Emily Hemendinger, assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, explained in a 2023 article that society needs to move away from focusing on appearance as a measure of fitness and health. "We live in a culture that really promotes thinness as 'healthy' and 'fitness," she explained in the article. "That's really unhelpful and unhealthy for anyone, especially athletes. Also, our culture for athletes really gives this message of 'no excuses, no off days,' especially around working out. Taking those two ideas combined, it’s easy to see how we celebrate disordered eating: Excessive exercise or overexertion means someone's highly disciplined and therefore successful and not weak."