While
it is unknown at this time what caused the untimely death of actress Brittany Murphy, her life and death have brought
the spotlight to eating disorders. It has NOT been confirmed whether or not Ms. Murphy suffered with an eating disorder
and if she did whether or not that contributed to her death. The speculation that complications related to an eating
disorder contributed to her death means that there will be talk about the seriousness of eating disorders. This is a
good thing. Unfortunately there are still many out there who think that eating disorders are less than serious problems
that girls and young women engage in to garner attention. None of that is true. The reality is that men and women,
boys and girls can have an eating disorder. The reality is that once they take hold an eating disorder cannot be cured
encouraging someone with Anorexia Nervosa to "just eat" or by encouraging some with Bulimia Nervosa to "just
stop" (their binge/purge cycle). The reality is that eating disorders have the highlest mortality rate of
any psychatric disorder. They can kill. Cardiac arrest, renal failure, severe dehydration, loss of bone density
are some of the physical manifestations of these disorders.
Eating Disorders are highly complex disorders that
affect one's physical health, psychological health and interpersonal relationships. Because of this a team of treatment
providers is recommended and often necessary for recovery - which can take years.
These
are not simple disorders that have an easy fix. Patience, respect and compassion are necessary in order for someone
suffering with an eating disorder to fully recover.
For those of you who do not know, a wonderful film, America the Beautiful, is now out and available for purchase. The director, Darryl Roberts, has been deeply affected by the young women he
has met while making and sharing this film across the world. As a result he has become an activist on behalf of young
women who are tired of the unrealistic and impossible standards to which girls and women are held. The fashion industry
is a significant contributor to maintaining this impossible standard. Recently Polo Ralph Lauren published several clothing
ads in which the photos were HEAVILY altered by PhotoShop or whatever software the "professionals" use to doctor
their images. Mr. Roberts crafted an "open letter" to Mr. Lauren asking, no pleading, for him to reassure
all of us that his company will no longer alter their images to make their models look even more skinny than they actually
are. Despite Mr. Roberts' and others' attemps Polo Ralph Lauren seems to refuse to take their concerns seriously.
So...Mr. Roberts has developed a Face Book page entitled "ATB Action Network Ralph Lauren Boycott" and is trying
to get 10,000 people to become a fan of the page. By doing so the hope is that Mr. Laruen and other fashion designers
will realize that we really do agree with Mr. Roberts and we are sick of women being portrayed as impossibly skinny.
We want women to look realistic. Please consider becomming a friend of this page by going to: http://www.facebook.com/BoycottRalph
Help send a message! Take action! Make your voice count!
This week Tri
Delta and Reflections have launched their second annual "Fat Free Talk Week." As you think about the
ways in which you and others contribute positively and negatively to how we view our bodies consider what your body does for
you day in and day out. Something that may help is to write an open thank you letter to parts of your body. For
example you might write: Dear Legs, Thank you for letting me run <or> Dear Arms, Thank you for letting me
pick up and hug a baby. You get the idea. Whether you formally write a letter to your body or not it can be quite
empowering to remind yourself what your body does for you every day!
To learn more about Fat Free Talk Week, Tri
Delta, and Reflections, click on some of the links below. Also, go to the video tab on this website to view a
powerful video by Tri Delta on Fat Free Talk Week. Enjoy!
