| Summary: | The aim of my study was to examine how orthorexia is constructed in the Swedish tabloids. The main question examined was in what way the Swedish tabloids contributes to define orthorexia as a social problem. But in order to answer this I also had to make up a couple of smaller questions which was; what in the texts helps to understand orthorexia as something dangerous and something that poses a health risk, what in the texts produces orthorexia as a new and growing eating disorder and which stereotypes are to be found of the ones that are sick. Using a discourse analysis of six news articles from the two biggest tabloids in Sweden, showed three different themes; the new and dangerous disease, a problem and stereotypes. By using the framing theory two various frames of orthorexia was found. These were a new type of eating disorder that framed orthorexia as a quite unknown disorder and which to begin with was questioned as an eating disorder and said just to be a trend. But also when healthy become unhealthy that framed orthorexia as a dangerous disorder that in the most extreme cases could lead to death. Orthorexia is in this frame descried as something wrong. Using the framing theory three different stereotypes showed. These were; the trendorthorectic, the elite athlete who became ill and the one with the thought full of obsessions. The first of the three stereotypes is the most modern and takes healthy to its most extreme. The second one is driven by a hang-up on the well-trained body that it ones had. And finally, the third one is the stereotype that best matches how the tabloids frame orthorexia. It also the most of extreme of the three stereotypes. Unlike the other stereotypes this one is driven by obsessive thoughts about both health, exercise and food. My study shows that orthorexia is defined as when something healthy become unhealthy and is framed as something both dangerous and wrong in the Swedish tabloids. The tabloids help to understand orthorexia as an accepted eating disorder and is constructed as a social problem that we have to do something about.
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