Letter to the Editor 8-21-09

Issue of August 21, 2009 / 1 Elul 5769

Shidduchim  disorders

To the Editor:

Your report about the rise of eating disorders among the young women in the Frum community came as no surprise to me (Eating disorders in the Orthodox get new emphasis; August 14, 2009).  Over the past several years I have suspected that anorexia/bulimia had to be the only explanation for the sudden increase of size 2s around us. It is time to take a long and hard look at the fact that the cultural pressures of our society are forcing so many girls to risk their health, and even their lives, because they believe they will not get a shidduch if they don’t have that “emaciated” look.

Let us not forget that work must also be done in the boys’ Yeshivas. A male relative of mine who was in the shidduch parsha (dating to marry) a number of years ago remarked to me that he couldn’t be attracted to a girl who was not very thin. We must concentrate on teaching our children to rethink their values before we start seeing an increase of tragedy in our midst.

Renee Sojcher