The Harm

Thanks to Amanda at Skepchick I bring you this.
In some Orthodox Jewish sects there is rise in eating disorders (anorexia and bulimia). One of the cause sis the men in these Orthodox Jewish sects prefer skinny woman but thats not why I bring it up, I bring it up cause of this.

“Very often, young men looking for brides in the Orthodox community call a girl’s parents and ask for her dress size.” If it’s over a size 8, says the Forward, she may be headed for spinster city.

Some men go so far to ask for the dress size of the mother of the prospective bride, says Abraham Twerski, author of a book about eating disorders called The Thin You Within You. (You know, so a future husband can rest assure his wife-to-be will be able to shed the baby weight - and there will be many babies: Orthodox Jews don’t always believe in birth control). The arranged marriages may be causing eating disorders for another reason as well: Orthodox women are encouraged to wed at a very young age, and some teens who are seeking to avoid marriage develop anorexia to avoid menstruation. No menses = no babies = no marriage.

As many experts note, eating disorders are often about control, and eating disorder specialist Dr. Ira Sacker told the Forward that Orthodox girls and women often want to control their food intake because in such a regimented and ritualized society, what they eat is the only thing they have any power over.

The woman do not have the right to choose who they marry, the men ask the weight of the woman and there mothers when asking permission to marry them and the only way for th woman to avoid marriage is to not have a minstrel cycle. All cause these people fallow an Orthodox ancient middle eastern desert religion that considers woman as nothing more than property used to manufacture children.