slim is beautiful

idea development 2

A photo of famous stars' attire creates many fashionable styles, and their fashions often come out to the market place. Many teenagers imitate the fashion style, and even their habit and lifestyle because they desire to be like the stars. Like the fashion of stars, 'Weight loss' is a big issue for the young ladies and boys. Many famous stars are so slim and their skinny photos are decorated in the cover page of magazines. Even before we turn the page, we can feel stars are so skinny. We usually feel they look beautiful because we look their figures repeatedly in a daily life.
Slim is beautiful? Fat is ugly?

I made this image by illustrator CS3.

This is a star and it is beautiful.

New evolution of human body

idea development 1

In dictionary, evolution is process of gradual change that takes place over many generation, during species of animals, plants or insects slowly change some of their physical characteristics.

From the evolution, the below image came up with...

The image connotes that people are getting slim and slim until they are being like a skeleton.

'real beauty'

Think about what is real beauty

Process

Body-> Slim & Fat-> Weight Loss -> Social issue->

Explore of the problems->Approach the problem

(Give the opportunity to think abt 'real beauty')

Factors

Hollywood stars, models, fashions,....

Media- TV(ad, entertainment,..), magazines,...

Problems

Anorexia, Disoder,Value judgement about beauty,....

-target audience: people concerning about their body (especially, young people)

To approach/solve the problems

(Pursuation of the target audiences)

1. Why do we try to lose weight?

2. What is beautiful?

3. Why it is beautiful?

4. Think about real beauty of myself

5. What should we pursue?

Statement about my subject matter

My theme is weight loss addiction concerning issue of many people in the world. Especially, young ladies are interested in the issue and the subject matter should draw the young audience. I think most important stylistic element is to make people look and easily understand what the image is saying. I intend to the creative, new and young stylistic and technical which can lead the young audience’s attention. The audience know that this is how dangerous problem but they still desire to be thin. It is the main problem that lots of people are addicted to the weight loss. I will provide an opportunity to think about what is the real beauty to the audience through the images.

Anorexia Nervosa

Anorexia Nervosa

What is Anorexia Nervosa?
Anorexia Nervosa is a type of eating disorder. Eating disorders refer to a group of illnesses where someone has a distorted view of body shape and weight and they have extreme disturbances in their eating behaviour.
People who have eating disorders generally have a very low sense of self-esteem and poor sense of self. Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, Compulsive Overeating, Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (EDNOS) and Binge Eating Disorder are all types of eating disorders.
You may want to check out the fact sheets on the right hand side of the page for more information on other eating disorders.

Characteristics of anorexia
Anorexia is characterised by:
• Extreme concerns about weight • Intense fear of gaining weight or becoming fat • Deliberate maintenance of a very low body weight • Often absent menstrual cyclesPeople with anorexia have an intense desire for weight loss and to be thin (often unhealthily so). Although people with anorexia are usually underweight, they generally believe that they are "fat."
Food, weight and appearance often become the main focus for someone who has anorexia. Concentrating on food and weight becomes a (conscious or unconscious) way of dealing with or managing intense emotions or emotional difficulties that they are experiencing.
Both males and females, from any social or economic background, can suffer from anorexia. Although the disorder usually begins in the late teenage years it can manifest at any age, and its onset is often associated with a stressful event or a period of dieting.
Common signs of anorexia
Some of the common signs of anorexia may be:
• Being afraid of putting on weight • Calorie counting and/or obsessively avoiding of high fat food• Marked weight loss • Not wanting to eat • Being hungry but not wanting to admit it • Over exercising • Obsessive weighing • Getting cold easily • Irregular (or absent) menstrual cycles • Feeling like they are too fat even though they may be very thin • Nails and hair become brittle • Dry and yellow skin • Preference to eating alone or only eating around other people • Feeling depressed and irritable • Lanugo, or fine body hair, on the trunk and face
If you are experiencing a number of these things, it may be helpful to talk with someone you trust, like a family member, teacher, psychologist or local doctor.
Check out your local phone book or to find out details of people you can approach for assistance in your local area. Or, you can also ask a doctor to refer you to someone who can help you.

What causes Anorexia Nervosa?
Eating disorders such as anorexia are a combination of physical and mental health difficulties and there are usually a number of factors that contribute to its development. These factors could include any or all of the following:
• Physical, emotional, or sexual trauma • Cultural emphasis or preoccupation with body image ideals • Relationships with peers and family • Loss and grief • Brain chemistry• Physiological effects of dieting• Stress or coping styles • Genetic factors• A feeling of lack of control over one's life• An inability to cope with and manage emotions/feelings in a more positive way
It is often impossible to identify one single cause of a person's eating disorder. Rather, eating disorders are usually a result of a combination of factors working together.
For some people it will be easy to identify what some of the reasons may be, but for others it may be very difficult. Regardless of the causes or reasons, it is important to remember that people with anorexia can and do recover.

Difference between Anorexia and Bulimia
Both anorexia and bulimia are eating disorders, however the characteristics of each are different. Anorexia is characterised by a desire to lose weight and self-starvation (severe restriction of the amount of food consumed).
People who experience bulimia also usually share the intense desire to lose weight and be thin, but instead of starving themselves they are prone to episodes of eating large amounts of food in short spaces of time (binging), which they then feel the need to rid themselves of via various means of purging (such as vomiting, starving, or over-exercising).
People who suffer from anorexia often have episodes of binge eating and purging; however, unlike bulimics, their body weight is well below the "healthy" range. For more information about bulimia you may want to check out the factsheet on the right hand side of the page.
Suggestions for getting help for Anorexia
Many People with eating disorders feel that they are not "sick enough" or "thin enough" to warrant receiving help for their disorder. It is important to remember and keep reminding yourself that eating disorders are psychological disorders that cause great suffering. The bodily effects of an eating disorder are merely a symptom of deeper issues.
Anybody whose life is being affected by an eating disorder, regardless of its perceived severity, deserves access to support and treatment. Everyone with an eating disorder deserves to have their eating disorder taken seriously, regardless of what they weigh or of how much or how little they eat.
It is a good idea to try and find help sooner rather than later. The longer someone has experienced anorexia the more difficult it is to start the recovery process. It may also be a good idea to remember this if you are starting treatment.
If you are having difficulties reaching the goals set, try not to be too hard on yourself. It is important to keep trying. Persistence and courage are the keys to recovery. Remember that recovery is possible!
Everybody with anorexia is different, thus the same treatment approach won't be suited to everyone. What works for one person might not work for you, so it is worth investigating and trying out various options and approaches.

Your local doctor, or eating disorders association should be able to help you find out about what options are available and which one may benefit you the most. Some options available include counsellors, nutritionists, psychologists, psychiatrists, or other health professionals.

And remember, if you try one thing and it hasn't worked, it doesn't mean that you have failed; it just means that you may need to try a different approach!
What you talk about with the people you seek help from can vary depending on the individual you see and the prior training that they have had. However, common things that are often talked about are what your beliefs and behaviours about food and weight are, how you feel about yourself, and about how you came to develop these things. You will also be guided to learn better ways of managing your feelings and difficulties, and to have a healthier and more positive approach to yourself, food, and weight.
Sometimes, to help you get better, you may spend some time in a hospital so that your nutritional or psychological needs can be looked after in an environment that offers a more intense level of support.
This may include having your weight returned to a level that will not cause immediate danger to your health. Some people also find it easier to learn to eat healthily again in a more structured and supportive environment that a hospital can provide, regardless of whether they are at a medically unstable weight or not.
Asking for help with an eating disorder can be a daunting prospect and requires a lot of courage, but it is worth it!

Trust and honesty
Speaking to someone about your eating habits honestly and openly may be hard and it is particularly important to trust the person you are speaking with. If there is a family member you feel comfortable telling, the simplest way may be to sit down with them and just say it (e.g. 'I need to tell you something - I think I have anorexia/eating disorder).
It's likely they will already be worried about you and will be relieved at having the opportunity to listen and help. If you don't get a positive response though, try to remember that it is not because you have done something wrong, but because the person you have told may not know how to respond to what you have told them, or may not understand much about eating disorders.
Don't give up - either try again or maybe speak to someone else who you think you might receive a more supportive response from.



Acknowledgement
Thanks to the Nutrition Australia for editing this fact sheet.

Last Reviewed: 30 June 2007
http://www.reachout.com.au/print_article.asp?ti=75

Chasing size zero leads women to ‘famine then feast’ eating disorder

From The TimesApril 1, 2008

Chasing size zero leads women to ‘famine then feast’ eating disorder

Nigel Hawkes, Health Editor

The size-zero obsession could be forcing women into extreme diets followed by periods of bingeing on junk food, an expert said yesterday.

Janet Treasure, of the Institute of Psychiatry at King’s College London, said animal studies showed that starvation followed by bingeing on highly palatable foods, such as burgers or chocolate, could alter the way that the brain responds to food.

She said that the fashion industry’s obsession with thinness not only put models at a high risk of developing eating disorders, but inspired imitation among the general public.

“There’s a tendency to break the diet when you see these highly palatable foods,” she said. “That sets it up so you get into a cycle of intermittent naughtiness. It gets you into a momentum – hooked on that sort of cycle.”

Professor Treasure, a specialist on eating disorders, said that the pattern was known as “binge priming”.

In an editorial published in the British Journal of Psychiatry she said that studies on animals, which simulated periods of self-denial followed by exposure to highly palatable foods, led to binge eating and to a susceptibility to addictive behaviours. “If, after a period of food restriction, animals are intermittently exposed to highly palatable food they will significantly overeat.

“This pattern continues when their weight is restored. This tendency to overconsume or ‘binge’ when exposed to highly palatable foods remains several months after the period of binge priming. Translating into the human situation we would predict that binge priming caused by irregular dieting and/or extreme food restriction, interspersed with intermittent consumption of snacks and other highly palatable food, might lead to permanent changes in the reward system.”

If this happened in adolescence, when the brain was more susceptible to rewards, it might lead to persistent eating problems, she said. People exposed to binge priming may also be more prone to substance misuse.

The editorial, co-written with Elizabeth Wack and Marion Roberts, also of the institute, said that models were put at serious risk because of the culture of thinness in the fashion industry. “Beyond the catwalk there are wider public health implications,” they wrote. “The promotion of the thin ideal, in conjunction with the ready access to highly palatable foods, produces a binge-priming environment.

“This might explain the exponential increase in eating disorders seen in women born in the last half of the 20th century and, in part, also contributes to the increase in obesity.”

One US study found that among 9 to 11-year-olds, 30 to 40 per cent had eating disorder traits, such as being obsessed by their body image, Professor Treasure said. The number who went on to develop an eating disorder was much lower – about 4 per cent in women. An Australian study found a threefold increase in all eating disorders between 1995 and 2005, but some of that increase was due to better identification of sufferers.

Professor Treasure added that there was a link between autism and eating disorders. Shared traits included an inability to see the “bigger picture”, heightened perceptual awareness and rigidity in thinking.

The editorial called for a greater focus on reducing obsessive dieting and poor eating habits among young people. It said: “Although it may take time to change the ‘thin ideal’, we should remember what has been achieved with cigarette smoking.”

Size 0 US measure equivalent to the British size 4, indicating a 32in bust, 22in waist and 33-34in hips

22 waist size in inches of an average eight-year-old in Britain

18.4 body mass index (weight in kilograms divided by height in metres squared) beneath which you are underweight for your height according to the World Health Organisation

12.5 BMI of Ana Carolina Reston, the Brazilian model who died of anorexia in 2006. She was two and a half stone below the recommended minimum weight for her height

30 BMI over which you are classified as obese

Sources: NHS, Times database

The latest modelling look: sacrifical virgin

From The Sunday Times
March 2, 2008

The latest modelling look: sacrifical virgin

The perfect model on the catwalk these days is a girl so young, so anonymous, she is thrown away after just one season
Fleur Britten

Backstage at Topshop Unique during London Fashion Week last month, fashion’s sad clich� lives on. A waif-like child-woman – her skinny jeans all baggy of bottom – is scrutinising a Prêt salad from a trestle table groaning with untouched sandwiches. After turning it this way and that, she eventually rejects it and slinks off for a cigarette. Another model, Danijela, from Serbia, is sitting all alone. “I feel under huge pressure to keep my shape, so I eat just small portions,” she admits. (I later check her vital stats online: a very unfat 33-22-34.5 at 5ft 10in.) She continues: “I’m getting older. At the New York shows, all the girls were 14 or 15.” And she is? Just 20. “I do think a lot about having to do something else. All the clients want skinny, young girls. They say they want healthy, but really they just want skinny.” You can never be too thin or too young in fashion, it seems.
Moving on from size zero, the big look right now is the “sacrificial virgin”: the trembling ing�nue straight out of school, all gangly and underdeveloped. Why? Because everyone is clamouring for the credit of discovering the latest new face. “You want to make your stamp with someone fresh, not with a model who has done a million other jobs,” says a stylist who prefers to remain anonymous – let’s call him John. He works for several international glossy magazines, including this one. Designers have more commercial motives for hiring these “virgin” girls: beyond that old belief that clothes hang better on thin people, the concept they want to capitalise on is innocence.
“The thinking goes that women want to buy into the fantasy of being impossibly young and impossibly skinny,” says a casting director, who also asked not to be named. (Most people I spoke to for this piece asked for anonymity. Few in the industry are willing to speak their minds publicly – there’s too much money at stake.) “You’re not going to buy an outfit because you saw a saggy-breasted woman wearing it,” she continues. “After all, look what happened to Isabella Rossellini’s modelling career.”
“What summed up the situation for me was when I got a phone call from a booker asking me what I was doing for half-term,” says an (again, anonymous) eminent fashion photographer. “I presumed he meant what I’d be doing with my kids. Then it dawned on me: he had a load of schoolgirls for me to see.”
With their blonde hair, pale skin and eastern European features, some are even calling the trend Aryan (not forgetting Naomi Campbell’s recent rant that the industry is more racist than ever). “This is no-name beauty,” says Claudia Croft, Style’s fashion features director. “They’re so young, you can’t really communicate with them, and nobody can be bothered to find out their name because they’re over after one season.” Thanks to the dubious cachet of modelling, there’s an infinite supply of fresh blood, so there’s no need to look after the girls they’ve got.
“Fashion is at a crisis point,” says Professor Susie Orbach, psychoanalyst and co-founder of Any-Body.org, a campaign for the acceptance of body diversity. “It has to get its house in order: it was put on notice last year, but it really hasn’t responded.” Specifically, Orbach called for a ban on under-16s modelling at London Fashion Week, or those who have a body mass index (BMI) of less than 18. “Did we have anorexia in these numbers 25 years ago?” asks Orbach. “We are hard-wired to want to join in with whatever is beautiful. The industry is fantastically creative – there’s no reason why they can’t retrain our eyes to a whole variety of images.”
Things are happening, however. The latest issue of Pop magazine is devoted to Stephanie Seymour, the original Victoria’s Secret model and now a 39-year-old mother of four – and there’s not a single bony corner to her. “In fashion, you want to do the opposite of what’s gone before,” says Katie Grand, Pop’s editor-in-chief and superstylist. “From having seen 25 sample-size Sienna Miller covers, it seemed obvious to me to use an iconic, curvier, older woman in not much clothing.”
Tellingly, Seymour was shocked by the attention. “She was almost confused by her status as a goddess,” says Grand.
Meanwhile, Prada’s spring/ summer catwalk was dominated by the ample, unfettered bosom of Lara Stone, and curvaceous models (relatively speaking, of course) Isabeli Fontana and Guinevere Van Seenus are getting big campaigns (Chanel, Versace and Valentino) and posing for the Pirelli calendar and Victoria’s Secret. What is being channelled here, through the use of real women, is sexiness. “Sixteen-year-olds don’t even know what sexy is,” says a photographer’s agent, who is married to one of the world’s most famous photographers – let’s call her Sarah.
“The sex bomb is definitely of the moment,” says Grand. “But then, after working on the Stephanie issue, all I wanted to see was tiny, young girls when I styled the Proenza Schouler show. You go full circle so quickly in fashion.” Right back to square one, then.
Predictably, it’s a self-perpetuating trend: there are few curvy models, because the designers don’t make clothes that fit them. It’s why Behati Prinsloo, the white model from Namibia who measures in at 32-24-35, ended up being called a fat pig by a stylist; why Lily Cole, at 34-25-35, is often considered too big; and why Lily Donaldson was rumoured to be in competition with another model as to who could eat the least. Girls quickly learn to believe that losing weight pays, and there is no end of stories about girls being told to lose weight by their agents. “One model was made to have a breast reduction,” says Olly Paton, a stylist’s assistant. “The agency must have taken her to a really dodgy place, because the scarring was so bad. But she said she preferred that to being turned away from jobs.”
It is a pitifully conformist industry.
“There are few people at the top of the pyramid who decide what’s credible,” says our stylist John. “So lesser designers use skinny young girls to gain their fashion credentials. Everyone is trying to make a buck, so people are reluctant to break the mould.”
Some are keen to pin the blame on fashion’s gay camp. “The fashion industry is 70% gay men, and their opinion far outweighs the 30% of women and straight men,” says another international stylist. “Projecting that little-boy fantasy is one that gay designers go back to more and more.” It’s the straight men who are pushing for a healthier vision of beauty, reckons our agent Sarah, especially once they reach fatherhood. “Younger men don’t think about what they’re doing. But when they get to a certain age, they think, ‘These girls could be my daughters.’ ” But others point out that there are also women at the top still perpetuating the virgin look – Alberta Ferretti’s show in Milan last month was rife with sacrificial virgins, as was the London show for Daniella Helayel’s label, Issa. Miuccia Prada, a mother and arguably fashion’s most influential woman, interestingly has used the much fuller figured Prinsloo, Van Seenus and Stone in her recent shows. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to be rubbing off.
But not only is it damaging the girls, and those in society who deem them role models, it’s apparently not great for the industry. “There’s not much life left in fashion photography,” says one snapper, who photographs for Vogue, The New York Times and Style. “For a model to give to a photographer, she has to have lived and loved. If it continues down this route, we’ll soon just be shooting mannequins.” The photographer Nick Knight, who has always championed a wider parameter of beauty, agrees: “Things get boring when you only offer one vision.”
And it’s not serving the clothes: what might work for younger brands, such as Miu Miu, doesn’t work for all. “It’s hard to sell a sexy or sophisticated brand such as Halston or Donna Karan using skinny virgins,” says Croft. “It’s children trying to work women’s clothes. It just doesn’t match the brands – you need a bit of a hip for the clothes to hang properly. The fantasy is wearing a bit thin.” Literally.