How Can It Be Legal To Prevent People Eating?

The weight loss industry may just be at the point where it can sell us anything. Low fat cookbooks, meal replacement programs, dieting clubs & gastric bypass surgery are now a common part of our modern vernacular. The industry is pervasive. Everywhere. Inescapable.

To my mind it prays on those that are vulnerable, unhappy, confused, & at a loss as to what to do to support themselves to greater physical & mental health. It also intrudes into the lives of those people who do not need to lose weight, but to develop positive feelings about their body, feel compelled to do so to try & fit into a societal construct of beauty & body acceptability. We have all heard of some terrible products & constructs that are marketed to people who are desperate to lose weight. Lemon Detox Diet. Cabbage Diet. Liquid Only Diet. Fasting. They are all out there waiting to snatch money from people looking for a quick fix solution to their weight concerns. Few, if any, have any lasting positive benefits & most are downright dangerous.

None of them compare however to the horror of the weight loss 'solution' proposed by Dr Nikolas Chugay. (I use the term Dr somewhat loosely here as I genuinely question how such a man can have a medical license.) The Chugay Tongue Patch involves the sewing of a mesh patch onto someones tongue that "makes chewing of solid foods very difficult and painful, limiting the patient to a liquid diet" thereby seeing them lose weight due to not being able to...eat.

How in God's name is this legal? Surely this must be seen as a form of mutilation & therefore it should not be ethical to perform it. How can performing a procedure on someone that prevents them from EATING, something we all need to do to FUNCTION, ever allowed to be an acceptable surgery within the medical field? Who is this cowboy & how can he be run out of every town the world over?

The thing that worries me most is the 10 people who have already been fitted with this patch. The desperation that must exist inside of them to allow someone to do this to their bodies & self, makes me shockingly sad. I would be gravely concerned for the psychological wellbeing of anyone that truly believed this was an 'answer' & would be suggesting some indepth & supportive counselling as a more appropriate step.

I'm sticking my tongue out at you Dr Chugay & your cruel & torturous patch. To market this to people as a weight loss solution is ethically & morally wrong. How it is you have convinced yourself that this can truly help people is beyond me. Just the fact that you even think it can, should be reason enough for people to run to the hills & as far away from you as possible.

Best & Worst Dressed Lists: What is the Point?

Anyone that knows me will gladly tell you that I love to get frocked up. I collect vintage dresses & love to show them off whenever I get the chance. I also love to look at other occasions where people are dressed in their finery. I don’t mind admitting this; even though I am FULLY aware that when swanning down the red carpet, celeb’s have had thousands of dollars worth of primping & preening. It’s a make believe world, but one I will gladly perve on for a brief while to get a fantasy fashion fix.

The thing I don’t get though is this whole business of best & worst dressed lists based on these occasions. It’s like the media think that we have an insatiable desire to not only look at the glamour, but actually see it as some sort of sport that requires point scores & rankings. It’s not only banal & stupid – but once again – an example of how people in the public eye are seen to be unhuman in some way & that hurtful judgment will not affect them. It’s wrong, & such judgments can, & do, sting. In the past week the Brownlow Medal Count & the Emmy’s have been run & won, & once again, these polarising lists have appeared seemingly everywhere.

I’m not sure if it will come as a shock to you, but it certainly does to me, that ALL of the women that appear in this post have been on at least one WORST dressed list or were openly criticised for their appearance. I simply cannot understand this, as all of them to me look glowing & glamorous in their own right.

While I hope that all of them will be able to laugh off the negative judgments placed on them about their appearance & dress choice, I can’t imagine it would be easy. I am certain that whenever any woman, (famous or not), goes to a special occasion, she leaves her home feeling as wonderful about herself as she possibly can, choosing a dress that is beautiful to her & makes her feel amazing. To then have her choices & appearance belittled must be very hard.

One high profile person known to be devastated about press coverage that she was supposedly the worst dressed person at this year’s Logie awards was tv & radio personality Myf Warhurst. Myf was so upset about being called a red carpet disaster that she decided to have a ceremonial burning of her chosen dress in an attempt to laugh off a situation that she openly admitted caused her to shed tears & question whether she would ever walk a red carpet again.

So this brings me back to this posts title question. What is the point of best & worst dressed lists? While it might be all & well for the armchair fashion critics to pump up those people they see as having ‘got it right’ & being deserving of a place on the ‘best’ side of the fence – what about those that are relegated to the ‘worst’ side? Bet they aren’t feeling nearly as beautiful & glamorous today as when they left home on their big night – especially those young, impressionable girlfriends of footballers who at the Brownlow, must surely be just out to have a great night & enjoy a chance to dress up.

Don’t listen to them girls. If you felt beautiful – you were beautiful. No ridiculous list or comment can take that away from you.

Eating Disorders: A Journey Best Shared

As consumers in western society we can make amazing choices every day. There are literally millions of options in choosing what we can buy to wear, eat & even sleep on. When we become sick however, our choices suddenly diminish & I have seen this be even more the case when the illness experienced is an eating disorder.

Currently in Australia the options available to anyone experiencing an eating disorder in relation to best practice treatment are very limited, particularly for those with no private health insurance & limited financial means. This is simply not acceptable & a matter of social justice. It is one of the reasons why I am so proud of the work we do at The Butterfly Foundation as we attempt to change the systems that are not helping to give adequate treatment & support to those who most need it. There is much work to be done alongside the existing services & practitioners who are out there trying to make a difference. It’s a calling for me at the moment & truthfully I can’t imagine a time into the future when it won’t be.

For those experiencing an eating disorder, based on these circumstances alone, their journey can be a very lonely one. Eating disorders are often a misunderstood illness & our level of compassion for those experiencing the illness; still, in my mind, needs to be raised. One of the most valuable ‘companions’ for someone facing an eating disorder can be creative outlets including art, music & reading that allow them to try & share their journey with others & act as a means of connection & expression. I have seen some amazing works of art from people on a recovery journey & poetry & stories that have touched my heart deeply. All have come with an incredible story of reflection, pain, hope, struggle & love.

I have recently come across a wonderful book & cd that beautifully captures this spirit of expression. You Are Not Alone, Volume 2, is a companionship book for women with eating disorders by Andrea Roe with Shannon Cutts, both of whom have recovered from eating disorders. You Are Not Alone contains some truly inspirational recovery stories, poems, art & music. It is impossible for me to post about all of my favourite contributions in You Are Not Alone (made all the more remarkable in the fact that they are from current & recovered eating disorder survivors & not professional writers), but I confess to loving the song ‘We Are Who We Are’ by Alexandra Kelly – “We spend our lives on the outside looking in, Feeling like strangers inside our own skin” & ‘Steps’ by Johnie Drew – “We take steps each day towards recovery, Each step is different and full of discovery.”

If you are experiencing an eating disorder or care for someone who does, I would encourage you to consider how sharing your journey through creativity or even just expressing your own private thoughts, poems, drawings or music could assist you. The women who have contributed to You Are Not Alone have done so, & I congratulate Andrea & Shannon for bringing this book to the world & for sharing their own journey.

It truly is one best shared.

You can purchase You Are Not Alone at http://www.youarenotalonebook.com/ All profits are donated to eating disorder organisations.

Creating Moments of Beauty

Do you ever have one of those days where you feel like you’re in a whirlwind from the moment your feet touch the floor until your head hits the pillow? I know I certainly do & I don’t mind admitting that it can be incredibly hard to feel beautiful & be beautiful with constant demands on my time. Somehow I think I may not be alone.

I’ve had a desire to stop these whirlwinds of late by running away to a spa to be thoroughly indulged & renewed or quite simply staying curled up in bed for a week. The problem is that spa's are incredibly expensive & the whole bed curling up thing not quite workable. This has forced me to start thinking creatively about ways I can renew myself & feel a little more in tune with my life. With my ‘cheap & cheerful, or even better free,’ hat on, the following are some things I have been trying of late to help me create more beauty in my life & remain connected with my “inner Julie.” Can't say I'm quite in Zen mode just yet - but working on it.

Organically feeding & watering my garden & yes, ok, sometimes talking to my baby, yet to bloom, roses. We all need some verbal encouragement & praise every now & again.

Savouring the warmth & ritual of making a pot of tea & drinking it from a beautiful tea cup & saucer. When I think of all the teabags I have furiously jiggled in such a hurry of late, I feel quite sorry for them.

Starting a meditation practice & learning not to be too hard on myself when I cannot seem to fully empty my mind & thoughts. Soulful practice I am told is the key & so I’m sticking to it.

Having a weekend nap & not berating myself for slowly turning into my Nana. Am trying to convince myself it is not me getting old; it’s simply a “deeper” form of meditation.

Taking walks with my husband around our neighbourhood where we sneak peeks at other people’s homes & get ideas for our own patch of the world.

Trying to train my very beautiful, but very animated, cat Cookie to curl up in my lap for extended cuddles, simply so I can hear her purr & take in her stillness. Let’s just say that one’s a work in progress.

Cookie laughing at my attempts to get her to sit quietly in my lap!

In a more contemplative mood helping to lower my stress levels. The cute factor helps too.

I hope you find some of these helpful in creating moments of beauty in your own life – which of course you thoroughly deserve. I would love for you to add some more of your own as a comment so we can build on these ideas for anyone reading. Please share your thoughts & ideas.

Wishing you many beautiful moments…

Real Life Doesn't Need Retouching

I am sure that when most government's come into power they search for ways to leave a positive legacy - something they will be positively thought of for generations to come. Something that I think the current Victorian State Government (VSG) will be able to proudly claim as part of their legacy is their work on body image - particularly how it relates to young people.

The VSG have been pioneers when it comes to body image being, I believe, the first government in the world to call an official Parliamentary Enquiry into the impact that negative body image has on young people & ways this negativity can be adressed. This enquiry took place in 2005 & was acted upon by the VSG when the enquiry's report clearly showed that body image was of great concern to young people & that it was an issue that was impacting on their quality of life. Many strategies have been put in place by the VSG since 2005 to support young people to develop greater body confidence via their Positive Body Image Strategy.

I think the most recent parts of this strategy are very impressive. The VSG have created advertisements targeting young people with the theme 'Real Life Doesn't Need Retouching' which are being placed prominently on My Space. The ad encourages young people to look beyond the glossy veneer of the marketing & advertising worlds where they as consumers are so often targeted by images that are photoshopped, airbrushed, formulaic & incredibly removed from real life. I think they are fantastic. The VSG's youth website - Youth Central - also prominently features young people's thoughts on body image & I think their voices are amazing. I encourage you to look at these Body Image Vox Pops - the young people have some great things to say which many adults could learn a great deal from.

I also love the VSG's recent youth photography competition aimed at promoting postive body image. 16 year old Christina Maniatakis was named the winner for this photograph of a young girl lying on a pile of magazines, seemingly turning her back to the glossy magazine world.

"My intention was to show my ideal body image, which is not dependent on physical appearance or unrealistic images and digitally-altered models," Christina said. "I believe that positive body image is being comfortable with oneself, in conjunction with living free of society's superficial pressures."

How wonderful is that? That's a quotable quote if ever I heard one. Congratulations Christina.

Congratulations to the VSG too. This is one public health campaign I am proud to see my tax paying dollars go towards.

Fat Hatred: Enough is Enough

When I first started 'Beautiful You' I wanted it to be a place that was beautiful & inspiring. I also knew that every now & again something would crop up that was going to force my heart into a place that got a tad hot & angry. Today is one of those days.

In the past week I have been absolutely gobsmacked at the cruel & vitriolic reporting by journalists & media personalities about any one who is not deemed to be an acceptable size to them. While some have been very politically correct in saying this means people who are too thin - chiefly their intolerance has been aimed at people who are overweight. Anyone would think that purely based on someone's size, certain people are somehow responsible for every evil known to man, as well as our national debt & lack of water. It's that bad.

Susie O'Brien thinks that "some of the women being embraced as positive role models & ambassadors for larger people are obese & should lose weight" & that the recent embracing of plus sized models on Australian catwalks is encouraging us all to adopt a "pro-fat manifesto (rather) than hit the treadmill." Let me get this straight. Laura Wells is one of these plus sized models that Susie thinks we should not be "lavishing love" on for fear that we will blow up into hideous monsters. Here she is.

Are you kidding me?

So now if you've got boobs & hips your deemed to be contributing to Australia's so called 'obesity crisis' & that you must amend your slovenly ways as quickly as possible or you'll encourage others to be fat as well? Get off the grass Susie. Let's you, me & body image activist Mia Freedman who has rebutted your ridiculously ill informed article here get together for a chat sometime soon so we can help you understand how nonsensical & demeaning your approach to this issue is.

Joining Susie in my view as having totally lost the plot is Helen Elliott. Helen also believes that applauding larger than average models is not on & that she doesn't think "we need so many obese people in television and film." What the? Where are all these obese people you speak of Helen? Who? You poor thing. You sound so offended & upset by having to look at something that doesn't fit your stereotypical viewpoint of beauty. Then again, should I be surprised when this is your supposed genius answer to childhood obesity -

"Children don't need sensible chats with kindly GPs about food, they need to absorb simply, clearly and in their own milieu that big is not beautiful, that fat is not fine."

My last stupid award of the week is reserved for 2DayFM's Kyle Sandilands who really has taken the non-fat, non-dairy, non-sugar, non-nothing cake. Well loved Aussie comedienne Magda Szubanski has recently lost 25 kgs in an effort to adress her health concerns. For Kyle though - it's not enough. To him, Magda is still gross & unacceptable & he feels the only place good enough for her is a concentration camp - "You put her in a concentration camp and you watch the weight fall, like she could be skinny." The depth of hatred behind this is something that should make us all horrified.

Do the right thing 2DayFM.

SACK HIM.

Magda Szubanski

This hatred of people based on size has to stop. 'Fat bashing' is starting to become a sport & when engaged in by people who have very loud & prominent voices, we have a serious problem on our hands. How is any of this meant to add dignity, acceptance, hope & value to people's lives? It doesn't & it won't. People are being singled out for ridicule & shame based on their body shape & size. Regardless of how or why they may be that shape - it's wrong on all accounts & no one who claims to be a kind citizen of humanity should stand for it.

I for one am not & I hope you won't either.

The Importance of Model Health

There has always been much talk about the impact that models have on the average woman, but not as much about the impact that the industry that employs them has on models themselves. Modelling as a profession is often viewed as a glamorous, highly paid profession that many young girls aspire to, but models themselves are often criticised for their contribution to impressionable people feeling that their own body is not acceptable enough.

Regardless of what anyone thinks about what models do for a living, the fact is that they have hopes, issues, problems & needs like we all do. While they may be presented on the surface as being beautiful, successful & happy - we all know that such a glossy veneer sometimes does not match what is going on underneath. Often when a tragedy occurs in the modelling world such as the death of Ana Carolina Reston, much of the reporting talks about the impact this has on others. While I am most definitely one of these critics, I do feel at times as if the models themselves become 'lost,' raising concerns for me about who is really looking after them.

In many circumstances a total lack of understanding, or even caring, is at play here. A conversation I can recall with the head of a prestigious modelling agency just a few years ago in which I was told "None of our girls have issues with food or body image. That's a myth," still sends shivers done my spine, especially when he had just informed me that the agency required all their models to maintain a particular weight & size vigilantly. Yeah right.

Of further concern is that many models are not even of an adult age. It really doesn't take alot of imagination to think about what an impressionable young girl could be asked to do, act like, watch, wear or partake in, while navigating her way through the very adult world of a high end fashion show or shoot. This is now something that has been bought to light in model Sara Ziff's documentary 'Picture Me' expose of the modelling world revealing a "predatory environment full of middle-aged men circling like sharks around under-age and vulnerable girls" The trailer for this documentary alone is quite an eye opener, highlighting some extremely young girls & women who feel entirely disposable.

Sara Ziff

It would seem that finally the issue of the mental, emotional & physical health of models is starting to be taken more seriously in Australia & I for one believe it is not before time. The organisers of Melbourne Spring Fashion Week are no longer hiring models under the age of 16. I'd personally love to see that be 18, but it's a step in the right direction. Organisers of the week now also have dieticians on staff to advise & assist where necessary. The National Body Image Advisory Committee, which I am honoured to be contributing to, is also looking very closely into the issue of model health. This is an incredibly important thing to do as if such things are not adressed, I fear we are making large assumptions about models & their own wellbeing. I sometimes try to place myself in their shoes (hard when I wear boring flats & they wear spiked stiletto's - but that's another story) & think it must at times be very hard to have so many criticise you for your height, weight, shape & supposed demonic influence on others. That's alot of burden to carry for a teenage girl who may be simply trying to 'make it.'

I hope that a firm focus continues on the health of these girls & young women as pertains to them as people first & foremost. Maybe if that was to occur then the issue of how the profession as a whole impacts on wider society will lessen, & impressionable young women may just learn that modelling is simply another job & not something that should be upheld as a beacon of all that is beautiful, perfect & glossy.

The Unique Pressures of Being a First Lady

I think that being the First Lady of any country would be a privilege, but not necessarily an easy gig. As CEO of a country, your husband would be busy to say the least. Long hours – a given. Extended trips away – for sure. Bringing some serious work problems home – probably.

I think though that one of the hardest things about being a First Lady would be the never ending critique of your body, weight, shape, hair & clothes. This appears to be the thing that the media believes to be of greatest importance to report on & of course offer their opinion on re: First Ladies the world over. Those whose bodies & dress sense are deemed acceptable are reported upon positively. Those who are not, receive criticism.

Media focus on the appearance & dress of first ladies is not new. Jackie Kennedy was revered worldwide for her fashion sense. She was seen as a definitive style icon for not only the 1960’s but indeed the 20^th century & is still warmly reported as being one of the most influential fashion influences ever. It would seem as if Jackie’s place in the fashion hall of fame & beauty is well cemented.

Amongst the current crop of First Ladies, America’s Michelle Obama appears to be holding up well in the reported fashion stakes & of course much has been written about her toned physique, in particular, her arms. France’s First Lady Carla Bruni is also being reported on favourably, which from an appearance perspective really was a given, considering that she was once a very famous & highly paid international model. Comparisons about the beauty & excellent fashion choices of Michelle & Carla have drawn inevitable comparisons between the two.

Not fairing so well in the current First Lady stakes is our own Therese Rein. Therese has been widely attacked for her dress sense & hairstyle. Her appearance & what she wears is seemingly much more important than the fact that she is an incredibly intelligent & savvy businesswoman who prior to becoming our First Lady built a multi-million dollar business that served the welfare sector. In many respects, one could even say she is a more successful business person than her husband, our now Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.

I don’t think it is a coincidence that this sort of criticism is being laid at Therese’s feet & the fact that she is not a model size. A recent weight loss due to a more intensive exercise regime in preparation for a Kilimanjaro climb has suddenly seen her receiving praise for her appearance, including being called the ‘belle’ of the recent Canberra mid-winter ball. Hmmmm. Weight Loss…Praise…Belief that our self worth is deeply dependent upon the number on a scale? Where have I heard this before?

I think all these First Ladies are beautiful in their own way, but not necessarily for anything to do with the way they look. I have admiration for Jackie for dealing with the sudden death of her husband in such a dignified way & for Michelle & Therese for their amazing intelligence & ability to inspire other girls & women to follow an academic or education path. I even admire Carla for her transition from such a hedonist lifestyle to one where she now must be significantly more reserved & well behaved. I am certain that on some days that the naughty rock chick inside of her must want to burst out!



Overall however, I take off my cute little pill box vintage hat to all of these ladies for facing up every day to the pressure & scrutiny they either faced or face about their bodies, dress sense & styling. Who knew that the push for our own Therese to ‘blow out’ her naturally curly hair would be such a big deal.