Writing Programs, University of the Sciences, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Med Humanit. 2020 Sep;46(3):311-322. doi: 10.1136/medhum-2019-011681. Epub 2019 Jul 29.
Orthorexia is a putative new eating disorder vying for a place in the DSM, roughly meaning "eating right". While a continuum can be drawn between anorexia and orthorexia, there are enough differences to make this disorder a distinct one. In this paper, I trace the origins of the term and its clinical career to date, employing Ian Hacking's concept of "ecological niche" to establish the place of orthorexia as a contemporary cyberpathy, a digitally transmitted disorder inwardly and narrowly focused on health through the consumption of "pure" foods. I critique both the notions of "health" and "purity" in this context, showing that orthorexia can only be understood in the context of healthism, an individual preoccupation with health in the context of neoliberalism. Using Jordan Younger's memoir (2015) and "Balanced Blonde" blog as a case study, I argue that orthorexia replicates via a digital proliferation of entrepreneurship of the self. Ultimately, this excessive preoccupation with health as a neoliberal cultural pathology bares life of meaning.
饮食强迫症是一种新的饮食失调症，正在争取进入 DSM，大致意思是“正确饮食”。虽然厌食症和饮食强迫症之间可以划出一条连续统一体，但它们之间有足够的差异，足以使这种障碍成为一种独特的障碍。在本文中，我追溯了这个术语及其临床发展的起源，使用伊恩·哈金（Ian Hacking）的“生态位”概念来确定饮食强迫症作为当代网络病理学的地位，这是一种通过消费“纯净”食物而内向且狭隘地关注健康的数字传播障碍。我在这方面批判了“健康”和“纯净”的概念，表明只有在健康主义的背景下才能理解饮食强迫症，这是新自由主义背景下个人对健康的关注。使用乔丹·杨格（Jordan Younger）的回忆录（2015 年）和“平衡金发女郎”博客作为案例研究，我认为饮食强迫症通过自我创业的数字扩散复制。最终，这种对健康的过度关注作为一种新自由主义文化病理学，使生活失去了意义。
