[najida]

I remember when the disorder first came into the medical light (early 80's)....you couldn't be thin enough. Dr's. sent them to us to counsel, and we'd send them right back with notes that read "They know more about food than we do! They need psychiatric help, not nutritional education."

Still, I think it was still being sent girls with 'eating problems' and not other intervention as late as 1990.

Personally, I think it was a combination of the fashion changing the perception of the 'appropriate' female body from one with curves, hips, boobs and maybe even a soft bit of tummy to the super thin waif.... you know, boys with boobs.....

Which just cracks me up when I read ultra hetero conservative males bashing Brokeback Mountain in one thread, or raging against child porn in another.... then posting pics of half starved, silicone enhanced sticks as "Hot Chicks" in the next thread.

Anyhow, toss in Balanchine's baby ballerinas, ripped Olga Korbet (who even by today's standards would be hefty), other activities demanding smaller and smaller body types..... plus starlets getting tinier and tinier and more and more baby'ish of face.

I also remember with the 5-7-9 shop was for 'super small' females.

Now we have a size 0 and well, a bizarre body form that only 8% of the female population can obtain without drastic measures...all the way to surgery.

[MamaTexan]

then posting pics of half starved, silicone enhanced sticks as "Hot Chicks" in the next thread.

Great observation. Thanks for pointing it out!

:)

[Millee]

The first time I recall hearing anything about eating disorders was when Karen Carpenter died.

Remember last year all the fuss that was made when Haynes Her Way(?) did that ad that had normal sized women? I was hoping we'd see more ads like that, but I haven't.

[LongElegantLegs]

What do they do for these women? Is it counseling, is there some kind of anti-depressant that helps, or do they just have to hit rock-bottom and fix themselves?