No Thinspiration

Aimee Liu, the author of over 10 books, spoke with me recently about her new work, Gaining: The Truth About Life After Eating Disorders (Warner Books, 2007), and how her life with anorexia impacted the words within.

Kelly Jad’on: Why the title, Gaining?

Aimee Liu: That is the word which strikes fear and loathing in the hearts of those with eating disorders. It is associated with gaining fat. It has richer meanings, though. Gaining pleasure, gaining independence, gaining confidence. All of these appetites are connected. To gain freedom from eating disorders, you have to gain in power and maturity. This is central to recovery from eating disorders.

In our culture, women are told implicitly to be afraid of gaining weight both in pounds and purpose; a lot of women portrayed as celebrities or in fashion magazines are encouraged to remain in a state of immature adolescence. The unspoken message has long been that an “ideal” woman is a perennial child whose sole value and responsibility is to look cute. But today, with the creation of Size Zero clothing, the message is even worse. Now the “perfect” woman is a zero - in other words, nonexistent.

Aimee, where did the anorexia begin? How old were you when you began losing or wasting?

Wasting has multiple meanings related to one’s life and body. I originally began dieting in 7th grade. I developed what is now considered true symptoms of an eating disorder in the 8th grade. That was back in the 1960s, when few were diagnosed. I was obsessive, and at 5’6”, remained below 100 lbs until college, around age 19-20.

I was never as severe as some anorexics, near death; I maintained a weight that was too low. Like a vast majority who hover on the brink of anorexia, the real damage is psychological.
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Victoria Beckham has inadvertently boosted the sales of a new diet book that highlights the current obsession with extreme svelteness.

Posh ‘n’ text: Victoria’s patronage gave a boost to sales of ‘Skinny Bitch’
Until recently, not many people had heard of the American diet book, Skinny Bitch. That is, until Victoria Beckham decided to buy a copy.

The perpetually pouty British singer - dressed in her trademark dark sunglasses - was snapped by paparazzi buying the diet guide in an LA boutique last month. Within hours of the photo appearing on the web, the book had jumped from 77,939th place on the Amazon website sales chart to 209th - a whopping increase of 37,000 percent.

The sassy book - described as a “no-nonsense, tough-love guide for savvy girls who want to stop eating crap and start looking fabulous” - had failed to garner much attention prior to being lifted off the shelf by the rail-thin Posh. Now its authors are reaping in the cash as thousands of readers turn to the unconventional book for quick weight loss advice.

The book was written by two LA fashion luminaries: former model Kim Barnouin, who has a degree in holistic nutrition, and ex-Ford model agent Rory Freedman. “They may be bitches,” the book warns. “But they are skinny bitches.”

Not for the faint hearted, the in-your-face book is loaded with strong language and no-holds-barred advice such as, “you are a total moron if you think the Atkins Diet will make you thin”; “soda is liquid Satan”; and “coffee is for pussies”.

Based on a vegan philosophy, the Skinny Bitch guide encourages women to eat whole grains, fruits and vegetables while urging them to abandon dairy products, eggs, meat and fish. The authors also issue a scathing attack on meat eaters, calling those who choose to eat meat while attempting to lose weight “morons”.
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Actress Kate Beckinsale has been branded “irresponsible” by parents of anorexic sufferers, after she claimed the eating disorder was the result of an unhealthy home life.

The “Underworld” star — a former anorexic herself — sparked controversy Tuesday when she likened sufferers of “anorexia, alcoholism and drug abuse in teens” to “crack whores.”

While Beckinsale, who was brought up by her mother following the death of her father when she was 5, was partly referring to her own childhood experiences, the 33-year-old’s comments have enraged relatives of anorexia sufferers.
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OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN’s daughter, CHLOE LATTANZI, is opening up about her two-year battle with anorexia in the new issue of Australia’s Woman’s Day magazine.

“I’m lucky that I got through it because it’s a fatal thing if you don’t pull through,” the 21-year-old Chloe tells the magazine. “I’m taking very good care of myself now, but I’m not going to be like, ‘Oh, I eat pizza every day!’”

Chloe has received much support from her famous mom as she continues her anorexia recovery, and there’s no better role model than Olivia when it comes to staying healthy.

“I eat well because I like to, and I like to exercise,” says Olivia. “I like to get on the treadmill. I love to play tennis.”

Olivia has had her own health issues, having successfully battled breast cancer in 1992.

via ETOnline

The struggle with anorexia is a long way from the glamour of catwalks, fashion glossies and the latest diet. Two men talk about the women they love for whom ‘thin’ is a constant state of mind

It’s hard to say whether, if Grace had been bigger, I would still have found her attractive. You can never know that kind of thing. But her slimness wasn’t part of my initial attraction to her. I wasn’t thinking, ‘Slim girl - great!’ It was more about our connection. I don’t think Grace was very thin when I first met her, and I don’t think her size has really changed since then. Physically she had recovered from anorexia while at university. The psychological part is a longer recovery process and I met her during this time, when she had just moved from university to London, and was in her first week of a new job. She wasn’t comfortable with changing her environment or disrupting her control or routine; it wasn’t an easy transition for her.

But I would say she was still recovering for the first year we were together. We met at a work party - she was 23 and on the graduate scheme for an advertising agency; I was 24 and worked for a media agency in the same London building. We got talking and found we knew some of the same people. Grace called me the next day to arrange another meeting that weekend, and a month later she was my girlfriend. On our second date - over dinner in a restaurant - Grace told me: ‘There’s something you need to know. I was anorexic, but I’m better now.’ I didn’t really understand what eating disorders were all about. I don’t think I would have known at all, unless she had told me, at least not for a couple of months. I might have asked her why she needed to diet, because she was very slim, but I never thought of her as too thin. Every woman seems to be on a diet and think she is too fat! As soon as Grace told me, I was very conscious of looking out for signs that she was controlling her diet. I looked to see if she had finished her plate, but there was nothing really obvious. No one else would have noticed.

I read Grace’s book [Thin, published by Penguin, which details her experience of anorexia], and there’s a section where Grace says she felt she had to tell me this secret, even though she’d only just met me. She wrote that she didn’t want to spend too much time in the loo, because I’d probably think she was being sick. That’s exactly what I was thinking! Being sick after eating is, of course, a different eating disorder altogether, but I didn’t really know that then. For a few weeks after she told me, I kept an eye on her - seeing if she went to the toilet during a meal, that sort of thing. But as I got to know more about how Grace was actually feeling and the history of it, and how far she had come from where she was, I got less concerned. Grace has actually never binged in the time I’ve known her.
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I’m sorry, this is not related with our main subject, but I’m impressed.
How can a millionaire girl sell a sex tape where she is having dirty sex (golden rain included) with his former boyfriend?

Seems like she just wanted to be hotter than her girlfriend Paris Hilton ….

Vivid Entertainment, the world’s leading adult film studio, says it has paid $1-million to acquire rights to a video tape featuring the sexual exploits of raven-haired Hollywood socialite Kim Kardashian and her then boyfriend, hip hop star Ray J.

The company said the DVD titled “Kim Kardashian Superstar” will be in stores February 28, 2007. It will also be available online on the same day at www.vivid.com or www.kimksuperstar.com and will include additional footage not on the DVD.

Vivid co-chairman Steven Hirsch said the company obtained the video from a third party but did not identify the person or entity. “We are comfortable that we have the legal right to distribute this video, despite what others may say,” says Mr. Hirsch.

“I’ve seen the video and it’s really great,” says Mr. Hirsch. “It has over 30-minutes of explicit sex that fans of erotica will find very appealing featuring two young and glamorous high profile celebrities. Apparently, the video was shot by Ray J about three years ago when he and Kim were in a relationship. The production is crystal clear and viewers will definitely get their money’s worth. If either Kim or Ray J would like to discuss the video with us we would be happy to do so,” he added.
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If popular entertainment revolves around physical appearance - then what might go on in the mind of a TV executive?

Recently actress Alex Kingston criticized TV show Desperate Housewives. Kingston claimed “she was turned down for Felicity Huffman’s role because she has too many curves.” Kingston (known for her role in ER) went on to say “I didn’t get the part, and I know why: irrespective of acting ability, I’m just way too big.”

Of course these are her assumptions - and may simply be ’sour grapes’ - but one look at the cast of Housewives shows that Kingston may be on the mark.

The question is - why? What’s with the ‘thin’ casting? It is obvious that in certain circles, and in certain TV shows - size is a real factor. This is not to say that women cannot be naturally slim-figured - but why go out of the way to ensure that a female cast remains thin?
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An indication of what’s on the minds of America’s Internet surfers - celebrities, talented or not - was revealed Wednesday when AOL and Lycos announced the results of the top searches carried out by visitors to their websites in 2006.

AOL users picked Paris Hilton, a professional celebrity, as their most searched-for celebrity while singer Clay Aiken was the top choice at Lycos.

Among Lycos searchers, their favorite search wasn’t a person this year, but a new phenomenon: poker. “Search activity for poker has been steadily climbing since it made its first appearance on the 2004 year-end list at number 10,” Lycos reported, noting that searches for poker had climbed 434 percent in the last year.

Celebrities nevertheless had their day in the sun at Lycos as Pamela Anderson finished fourth and Paris Hilton was in fifth place. Britney Spears was tenth.

Aiken was the most-searched-for male of the year on Lycos while Pamela Anderson, already noted, garnered the most votes for a female personality.

“This annual list of top searches is always a fun way to look back at the year and see what sparked interest,” said Timothy Tuttle, AOL Video VP, in a statement. The top searched word on AOL was “weather.”

The top news story at AOL was gas prices. At Lycos it was the Iraq war.

Computer and high-tech searches were conspicuous by their absence. The closest Web surfers came to showing interest in the field were searches for Apple Computer’s iPod - it was the most searched-for gadget on AOL Search; at Lycos, the iPod was the fourth most-searched “fad” of 2006, ranking behind poker, MySpace, and RuneScape.

Cameron Diaz has become the latest star to say she is worried about the influence of ultra-skinny celebrities.

Her comments echo those of Billie Piper and Kate Winslet, who both criticised the phenomenon last week.

The Hollywood actress, 34, tells ITV1 show Parkinson: “I think it’s terrifying. It’s tragic and sad.

“I think that it’s a sickness, something that’s going on in someone’s head where their perspective is off.

“We get ideals from images that we see and there certainly should be more responsibility put on those people who are putting those images out into the world.

“Let’s be a little bit more responsible to what’s realistic.”

She adds: “I’m a skinny girl, so all my life all I have ever wanted to be is curvaceous and voluptuous, have everything falling out everywhere.

“Some people…their perception and their perspective is completely askew.”

Last week, former Doctor Who star Piper said Victoria Beckham should not be a teenage role model because of her tiny frame.

The star, who suffered from anorexia, said she worried that younger people were looking up to skinny stars.

Former singer Piper, 24, said: “I think the whole size-zero debate is disgusting.

“Some models you see are tiny because that’s the way they were born, but then they’ll get the attention and that will start feeding a fire.
“My sister, who is 13, looks amazing but she’s already worried about her figure.
“She loves Posh and I say: ‘Come on Ellie. She’s tiny. What’s wrong with Shakira? She’s sexy, curvy,’ but she has no interest.”

Winslet also joined the debate, describing the trend as “unbelievably disturbing“.

The 31-year-old said she refused to have any magazines showing skinny stars in her house because of the damaging effect it could have on her six-year-old daughter, Mia.

“It’s only a matter of time before she becomes aware of it and it frightens the life out of me,” she said.

Nicole Richie and Kate Bosworth are among the celebrities whose shrinking figures have been the subject of debate.

The controversy over underweight models has been raging since the death last month of Ana Carolina Reston, 21, a Brazilian model who suffered from anorexia (some pics here).

In August, Uruguayan model Luisel Ramos, 22, died of heart failure after not eating for several days.