Anorexic Model
There are so many activists out there saying Fur is Murder, dont test on animals, I’d rather die than wear fur, exploit women not animals (oh wait, that is a feminist rallying against PETA ads), but essentially one of the messages of these slogans is that we put fashion above life. PETA you are right, we do. But why don’t we forget the animals for a little bit and start trying to save the human lives.

The fashion industry has been attacked for promoting unhealthy body images for years. Recently, the industry has been speaking out against itself. In 2006 Madrid banned overly thin models (cnn.com). This was a huge change in the modeling industry…you mean there actually is something called TOO thin? All of this of course followed the death of model Ana Carolina Reston, in 2006, from complications due to anorexia nervosa. Ana is often written up as the first famous person to die of anorexia, did the world forget about Karen Carpenter?
Karen Carpenter Anorexic
We watched her whither away to nothing. When her death was explained as cardiac arrest caused by the strain of anorexia nervosa, one of the causes of her disease was blamed on a cultural pressure to be thin. This was in 1983. It is 2008.

The list of people who have spoken out about having had or currently suffering from and eating disorder is surprisingly large. Carre Otis, model, spoke out about complications and medical issues she experienced due to her anorexia in 2008. Paula Abdul, bulimia; Maria Conchita Alonso, bulimia; Fiona Apple, anorexia; Barbi twins, anorexia bulemia; Justine Bateman, bulemia; Victoria Beckham, anorexia and binge eating; Kate Beckinsale, anorexia; Melanie Chisolm (another spice girl), anorexia; Kelly Clarkson, bulimia; Nadia Comenici, anorexia bulemia; Nichole Richi, anorexia; The list just goes on and on. These are just the people who have spoken out, you can imagine how long the list of people who know they have an eating disorder but are keeping quite. Imagine adding the people who think they are just dieting.

In 2000 the British Medical Association reported that there was a definitive link between eating disorders, advertising and fashion.Body Dismorphia

This is a very accurate representation of body dysmorphia. This is the body of someone suffering from an eating disorder and this is the reflection they see. This is the very tip of the iceberg. The woman in the reflection, in fact, is beautiful and healthy, but not to the ED sufferer. To someone with the disease that body is morbidly obese. This image cannot begin to capture the mental pain of this disease, but it does offer a good starting point for understanding.

A great website that helped scare me into treatment was Anorexicweb.com . It is filled with horrific pictures, real stories and the realities of eating disorders. It is an extensive site, and can be somewhat confusing, but well worth spending the time to explore. It might give you a better understanding of where someone with an ED is coming from or help scare you out of your ED and into treatment.

An blog was posted today from a fashion designer openly speaking about how he was unwittingly personally responsible for causing his daughters eating disorder. It is well worth the read.