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?

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.

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.

We all know that the lunar cycle effects our menstrual cycle. Women’s monthly tidings have been guided by the moon since we have been women and the moon has been a moon. In many cultures, this is part of the reason the moon represents the goddess or feminine energy. Women often fall into two categories, full moon or new moon cycles. With the prevalence of hormonal birth control and our disassociation from the natural world, women are less tied to their lunar calendar and more tied to their scheduler on their blackberry. Actually, we can even choose not to have a period at all, forget the moon just don’t forget the pill!

The connection surrounding the moon is not isolated to our cycles. Women are more fertile during certain times of the lunar cycle. Hospitals report higher numbers of women going into labor during full moons, as well as mentally ill people acting up more than normal…hence the phrase lunacy.

Whether or not you have an awareness of your cycle in relation to the moon, I notice that women are often affected by her pull. I know for me, though I am part of the hormonally regulated masses, that when I am off my full moon tenancies, that my body will feel like I am premenstrual during the full moon, even when I am not.

Tonights full moon is a little different. Tonight is the last lunar eclipse for the next three years. If you are on the east coast go outside at about 10:30 and the moon should be orange! Beautiful! Anyway, so beyond this amazing astronomical phenomenon, I have been wondering if an eclipse effects our hormones more than a simple full moon?

In my message boards and among my friends I have noticed a higher number of women complaining about PMS. They are saying that they are more hormonal than normal. I am not in my cycle, but am feeling the effects of PMS. I just chalked it up to my personal lunar sensitivity. But maybe the eclipse effects us. Maybe the eclipse makes us a little more sensitive. I have also been reading about a lot of women talking about spotting around eclipses, longer lasting periods, longer PMS, hormonal cycles feeling like they are lasting for 40 days, etc. Though no one source says this is because of the eclipse, and people are quick to try to explain it away, I believe there is a direct correlation.

I find this connection to be incredible. In a time when we are so often disconnected from the natural world, when people stand up for going green yet central park is the wilderness, when a squirrel is a wild animal, that we can still have an uncontrollable biological connection to nature. Some people think that this is sexist to say that women become more sensitive during PMS and that we are affected by something like the moon. I don’t think it is sexist. I think it is amazing. It shows a deeper connection to the whole. Why is feeling MORE a disadvantage? Though I am not throwing my Midol out the window, I do believe that we should embrace our periods and our connection to nature and other women, it is a universal connection that every woman around the world can understand.

Here is a link to a blog talking about this effect. There are also a lot of comments from women speaking to their experience with menstruation and the moon.

Are you affected?

Yes, you read that right. Maybe this sign will soon read “We serve skinny’s only. No fat or obese allowed.”

In Mississippi they are trying to pass a bill that would make it illegal for restaurants to feed the obese. This is absurd. Actually this is beyond absurd this is offensive and discriminatory.

Here is the article from U.S.A. Today:

Three legislators want to make it illegal for restaurants to serve obese customers in Mississippi.

House Bill No. 282, which was introduced this month, says: Any food establishment to which this section applies shall not be allowed to serve food to any person who is obese, based on criteria prescribed by the State Department of Health after consultation with the Mississippi Council on Obesity Prevention and Management established under Section 41-101-1 or its successor. The State Department of Health shall prepare written materials that describe and explain the criteria for determining whether a person is obese, and shall provide those materials to all food establishments to which this section applies. A food establishment shall be entitled to rely on the criteria for obesity in those written materials when determining whether or not it is allowed to serve food to any person.

The proposal would allow health inspectors to yank the permit from any restaurant that “repeatedly” feeds extremely overweight customers.

The bill, written by GOP Rep. W. T. Mayhall Jr., was referred to the Judiciary and Public Health committees, but The Jackson Free Press doesn’t expect it to garner much support in the statehouse.

About two-third of Mississippians are considered overweight or obese, according to a recent analysis of federal health data.

-article link

I have my own issues with fat acceptance. I don’t believe the issue should be fat or thin. I believe it should be healthy or unhealthy, not perceived healthy, actually healthy. There are skinny people out there that are unhealthy as well as obese people. I support the idea of love your body, therefore take care of your body. But this is getting away from the issue. This bill is appalling. It is discrimination at its most obvious and historical level. Thankfully it will most likely not pass, but it should never have been proposed.

How about instead of running fanatically towards discrimination you pass bills that support healthy eating and exercise, as well as health care and help people find solutions for their weight issues.

This is so awful, that it is hard to put into words what I feel about this. It is like I am in shock, thinking, can this be real?