the illness being described has unknown or multiple causes which perpetuate metaphor usage. The disorder anorexia nervosa meets this characteristic. In addition, many medical professionals do recognize eating disorders as illnesses. Dr. Ahmed Boachie and Dr. Karin Jasper argue that “Eating disorders are real illnesses” (Boachie and Jasper 23). Consequently, anorexia nervosa is subject to the same attempts to rationalize or romanticize the disorder, as a result of the same misunderstanding, or a lack of understanding, that was experienced with tuberculosis and cancer.
Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder in which individuals intentionally starve themselves to try to lose weight. Most anorexic individuals become obsessed with “weighing themselves, portioning food, or eating very small quantities of only certain foods.” Even after losing significant weight, many people with anorexia nervosa still see themselves as overweight (NIH
While certain personal values or characteristics can increase the likelihood for social comparison, no personality trait causes anorexia nervosa. Anorexics are described as “perfectionists,” or “rebels.” Anorexia nervosa is often called the “rich girl’s syndrome.” Unfortunately, by using language that falsely links personality traits with the onset of anorexia, the blame is put on the patient. As Sontag points out, these metaphors can be incredibly damaging for the patient and can hinder the treatment and healing process or discourage one to seek treatment at all (Sontag