“5 million to 10 million American girls and women and 1 million boys and men face eating disorders”(USA today.com). Is this what we want our future to look like? Many people are facing this dilemma because society is portraying “thin” is the healthy way to live life, and the fashion world is no stranger to this subject.
Many young girl models are starving themselves by not eating right or drugs abuse to stay under the “expected weight” which is usually under 100 pounds. Carer Otis, a supermodel whose works include “the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue and Calvin Klein ads” (USA today.com), describes her past as a never-ending diet. Her method included “starvation and diet pills to laxative to fasting” (USA today.com). From the way she describes her torturing diet, it’s obvious that she did not like it at all, but the pressure to be the best in what she does triumphed her own health problem.
Consequently, this problem is being nurtured by us. We provide these companies the incentives to produce these kind of images. We choose to buy their products for example: fashion magazines, diet pills and other diet products, but we can stop this dilemma right now if we stick together and show our voices.
Like wise, we need to support products that are trying to suppress this problem for example the Dove campaign. They have everyday women with different skin colors and sizes to promote their products. These kind of campaigns can help women all over the world. Its message is very simple but relevant to many people, and it is to be comfortable in your own skin. This is a pioneer method that can and will expand if we are behind them a hundred percent.
Quang Pham
Work Cited
Avenaim, Jerry. "Carre Otis models healthy eating."
USA today.com. 24 February 2003. Web. 5 October. 2010.
<http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/spotlighthealth/2003-02-24-carre-otis-_x.htm>.
Pictures
<http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2006/09/13/1157826986045.html>
<http://www.nancyhayssen.com/blog/331/doves-campaign-for-real-beauty/>
