Narrative analysis was used to explore the dominant themes in the 47 feature articles on eating disorders that have appeared in women's magazines since 1980, when eating disorders found a regular spot on the public's agenda. The "metastory" that emerges from these articles can be characterized thusly: Victims suffer alone, trapped by their selfishness and perfectionism, while stunned family members and peers stand by, watching as the disease suddenly takes hold. In later stages of the narrative, writers blame the media for the increase in the number of cases of eating disorders. The narrative presents a distorted picture of what life is like for the victim of an eating disorder. It also offers a distorted picture of what goes on outside the discourse of dieting—outside the symbiotic relationship between food companies and diet product makers carried out in the pages of women's magazines. Treating eating disorders as aberration allows the editor to deal with a serious problem while at the same time sustaining a discourse that contributes to the problem. Women's magazines acknowledge the severity of the problem, but make it seem like it takes place outside the realm of consumerism.