Graphic Narratives on Overcoming Eating Disorders and Reconciliation of the Body Image in Nadia Shivack’s Inside Out (2007)

Abstract

Mental illness is often misunderstood, misinterpreted, and misrepresented in the social-cultural context of society. Even with the development of psychology, there is still no widespread understanding of mental disorders and depression. Eating disorders, like anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa, are psychological disorders where the victim never eats food or binge eats and purges after eating, respectively. Young men and women are influenced by body shaming in society. They lose their self-esteem because they do not have that picture-perfect body portrayed in the media and mainstream culture, they use binge eating, purging, and starvation in their struggle to attain a body that is accepted by mainstream culture. Some fall into unhealthy eating practices causing nutrition deficiency, anemia, and ulcers; thus, they ruin their overall health. Graphic narratives about psychological disorders like eating disorders provide a realistic picture of the suffering of the victim through words and imagery. This research paper analyzes the graphic novel Inside Out: Portrait of an Eating Disorder (2007) by Nadia Shivack, a memoir that elaborates on the author’s struggle with an eating disorder. The subjective narrative of the eating disorder highlights the struggles of the patient as well as society’s concern for those who overlook the disorders. Moreover, graphic narratives help victims of eating disorders pave the way for self-acceptance and creating a positive self-image.