Associated Press. (2008). French fashion signs charter against anorexia-Industry representatives pledge to promote healthy body images. Retrieved September 30, 2010, from http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/24035647
Anorexia is a concerning problem around the world. Fashion models in France and Milan must maintain a healthy body weight. French fashion industry representatives want to present healthy body images and not promote eating disorders. Approximately thirty to forty thousand people are suffering from anorexia in France. The Health Ministry is also in affirmation for this new bill and wants to promote healthy body images of the models. Many models have died from anorexia. Many other fashion groups such as the French Couture Federation have signed the charter. A French lawmaker, Valerie Boyer, is trying to pass a bill that will convict people of promoting eating disorders and anorexia through websites or fashion ads. This is important to my topic because it shows that many young women look up to these thin models which is a factor to this illness.
CNN. (2006, September 13). Skinny models banned from catwalk. Retrieved October 4, 2010, from http://articles.cnn.com/2006-09-13/world/spain.models_1_association-of-fashion-designers-skinny-models-pasarela-cibeles?_s=PM:WORLD
Catwalks in Madrid have begun turning away super thin models. Many modeling agencies such as the Spanish model agencies and designers are upset about this new change, but organizers say they want to produce a healthy body image for young women idolizing these models. Cathy Gould of a New York Elite Modeling Agency says “the fashion industry was being used as a scapegoat for illnesses like anorexia and bulimia. Letizia Moratti, the mayor of Milan, Italy, told an Italian newspaper she will find a similar ban for the show unless they find a solution to “sick” looking models. Thirty percent of women have been banned from the Madrid show due to their body mass index being too low. This is important to my topic because many modeling agencies want to promote a healthy body image, which will help reduce anorexia.
Costin, C. (1997). Your dieting daughter- Is she dying for attention? (pp. 54-58) New York: BRUNNER/MAZEL, INC.
In this book Costin conducts interviews with women dealing with anorexia. Costin has dealt with an eating disorder as a teenager and has written this book telling the lives of other “dieting daughters”. She conducted an interview with a 16 year old anorexic named Becky. Becky was brought to Costin after treatment at a university hospital was unsuccessful. Becky described her diet as eating tea and dry toast for breakfast, an apple and two rice cakes for dinner, salad for lunch, and a chocolate drink for a snack. The young teenage girl came to Costin weighing 80 pounds. In the interview Becky has told Costin she is upset that she has gained a pound. They weigh her in the office and Becky had not gained any weight. Becky says the reason she feels fat is because her stomach “sticks out”. Costin tries to reassure Becky that she is not “fat” and does not need anorexia to feel healthy. This is important to my topic because it shows a relationship between a recovering anorexic and an anorexic young girl.
Francine, C. (2008, February 1). My opinion towards anorexia. Retrieved October 4, 2010, from http://www.macheriefrancine.com/?p=691
In this blog Chez Francine describes her feelings towards anorexia. This gives the audience a different view on anorexia because the author has not personally dealt with this illness. She describes that it is difficult to overcome anorexia. Many women and teens look up to thin models making it hard to love their own body image. She also gives a suggestion that model agencies should create laws in which models weigh more than 40 kilograms. Models and celebrities are idolized so they should represent a healthy body weight and image. Through movies, the internet, and magazines the difficulties of anorexia are shown helping people to understand this illness. This is important to my topic because this blog gives a different perspective to the illness.
Frost, S., Murphy, R., Webster, P., & Schmidt, U. (2003). Are top journals biased against eating disorder topics? [Electronic version] Am J Pyschiatry, 160, 363-365.
This journal article is about an experiment done by highly trained professionals. This experiment found that many medical, psychological, and psychiatric research articles about eating disorders were biased. There were twice as many articles about pain disorders than about anorexia. The journal includes a chart of the different journals and the ratio of anorexia articles compared to pain disorder and agoraphobia articles. Some journals did not even have one article about an eating disorder. Many medical professionals hold “stigmatizing attitudes” towards eating disorders. This is important to my topic because awareness of eating disorders is essential to helping these young women and even men get help. The experiment shows that there is not very much awareness of eating disorders through these journal articles.
Moe, B. (1991). Coping with eating disorders (1995th ed., pp. 27-28). New York: The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc.
In this book Barbara Moe describes anorexia nervosa and gives ideas on coping with this illness. In Chapter 3 she describes that in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s it was popular to be plump. She includes facts that state “Miss America contestants between 1959 and 1978 were thinner than in earlier years” and “The number of diet articles in women’s magazines increased by 20 percent between 1969 and 1978”. Studies show that almost 100 percent of boys and girls do not like their bodies. Moe says that over the centuries women have tried to please men, which gives them confusion over food issues. Women have many duties to deal with, giving them a hard time to have a positive body image. This is important to my topic because it gives statistics on anorexia and a history of people’s attitudes towards body image.
Recovering Anorexic. (2010, October 1). Goal weight. Retrieved October 3, 2010, from
In this blog there is an unknown author describing their recovery of anorexia. The author has reached a healthy weight but tempted to go back to anorexia. He or she is finally happy with their body image and self-esteem. The blog contains a list of addictions that the author was “blinded” by anorexia. Some say “I thought I was fat when i was 78 pounds”, and “I thought eating one meal a day was normal”. The author knows these addictions were harmful to their body by going through treatment. This author is credible because they have lived going through this illness and have gone through treatment. The author ends the blog as “Ugh. That’s all for now” showing that they are dissatisfied in the way anorexia allowed them to think. This is important to my topic because it shows the struggles of a recovering anorexic. It gives a different perspective to the audience.
Reaves, J. (2001, July 31). Anorexia goes high tech. Retrieved September 30, 2010, from
Reaves describes the hypocritical ways of a pro-anorexia website. The internet allows young women to gain access to pro-anorexia websites and also gain information that could hurt them. Pro-Ana website creators show images of anorexic women such as celebrities promoting anorexia, but they also say they do not wish to promote this illness. These websites are colorful and seem motivational in order to attract anorexics and also recovering anorexics. Most young women dealing with this illness are young girls 20 years old and younger. These young girls have access to the internet and see these websites. Yahoo!, hosts the most anorexic websites and has taken action in shutting them down. The National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders (ANAD) is trying to get pro-ana creators to shut down their websites. This is important to my topic because it describes how pro anorexic websites are formed and hypocritical. These pro anorexic websites draw attention to vulnerable young girls.
Rezgig, A. (2009, January). Dying to be thin: a pro-ana blog. Retrieved October 3, 2010, from http://anaregzig.blogspot.com/
This blog highlights a young girl’s struggles of dealing with anorexia. “Ana” has been through recovery treatments and is still turning to her old ways. Once out of treatment she loses weight and begins to fast because she does not fit into her skinny jeans. This blog puts the audience into the anorexic’s shoes. She also describes her attitude towards a book she is reading called WASTED by Marya Hornbacher. She says she has lost weight from reading this novel and wonders how she will react while not being in “ana-mode”. In this blog the young girl seems to turn her illness on and off and seems like she wants help but cannot find the courage to fight this illness. This is important to my topic because it is a blog that shows how an anorexic thinks in everyday life.
The Eating Disorder Foundation. (2005). About eating disorders. Retrieved October 5, 2010, from http://www.eatingdisorderfoundation.org/EatingDisorders.htm
This website is filled with many eating disorder facts. The Eating Disorder Foundation contains support groups, treatment facilities, research, and links for getting help. It describes anorexia as self imposed starvation and as a life threatening disorder. The website highlights ways of coping with an eating disorder, the signs and symptoms, and definitions on body image, anorexia, etc. Some facts on this website are “Four out of five US women are dissatisfied with their appearance”, 81% of ten year old girls are afraid of being fat”, and “A study found that adolescent girls were more fearful of gaining weight than getting cancer, nuclear war, or losing their parents.” These facts are important to my topic because the statistics come from a credible source that deals with eating disorders.
