Hollywood stars such as Courteney Cox, Portia de Rossi, Allegra Versace Beck, Calista Flockhart and Demi Moore have spent a lot of time stating they are not anorexic; yet appearing on TV with bone thin arms and legs, and gaunt faces.
“She used to be so beautiful and healthy looking,” said The View co-host Joy Behar Jan. 25 about recent photos of 49-year-old actress Demi Moore who is said to be suffering from the so-called “Hollywood woman disease” anorexia nervosa after Moore – looking scary skinny – was rushed to a Hollywood area hospital after a 911 call over a drug overdose. In turn, the same Hollywood star machine that almost forbids women celebrities to gain weight is having a field day by speculating on how bad Demi’s battle with the eating disorder anorexia really is, and then showing photos of Moore in healthier days from such films as the 1996 sex comedy “Striptease” when Moore bared all, showing off a healthy woman’s body.
Women celebrities suffering from not eating
A recent Google search of Hollywood celebrities and the word “anorexic” reveals more than four million references and examples; including the headlines: “Courtney Cox Rages Over Anorexia Claims,” and actress Portia de Rossi crediting her “wife” Ellen DeGeneres with “saving her from anorexia,” and “20-year-old Allegra Versace Beck being hospitalized after years of battling the eating disorder.”
At the same time, there’s Hollywood news reported that Ally McBeal star Calista Flockhart “admitted she suffered from anorexia while filming the hit TV comedy, after years of claiming her skinny figure was due to being small-boned.”
And, there’s former child star Tracey Gold who’s made it her life mission to tell the world about her battle with the eating disorder anorexia, and now working to help teens and other women who’ve fallen into the trap that “one can never be too skinny” in Hollywood or in today’s society where “thin is in, baby.”
Demi Moore’s battle to stay thin
Thanks to Hollywood movie stars such as Demi Moore and others getting in trouble with their weight, health experts say that “anorexia nervosa” is now more exposed in today’s celebrity focused era – with celebrities such as Angelina Jolie, Madonna and Sarah Jessica Parker showing off their new muscled arms and super-thin figures – that the “disease is now more open in our society than it’s ever been.”
For instance, recent photos of Moore looking pencil-slim and sad are included with various TV “entertainment” reports Jan. 26 that Moore is being treated for both “substance abuse and anorexia.”
In turn, health experts -- who treat the condition known as anorexia nervosa -- state that when top stars such as Moore become ill due to their extreme dieting lifestyle, that it’s an “education opportunity” for parents of young teen girls and women to acknowledge that Hollywood does play a role in their lives because many young women emulate their looks by following the lead of their favorite stars.
At the same time, health experts such as Dr. Oz and other medical experts who appear on TV state that the image of being super thin like Moore is today is both “unrealistic and unattainable,” for most young women who simply can’t get into a size zero dress -- like Moore and other super-thin celebrities -- and remain healthy.
Also, Hollywood stars have their own chefs, personal trainers and fully equipped gyms and even indoor swimming pools so they can work out daily to remain as thin as Hollywood demands them to be; while knowing that “being on TV adds 10 pounds” and other Hollywood myths that keep women celebrities mindful of remaining thin if they want to work in TV and movies.
Women starving themselves to death
Women are more likely than men to say they are “fat” or overweight even when they are scary skinny, states health experts in the wake of celebrities such as LeAnn Rimes and Kate Middleton dropping weight for their recent weddings; in an American culture that celebrates the image of a super thin bride.
Both LeAnn Rimes and Duchess Kate have received mixed media reviews for their bridal weight loss; with some saying both of these ladies are “way to skinny and others noting “they look great.”
In turn, Dr. Michelle May thinks it all sounds confusing because most American women today don’t know what to do about weight and, in turn, jump into fad diets that put themselves at risk for eating disorders that she calls in her new book – “Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat” – as a health epidemic for women in America today.
For instance, in a recent Cornell study of 273 women who were getting married within the year, 70 percent of respondents reported wanting to lose more than 20 pounds.
However, those same women could not articulate “why” they needed to lose 20 pounds or more before their wedding day.
"Clearly we live in a culture that values thinness, and this is probably the event of most women's lives that puts the brightest spotlight on them," says Dr. Jeffrey Sobal, a co-author of the study and a professor of sociology at Cornell.
Dieting can lead to Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa
Dr. May says that eating what you love is good not only your waistline but also for your mind, heart, and spirit. In turn, she warns that Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa are clear and present dangers for both young and older females in our society noting in her book something she’s dubbed as the “eat-repent-repeat cycle.”
While Dr. May wants people to “not focus on dieting, but on a healthy approach to eating.”
“The idea is that improving your eating behaviors and your relationship with food can allow you to manage your weight without restrictive diets,” states Dr. May in her new book that also notes how “Anorexia nervosa is a serious, potentially life-threatening eating disorder characterized by self-starvation and excessive weight loss.”
As for another killer of young women – Bulimia Nervosa – this disease is also very serious, writes Dr. May in her new book. “Bulimia Nervosa is a potentially life-threatening eating disorder characterized by a cycle of binging and compensatory behaviors such as self-induced vomiting designed to undo or compensate for the effects of binge eating.”
Dr. May goes on to state that “the criteria for both Anorexia and Bulimia are found in the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders,” that’s available for free online.
Warning signs that someone is getting too thin, too fast
According to Dr. Ira M. Sacker, an eating-disorder specialist and associate professor of pediatrics at NYU-Langone Medical Center, there are “red flags” about someone who may have an eating disorder. They are:
-- Changes in food-related behavior: Does she avoid social situations that involve food? Does she play with her meal instead of eating it? Has she turned eating into a ritual — eating the exact same thing each day or refusing to eat outside of a rigid schedule?
-- Extreme calorie shedding: Is she suddenly exercising more than 30 to 45 minutes a day? Does she run to the bathroom after a meal?
-- Changes in mood: Has she become depressed, irritable, apathetic or agitated?
-- Social isolation: Is your friend withdrawing socially? She may seem more self-involved, introspective and spacey.
-- Extreme weight loss: Abnormal thinness is an obvious sign, as well as fatigue, dizziness or fainting, dry skin and brittle nails.
At the same time, Dr. May warns both friends and family of someone who’s trying to drop a lot of weight that one main characteristic of eating disorders is “they never think they’re thin;” but somehow view themselves (even while looking in the mirror) as fat.
Overall, Dr. May says “diets don’t work, so the sooner you realize that it is not about being on or off a diet, you can begin to take control over what you eat and realize that you really can eat what you love and love what you eat without guilt or emotional eating.”
Thin is burned into their brains
When teen pop star Rebecca Black reportedly “sobbed when someone online said she should ‘get an eating disorder, so you’ll look pretty,’” reported EW.com this past summer, a health expert noted that this happens “all the time because thin is burned into the brains of young teen girls in America today.”
Also, the saying “the more things change, the more they stay the same,” seems logical when looking at the Royal princesses over in England.
Almost two decades after Princess Diana’s struggle with bulimia made headlines in Britain and beyond, new-princess-on-the-block Kate Middleton’s rapidly shrinking size has led to a global debate on her new found contours.
London media also reported that Kate “has dropped four dress sizes since her engagement and then marriage to Prince William.”
It’s also no secret that more than 500,000 American teens have eating disorders, say experts who also point to their personal relationships with other women as one area of study to find the answers to this serious health problem.
For instance, the view that thin is good was shared on the recent MSNBC report with the following comments: “Awesome post, she’s so thin, she looks amazing,” wrote one commenter after a string of Kate Middleton photos were posted on a site devoted to thinspiration.
“Every little girl at one time wants to be a princess, and these images will not only reach teenagers but middle and elementary schoolers,” said Jill M. Pollack, director of the Center for the Study of Anorexia and Bulimia. In turn, Pollack said she has been treating patients suffering from eating disorders for over 20 years. “To have the Middleton sisters [on pro-ana sites] is like, oh my God, a disaster waiting to happen.”
Image source of a very healthy looking Demi Moore featured on the movie poster for the 1996 sex comedy “Striptease.” Photo courtesy Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Striptease_(film)
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