As some of my friends know, I love fashion but I really don’t like the prevailing images of beauty that the fashion and beauty industry perpetuate. Many of my friends have struggled with feeling beautiful, have had eating disorders, etc. In America and England the dieting industry makes billions of dollars a year on this struggle. I personally have not struggled with an eating disorder but I am no stranger to thousands of “fat days” and dieting.
I think a big solution to giving women hope is offering positive images of beauty and also images of the variety of beauty we all have. If we grew up being presented with certain ideals those ideals need to be displaced by fresh, diverse images. And ultimately we need images of ourselves that show us how God sees us. Anyway, tomorrow night on CNN newsanchor Paula Zahn is doing an hour-long special called “Walking the Thin Line,” a special on the growing phenomenon of eating disorders in America, especially among very young girls. She talks about the subject of “image therapy” for girls who’ve been hospitalized for eating disorders. She will interview Jane Fonda, who is really known as the woman who aerobicized america into an exercise-fitness craze but secretly struggled with bulimia for 30 years. I think this will be an important special, part of bringing to light a very deep and sensitive issue a lot of women need to be aware of. The special is on at 8 p.m. EST…
