What role does the modeling industry play in this killer disease? Plenty, according to those who are dying to be thin.
Her hands are snarled, the teeth decayed, her face lined and wrinkled, and she weighs an emaciated 70 pounds. The woman I've just described is not a patient in a convalescent home, but a young woman in her early 20s. She is the victim of bulimia, an eating disorder characterized by a person consuming large amounts of food, and initiating self-induced vomiting afterwards.
In 95% of the cases the disease, affects young girls and women. Usually the age of onset is 17- 22. As with any novelty, 25 years ago bulimia was practically unheard of, today, it has risen more than 1,000 percent. Moreover, it effects 1 out of every 200 girls, and according to experts, 1 to 3 of those affected with the disease will die.
With such grim statistics, it is only fitting that the modeling industry is being singled out as one of the contributors of bulimia and anorexia nervosa. Unlike bulimia, where victims consume huge amounts of food, and force themselves to throw up. Those affected with anorexia may go for days without eating. And although both diseases can be fatal, if allowed to persist without proper treatment, anorexia is considered more deadly.
Now back to the modeling industry. Experts maintain that ever since Twiggy graced the cover of magazines, in all her gauntness, models have given the impression that being thin is equivalent to beauty and success. As a result, some models who have difficulty controlling their weight, have fallen prey to eating disorders. Such was the case of former super model Beverly Johnson.
Beverly Johnson
Johnson, one of the first African-Americans to grace the cover of popular magazines, admitted in 1993, that she literally starved herself during certain periods of her career. Not surprisingly, this disclosure led to questions of what role the modeling industry plays in keeping women obsessed with trying to achieve the "perfect body."
Cali- The Woman Who Has it All!
Meet *Cali; she is everyone's idea of the All-American Girl; successful, intelligent, witty and charming. A loyal friend, all-around good sport and favorite co-worker. She listens patiently to the problems of others, and is amazingly kind and helpful. Cali seemingly has it altogether, or does she?
If her admirers could follow her home, they would witness this daily routine. After work Cali visits her favorite supermarket, where she fills her cart with cookies, ice cream and other morsels. The people at the supermarket assume that because of her humanitarianism, the food will be donated to a charitable organization. However while the cashiers praise her generosity, Cali goes home and devours her food supply.
Tearing open an 18 oz. pack of Oreos, she eats one cookie after another until they are all gone. Stuffed, with pain gnawing at her stomach, she continues the onslaught. Walking into the kitchen, she reaches into the refrigerator and takes out the ice cream. Ripping it open, Cali devours the entire quart in less than three minutes, stopping between breaks to wipe the drips from her blouse.
With the fridge still open, Cali spots her favorite pie, a strange concoction of chocolate, bananas and caramel, topped with roasted almonds and whipped cream. Unable to resist the gooey desert, she scoops out a huge slice with her hand, and doesn't stop eating until the pie container is empty.
As her stomach bulges from the pain of being overstuffed, Cali then drags herself into the kitchen, where she drinks a glass of water and waits for the fireworks to begin. Ten minutes later, she goes to the bathroom, stands over the toilet, opens her mouth and sticks her middle fingers down her throat. In a gush, the acidic gook rushes from her mouth and splashes onto the tile. In less than 60 seconds the troubling display is over.
Shaking uncontrollably and vowing never to repeat the process, Cali takes a nap. When she awakens, she feels hungry, but is determined not to repeat the vicious cycle that occurred earlier. So to lure her thoughts to other interests, she watches TV for 40 minutes, only to realize that she can no longer resist the temptation to throw up.
Promising herself "after this time, never again," then giving herself permission, she finishes the food and regurgitates. Cali promised herself this would never happen again. Much to her dismay she kept that promise.
The Curtain Comes Crashing Down!
In the wee hours of the morning, Cali began experiencing severe chest pains. She had felt those pains before, but never with such intensity. Writhing in pain, Cali feared dying alone. And as she reached for the phone, panic set in, as she realized that her life was nearing the end.
Managing to get to the phone, Cali dialed 911. Fifteen minutes later she was rushed to the hospital. As Cali fought for her life, she was unable to tell the doctors and nurses who worked to save her, that she had been vomiting five times a day for 25 years. Unable to reveal that information, medical personnel worked vehemently to save her life, but their attempts were unsuccessful.
Sadly, at 3:45 a.m. on May 26, 2007,
*Cali Rene Salinger was pronounced dead. At her funeral, those close to the petite brunette, wondered why the woman who seemingly had everything was lying in a coffin. Months later the cause of death was revealed, and family and friends were stunned when told the results. Why they speculated, did Cali allow food to control and subsequently take her life?
Three weeks later, Cali's mom found her daughter's diary. At first she was reluctant to read it. But she thought that the diary might hold the secret of Cali's bulimia. She was right.
Peering through the diary, she discovered that Cali learned about bulimia after reading an article in a fashion magazine. In the article, the woman, a former model in her mid 50s, said that she had maintained her slender figure by vomiting and taking laxatives. It was not known how severe the woman's eating disorder was, but her mom realized this is where Cali's bulimia craze began. And as she read more of the diary, she saw a quote from the article where the woman said "that to be thin is to be beautiful, and you can never be too thin."
Stunningly beautiful, Cali was willing to do anything to maintain her svelte figure. Why? Because a former model said that the thinner you are, the more attractive, you are to the world. To reiterate, with the focus on thinness, it seems inevitable that an obsession of this magnitude would occur, and the fashion industry is in the middle of the controversy. According to Steve Levenkron, author of
The Best Little Girl in the World, a novel about anorexia nervosa, an acceptable female body to most fashion designers is: "Lean, with thighs rarely broader than her knees. Her arms are widest at the elbow. Breasts must be small, as must be buttocks. In short, she must not look female."
Over the years, the use of thin, emaciated models in television and magazines have become common. And although full-figured women have gained popularity with modeling agencies, when was the last time a 180 pound model graced the covers of
Vogue,
Cosmopolitan or
Harpers Bizarre? Yet, 60% of the women in the U.S. are a size 12 or larger. Many claim the fashion industry is losing millions of dollars annually by continuing to cater to thin women. Unfortunately, the demand for ultra slimness has such a critical effect; even models feel they have to starve themselves to death in order to work.
Hence, it is only natural for women to complain about calories when they find themselves unable to zip their favorite dress. However, instead of using their own barometer to determine their self worth, they use dress size. In actuality, they are using their size as a status symbol, and the smaller the size, the greater the status. How sad!
It's ironic, isn't it, that at a time when women are declaring themselves equal and independent, they are still debating their body image. However, before taking 3-4 laxatives a day, vomiting 5 times a day, or not eating for days, ask yourself, was my body made to be overly thin? If the answer is yes, the next question is, "Am I willing to die, just so I can fit comfortably into a size 0 designer jeans?
Yes, it's a strange question, but not so strange to the thousands of women, who at this very moment are cramming their fingers down their throats, unsure of whether this will be the last time. Unfortunately for some, it will be.
*Not her real name
tweet this!
