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Thin city: Eating disorders in Hollywood
Karen Whitty
Mon, 30 Jan 2006
A skin-and-bones Paris Hilton - Victoria Beckham weighs only 48kg
Being underweight is considered "normal" and necessary for landing acting roles in Hollywood — but what happens when this pressure to be thin results in an eating disorder? And what effect does this "worship of the skinny" have on impressionable young fans?
Overwhelmed by the demands of the Hollywood culture, Jane Fonda spent nearly 20 years in the relentless pursuit of thinness, abusing food and diet pills in equal measure. She became one of the first actresses to break the silence over eating disorders, openly admitting to and then campaigning to raise awareness about bulimia and anorexia.
Paula Abdul has admitted to suffering from bulimia, while Sally Field battled the same disease for three years.
'Ally McBeal' star Courtney Thorne-Smith told US Weekly that her slide into anorexia ultimately led her to quit the show. "I started undereating, overexercising, pushing myself too hard and brutalizing my immune system," she said. "The amount of time I spent thinking about food and being upset about my body was insane."
Victoria Beckham 'fessed up to suffering from anorexia in her biography 'Learning to Fly', but she continues to be teetering on the brink; she's also one of the foremost propagators of the disturbing get-back-to-size-6-after-baby race among new celebrity mothers.
Mary Kate-Olsen, to the horror of fans and close friends, appeared on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in April last year looking emaciated. The next day, news came that she had checked into a clinic for treatment for anorexia.
Her oversized head and skeletal body have coined the term "the lollipop look", a classic symptom of anorexia and, shockingly, a look that many young models and actresses consider to be "in" right now.
After a period of drastic weight loss, rumours of Lindsay Lohan's alleged bulimia continue to taunt her, despite continual denials.
Jamie-Lynn Sigler (who plays James Gandolphini's daughter in 'Sopranos') has become a spokesperson for anorexia, after suffering from the condition herself and breaking the silence in her autobiography 'Wise Girl', which is aimed at helping young girls break the starvation cycle.
"It is a tough thing to talk about it, but it is actually therapeutic for me," she said. "I know it is something that touches almost every girl, and men, too."
So much for feminism
Societal pressure - in particular the Hollywood assumption that there's always one more kilo to shed, one more hour to exercise, one less meal to eat – is a major trigger for eating disorders.
The idea that perfection itself is illusive and something universal to be attained, instead of something individual that everyone possesses, is one of the biggest myths of our celebrity-driven society.
"We have become celebrity mad," says psychologist Megan de Beyer. "Most teens in SA read Heat and follow celebrities as if they supply the answer to a happy balanced life. This is society's fault because we are often too busy to supply healthy alternatives."
"People of worth get lost in the flashlights."
In this celebrity-driven society, women are valued mostly for how they look, regardless of what they do. Because Hollywood is far-reaching it's impossible to shield young girls from this warped perception of beauty.
Clinical psychologist and 'Reviving Ophelia' author Mary Pipher writes: “Research shows that virtually all women are ashamed of their bodies. It used to be adult women [and] teenage girls who were ashamed, but now you see the shame down to very young girls — 10, 11 years old."
"Society’s standard of beauty is an image that is literally just short of starvation for most women," Pipher adds.
In Hollywood, women must be of a certain weight, and the yardstick, it seems, is getting thinner and thinner.
It's a double-edged sword: competition is fierce among women who make it in Hollywood, but in taking part in this race to be thin, these actresses, supposed role models, are perpetrating a beauty myth that is making ordinary women ashamed of who they are.
In the world of eating disorders and celebrity culture, women have become their own worst enemies. So much for feminism.
The demons inside
But though our thin-is-in society is a major factor in causing eating disorders, psychology also plays a role.
"Low self esteem and self-loathing plays a big role in the development of anorexia," says Megan. "Anorexics often worry a lot and are perfectionists that spend a lot of energy on thinking about what others think of them."
Pressure from society can exacerbate these personality traits – that is why in order to cure an eating disorder, says Megan, a sufferer has to be admitted to a clinic, where he/she is removed from all of society's "be-thin-or-else" cues.
"Negative and destructive thinking about oneself is a vicious cycle and when an anorexic manages to discover this it helps a lot," says Megan.
"Often an anorexic is helped if she changes her environment and discovers that there is a whole big wide world out there not just a 'catwalk', movies and models."
How to spot the signs
Eating disorders are a psychological disease, so they are borne in the thinking patterns of the sufferer. In therapy, doctors therefore first need to change their patients' way of thinking and reasoning – and this is why it's such a difficult condition to spot, and to cure.
Behavioural signs include:
Avoidance of eating – denies feeling hungry; avoids social gatherings where food is involved, eats in secrecy, etc.
Dramatic weight loss – denies the seriousness of low body weight.
Obsession with dieting and weight loss – compulsive weighing several times a day, terrified of gaining the smallest bit of weight, bases self-worth on weight. Physical signs:
Stops menstruating
Brittle nails
Hair loss
Lowered immunity
Gets cold and hot easily
Sleeps less
Fatigue and muscle weakness
Bruises easily
Constipation, dehydration and fainting
Eventual growth of a downy layer of hair (lanugo) all over the body, including the face (the body is trying to stay warm)
Heart problems, anemia, stunted growth and even death.
Prevention and cure
If you think you have a friend or family member that is suffering from anorexia, they will probably deny it when you confront them about it.
"If your friend is under 18 years old, I would speak to her parents who should immediately book an appointment with a specialist at an eating disorder clinic," says Megan.
Eating disorders can only be cured in an environment where sufferers are taken away from the pressures of our thin-is-win society.
Preventing your child from developing an eating disorder lies in building their positive self-image and nurturing a healthy attitude to food.
"Weight and fat should not be discussed with teenagers and young boys/girls," says Megan.
Parents who are "fat" conscious, will transfer their fears of being fat onto their children. In South Africa, we spend lots of time outside, on the beach, which already exerts a lot of pressure on teenagers and young girls in particular to be thin. The last thing your child needs is more pressure, directly or indirectly, from you.
"It is up to parents to manage food in their homes and from a young age good healthy eating habits should be encouraged," says Megan.
"Parents need to emphasize health, that everyone has a different body shape and size and that happiness with self is more important than body size."
As young women and mothers, we also need to take responsibility for ourselves – becoming victims to magazines and Hollywood propaganda is not a healthy way to live our lives. It does nothing for us or for women as a community.
"We need to focus on what we can give as women to each other and to our planet," says Megan. "Once we do this, it'll become obvious that there are much more important things to do in life than worry about being thin."
Thin city: Eating disorders in Hollywood
Re: Thin city: Eating disorders in Hollywood
I think its cute when someone has a tiny wast and bigger hips/bubble butt...Alicia Keys is kinda like that and Jenna Von Oy from Blossom was too!
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