Barbie Magazine, stairway to eating disorders

People ask themselves why anorexia is becoming a problem in Romania. Well, I guess it has a lot to do with patterns we import from other countries. The most frequently seen are the dozens of women's magazines, containing clothes, makeup and diets and photos of very thin women. But it starts way sooner!

Those of you living in Bucharest have surely seen the Barbie magazine ads. I tried looking up a site of this magazine but failed. Anyway, the ad that always makes me mad is the one displayed at the entrace of the Brancoveanu metro station. It shows a 10 (12 maximum) year old girl, with a complicated hairdo, makeup and a really tight dress. She is trying a sexy look (yes, I am serious) and it simply looks scary to me.

The slogan is "Barbie, your best friend". Is that the friend mothers want for their daughters? A skinny looking doll whose proportions are physically impossible? And who allowed that girl to be photographed like that? Does she not have a mother? Is she not too young to be trapped in the shallowness of how important looks are?

Teenagers are the most common victims of eating disorders. Maybe more of us should thing twice before making models out of our young girls and before buying them such magazines.

Death by Starvation

The EVZ daily paper has published a story on anorexia today. It presents a few facts about the victims the disease has made in Romania, the reasons to get sick, psychological aspects and a few statistics.

Romania has been kept safe from this disease up to know, but in the past few years, the cases of anorexia have become more and more common. Experts say refusing to eat will become a public health problem in the next 5 or 6 years.

Anorexia is frequent among women aged 13 to 20, and it is encountered in men also, very rarely. Relationships of mothers with their children, school mates and promoted standards (mostly by the fashion industry) are a few of the reasons this frightening disease exists. Other than teenage girls, people depending on their image for a living (models, ballerinas, actresses etc) and old people who have lost their will to live can also be affected by it.

Similar to the case of bulimia, medical treatment is almost impossible for those suffering from anorexia. An entire board of doctors (including a psychologist and a psychiatrist) is needed to treat such a patient. The disease can only be treated within hospitals, as people suffering from anorexia also become suicidal.

There are no relevant statistics regarding this disease in Romania, nor for bulimia. The reason? They have recently started to be considered an issue requiring such attention.

Story in Romanian and a summary in English.

The part of this story that made me really angry was the interview with the owner of the largest modeling company in Romania, also published by EVZ. He denies the fact that models and the fashion industry have any impact on or responsibility towards those suffering from anorexia.

He states normal models, not skinny and fitting some impossible standards, would make fat people contempt with themselves. Yes, in some cases, being fat is a problem; it can lead to severe illnesses. Other than that, not being perfectly slim is really nooo problem.

And besides, if anyone wants to loose weight, they should go exercise, eat healthy and generally lead a healthy life. Starving yourself to death will bring you just that: death. No beauty in turning into dust, is there?

How’s the situation in other countries? Do you have any relevant data to share?