GI Jane’s eating problems

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The pressure to measure up to male cadets weighs heavily on women enrolled in American military academies — and the pressure to keep their weight low drives many of them to develop eating disorders.

Female cadets face overwhelming stress about their bodies because they’re held up to strict weight limits; women who exceed the standards are publicly scolded by their superiors, according to ALTERNET.

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10/26 – Solar Power on a cloudy day Eating disorders, particularly bulimia, are especially common among female military trainees, the article reports. While their male counterparts blow off steam with traditional “male bonding” behavior, a startling number of women break free from the rigors of the military lifestyle by binge eating, only to purge afterwards for fear of gaining weight.

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