Eating Disorders and the Media

Eating disorder statistics reveal that there are over 1000 deaths a year due to the 2 most infamous of eating disorders: anorexia and bulimia. No one meant for them to die. But many industries meant for them to consume body-fat reduction products. The media, Hollywood, the diet industry, the pharmeceutical industry, the exercise equipment industry, the infomercial sellers, and many others have colluded to convince the average American woman that her body fat and the fat in her diet are both evil. Her body fat is seen as ugly, unhealthy, unacceptable, and unstylish. The media gives her a negative body image. The average star, celebrity, or model is a bad body role model, and has much less body fat than the average American woman. Celebrity eating disorders are everywhere. Body fat for women should be 20% to 27%, or an average of 23.5% for the average body type. Some stars and models are down at 15% and some even get down to 10%, which is extremely unhealthy!

There's tremendous pressure to look like a scrawny model. They're held up as ideal body role models. TV stars sometimes quit because of the unrelenting, oppressive pressure to get skinny. Tracey Gold nearly died. Some stars, models, and atheletes have actually died from their anorexia from overreacting to these pressures. E.g., the death of Ana Carolina Reston, a 21-year-old Brazilian model, from complications of anorexia in November of 2006. (More than two-thirds of respondents to a questionnaire on Elle magazine’s Web site last month said they wished that American designers would follow the recent examples of fashion show organizers in Milan and Madrid in banning overly skinny models. But these industries are refusing, of course.) No TV show or exercise DVD has yet dared to take on these powerful industries head-on and pressure them to lay off. The speech at the end of this page and the 5 Fanny and the Assets DVDs are actually doing just that. And so is our Beautiful Walking clip submission site. And so are our two online databases: Backside Blessed Directory (a casting-type database listing and showing ladies with exceptionally attractive backsides) and Beautiful Walking Directory (a casting-type database listing and showing ladies with exceptionally attractive walking). And so is my blog, which focuses on eating disorders and the media both with writing and with videos in which only bootilicious ladies appear.

We understand that media brainwashing isn't the only factor in eating disorder deaths. Genetics and body metabolism and psychological vulnerabilities, both from upbringing weaknesses and genetic causes, all play a part in eating disorders being the most dangerous mental health condition. But this just means that it's easier to trigger eating disorders in the most susceptible subpopulation of people, mostly women, than in the population at large. It logically follows that making an effort NOT to trigger this disorder in the susceptible is the moral thing to do. Can anyone in the industries mentioned seriously maintain that they've made such an effort? Look at the ads on TV and in magazines. Examine the infomercials. Now check out the role models in ads, TV shows, and movies. Finally, look at the clothing models. They're sticks with little body fat. The industries know full well that it would be much healthier for all concerned if models and actresses were all of average body mass, weight, and body fat. But then these industries would make less money, because far fewer women would be trying to change themselves, far fewer would have nosediving self-esteem and lack of body acceptance, and only fat people (those with too much body fat) in NEED of diets would be heeding the body-change pressures. The industries mentioned are choosing to trigger the dangerous susceptibilities of the vulnerable rather than targeting only the legitimate overweight targets. This is wrong. Women who fail at dieting their way to supermodel status are more and more just giving up on their bodies and becoming fat or obese. The huge pressure for skinniness and the obesity epidemic are two sides of the same coin. Eating disorder treatment and eating disorder recovery are unlikely events in the current climate of faddish thinness inevitably resulting in an eating disorder, and the media is part of the problem, not part of the solution like it should be.

The reality is that eating disorders kill more people than all of the other mental health conditions combined. Contrary to what some may think, eating disorders are much more common now than they have been in the past. Dangerous fad diets are also widespread in this country, according to the American Anorexia Bulimia Association. Experts say that the key issue in anorexia nervosa is not food, but is more directly related to the person's desire for attention or approval. (And if the latest fad is skinniness, that’s what the person aims for.)

You can begin to see why our DVDs use ladies who look good, have no need to change or diet, and are healthy BUT WHO HAPPEN TO HAVE RELATIVELY LARGE BACKSIDES. This larger than usual—but entirely gorgeous—body part is our metaphoric symbol of Hollywood's and the media's hypocrisy. If body fat is ugly and unacceptable like the current fad maintains, why are these ladies so attractive, gorgeous, acceptable and sexy? If one has to be thin to be beautiful, how do you explain our beautiful NON-THIN ladies? These ladies are evidence that the media's and Hollywood's contentions, beliefs, and ideas on this subject are not only self-serving and disingenuous, but also flat WRONG! Our ladies are good body role models. Scrawny models are bad body role models. It's that simple!

Check out the speech one of our ladies makes at the start of each of our 5 exercise tapes:

"Consult your doctor before embarking upon a new exercise regimen and work your way into it gradually. Give your body love in the form of exercise, stretching, and aerobics and a sensible balanced diet and enjoy the resultant good health."

"But there's more to good health than what you do for your body. You also need to like yourself and your body. You also need high self-esteem. But that’s been a big problem for the last few decades."

"Early last century, ladies were told they needed girdles. Late in the 1800s, they were told they needed corsets and bustles. But before the Civil War, ladies weren't exposed to much in the way of mass media and when they saw newspapers or catalogs, they mostly saw pretty dresses that they could hope to own someday. The girdles of the early 1900s were an easy way to look a bit more appealing without the hassle of dieting. In the middle part of the century, dieting was already a good idea, but it wasn’t until the 80s and 90s that it became a dangerous obsession."

"Today, in 2004 in the 21^st century, the dieting and pharmaceutical industry, the exercise industry, and the media in general are all working together in an incredibly vast enterprise of selling diet pills, diet food, diet books, exercise books, and exercise equipment not only to people who need these things, but also to people who DON’T need them."

"I, for instance, don’t need these things according to my health and how I feel about myself. I LIKE the way I look and so do the people I care about! My friends and family don’t tell me I'm fat or that I need to change, because I DON’T. But the media, infomercials, and ads for dieting products and exercise equipment products all tell me that, according to their standards, I'm fat and at least need to reduce my rear end until it’s skinny like all the clothing models’ rear ends, and they tell me I truly need to buy their dieting and exercise products and believe their so-called experts that get in your face and tell you how you need to be skinny to be healthy. And then, of course, these so-called experts ALWAYS tell you about the products they have to sell you that you really need because you're fat and simply unacceptable and unlovable the way you are, but their products will change all that."

"So, anyway, folks, this is the stuff they’ve been telling us. BUT LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT A COUPLE OF THINGS THEY HAVEN'T BEEN TELLING US: For example, have they been telling us that these very same so-called experts created the low-fat diet fad of the last 30 years which turned dietary fat into an evil, and that this same low-fat diet fad has caused a diabetes epidemic in the United States? Many have now realized their mistakes and now claim it’s the carbohydrates that are making people fat and unhealthy."

"Do they even admit there is a huge campaign to get us to see ourselves as unacceptable so that they can sell us endless amounts of products that will somehow make us acceptable and lovable again? Do they admit this campaign is one of the main reasons for the 1000 deaths a year due to anorexia and bulimia and other eating disorders and one of the main reasons for the current obesity epidemic?"

"They don’t want us to see the connection between obesity and their 'fat is evil' campaign. But we DO see it! The obesity epidemic exactly parallels the media’s huge onslaught that saturated our minds and thoughts with the skinniness fad, a fad that told everyone that wasn’t a skinny model that they were fat and unacceptable. Whether intentionally or not, the result of the huge 'thin is in, and fat is evil' campaign was NOT to successfully get the population to lose excess pounds. No, the actual result was to harm self-esteem, lower self-acceptance, create an epidemic of body loathing, and create a lot of psychological pain, and it was the lowering of self-esteem that triggered the obesity epidemic more than any other factor! The main industry goal of getting us to spend billions of dollars on dieting and useless exercise equipment was met, and made many corporations very rich. But at what cost? The self-esteem of millions of women was pushed so low that the vulnerable dieted themselves right into their graves—and this is still going on right now, at this very moment. But what happened to tens of millions of other women was also very revealing. Those ladies that dieted down until they were skinny never seemed to stay that way. They got fat again once they saw they didn’t resemble the unrealistic body standard of the clothing models at all, but simply scrawny versions of their oh-so-unacceptable selves. And many tried to diet but couldn’t get thin because the food advertisements were everywhere and since their self-esteem was ruined by the media onslaught, they gave up and got fat. So now the news is shouting about an obesity epidemic as if we should double or triple our purchasing of all these dieting and exercising industry products and that will make us beautiful and skinny. Not for one second are any of these corporations taking any responsibility for this obesity epidemic. Nope. They're spinning the truth to make it look like they're the heroes that will ride in on white horses and save us from this terrible epidemic that just seemed to suddenly appear out of the blue!!!"

"Well, ladies, they’ve had THEIR say. They’ve wrecked lives and bodies and have even cost the lives of thousands, however unintentionally. That was the result of people listening to them having THEIR say. But now it’s time for me to have MY say!"

"You, the lady that bought this product and is watching it—I'd like to talk to you. Please listen, since I have something very important to say. Pay very close attention, please. What I'm going to tell you is CRITICAL."

PAUSE.

"You ARE acceptable. THEY told you that you weren't. THEY LIED!"

PAUSE.

"You ARE okay just the way you are. THEY told you that you weren't. THEY LIED!"

PAUSE.

"You are lovable. THEY told you that you weren't. THEY LIED!"

PAUSE.

"You are NOT in need of change. THEY told you that you were. THEY LIED!"

PAUSE.

"The Fanny and the Assets exercise system isn't about telling you what's wrong with you and then telling you 'we're the cure for all your deficiencies.' It's about helping you increase self-esteem and body acceptance and then exercising regularly. It’s time someone started telling you the TRUTH. I'm volunteering to be the first. Let’s hope I'm not the last!"

"The truth is, they’ve set a vicious cycle in motion that cannot be stopped in most of us by purchasing diet and exercise products. They’ve lowered body acceptance levels about as low as it’s possible to push them, and self-esteem levels sunk right along with them. What you need now isn't more products. What you need is to get your self-esteem and body acceptance back. Here are the 7 steps you'll need to follow:"

1. "STEP 1: Use our exercise system to help yourself stay healthy in not just body but in mind and heart as well. IT’S VITAL TO GRASP THAT THIS TAPE ISN'T TRYING TO GET YOU TO CHANGE. THIS TAPE JUST WANTS TO HELP YOU STAY HEALTHY."
2. "STEP 2: I know that you are good, acceptable, lovable, and, deep in your heart, you know it too! But they told you a million times that you weren't any of these things in their ads, in their infomercials, using their so-called experts, and in their choice of body role models and their before and after pictures. You were misled. You were lied to. So now you need to repair the damage. Look into Self-Talk books or seminars or support groups. Go to counselors who know this stuff and rational-emotive therapy as well. Look into Self-Parenting by John Pollard, Revolution from Within by Gloria Steinem, The Self Talk Solution by Shad Helmstetter, Feeling Good by David D. Burns, and The Winning Family by Louise Hart."
3. "STEP 3: Never again watch or listen to another ad or infomercial about dieting or exercise products. Never look at another TV ad, magazine ad, or infomercial full of advice from so-called experts and full of products you don’t need. If such things are on, change the channel or at least turn off the sound. Or record what you watch and fast-forward through ads."
4. "STEP 4: Follow only your doctor’s advice about your diet, but only if he understands things like Atkins and low-carb eating and only if he does not say that fat is evil. The low-fat fad was a mistake. What people needed was a healthy balance in the amounts of fats, proteins, and carbohydrates, not the demonization of all fats so people ended up severely deficient in the vital types of healthy fats they needed. Many doctors are clueless about diet, nutrition, and exercise. Get one that isn't!"
5. "STEP 5: Do NOT try to change your body until you have good self-esteem! Once you have your self-esteem back, decide for yourself if YOU like the way you look. If you'd like anything to be different, make sure it’s what YOU want, not what someone else wants you to do. If you do anything about dieting, stop when you get to the weight that’s right for YOU. Whatever you do, do NOT use the skinny models as role models!!! Striving to be like them has killed thousands of people that didn’t have to die! Strive to be like who YOU are, not who some silly model is. That’s why you improved your self-esteem, so you'd accept who YOU are, not strive to be like someone else!"
6. "STEP 6: You live in a TV culture. When you watch a movie or TV program where some actress with an average or skinny backside starts insulting her own butt because it’s in the script, and she says she 'has a fat ass' even though you can see it’s either average or skinny, talk back to the TV, telling them how idiotic that sounds and what a sell-out the actress is for submitting to such humiliating dialogue rather than refusing to say it. Then write in to both the sponsor and TV network and tell them how offended you were at such a humiliating display. Tell them the 'fat is evil' fad is wrong and unhealthy and they should know better."
7. "STEP 7: It’s time you quit being reactive and started being proactive. Don’t be run by the whims of the mass media. It’s time you started being a cause in your life, not an effect of the greed and irresponsibility of others. You need to strive for autonomy, where you're guided by the wisdom of your self and heart, not pushed around by the greed and manipulations of others. The books I mentioned can help. The other factor is creating a support network around yourself of people who care about you and support you."

That’s it. Those are the 7 steps to getting your self-esteem and body acceptance back. They robbed you of these things over the years. But YOU are in charge now. YOU are running the show. You’ve taken enough of their misinformation. You’ve taken enough of their humiliation, their disempowering, their insults, their manipulations, and their lies!!!

"Now, one more thing. I want you to throw open your heart and shout: I'M MAD AS HELL AND I'M NOT GOING TO TAKE IT ANYMORE!"

PAUSE.

"SAY IT AGAIN: I'M MAD AS HELL AND I'M NOT GOING TO TAKE IT ANYMORE!"

PAUSE.

"SAY IT ONE MORE TIME: I'M MAD AS HELL AND I'M NOT GOING TO TAKE IT ANYMORE!"

PAUSE.

"All right, from this moment on, KNOW that you are acceptable. You are lovable. You are okay just the way you are. And you are not in need of change. They lied to you. From now on, trust in yourself. Trust your heart. Do not trust them! They do not have your best interests in mind. Only you have that. Only you and those that love you. Make sure that you tell your loved ones what it is you're doing and ask them to sincerely support you. If you don’t have much of a support system, create one. This is your life. It’s up to you to make it a happy one, and that’s awfully difficult if you don’t have loved ones supporting you."

PAUSE.

"Okay, ladies, let’s do some exercise!"