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 Singer Kelly Osbourne, who turned 22 in October, grew up in
England. Upon moving to Los Angeles at 13 and later becoming an overnight
celebrity on MTV’s hit reality series “The Osbournes” (alongside Dad and Black
Sabbath alum Ozzy Osbourne), she was best known in the tabloids for her
real-women-have-curves adolescent body. Magazines like “US Weekly” had a field
day at her expense, Osbourne revealed in a 2006 interview with “Marie Claire,”
calling her “fat and ugly and [saying] I dressed badly,” she says.
Osbourne’s response was a textbook defense mechanism: She
opted to act tough and spew venom at those who dissed her body. In England, she
notes, well-rounded actresses like Kate Winslet are revered as beauties. In
L.A., however, “you have to be anorexic,” Osbourne told “Marie Claire” editors.
“What these girls put themselves through to be that way is disgusting…I don’t
want to be that kind of person.”
When Osbourne left the Golden State for London in 2005, she
dropped 30 lbs. and now wears a size 4. The tabloids’ response? “Us Weekly”
presented her with the “Best Makeover Style” award, leading Osbourne to
colorfully note, “Part of me is like, ‘F--- you!’ Suddenly I lose weight…and
now I’m an ‘it’ girl? I think it’s hypocritical, and it proves to all those
little girls out there that you have to look a certain way to be accepted.”
While your daughters are unlikely to be grist for seedy news
rags, their struggles are no less painful than Osbourne’s. Amid skyrocketing
obesity rates, other epidemics threaten today’s teens: eating disorders spurred
on by the media’s overwhelming obsession with Hollywood’s stick-thin movie/TV
stars. According to the nonprofit educational organization Anorexia Nervosa and Related Eating
Disorders, Inc., 1% of teenage girls have anorexia nervosa (starving
themselves), 4% of college-age females battle bulimia nervosa (bingeing and
purging), and 2% have body dysmorphic disorder, or BDD (excessive focus on, and
distorted views about, their appearance—often centered on a specific body
part). Tragically, 20% of patients with serious eating disorders will die.
So, what relevance does this have for readers who thrive on
organic food and live an organic lifestyle?
If you’re a parent, you need to recognize that there’s a
fine line between encouraging your children to eat healthfully and nagging them
so relentlessly that they develop self-image problems, which can lead to eating
disorders.
“Parents should teach children and adolescents to eat properly by
serving as role models,” says Dr. Fugen Neziroglu, clinical director of
the Bio-Behavioral Institute in
Great Neck, New York. “Buy and serve healthy foods—but everything in
moderation,” she tells Organic Authority. “It is all right, once in a
while, to have one or two cookies or a scoop of ice cream, providing it is not
in excess.”
At the same time, “do not
concentrate on any specific body parts, and try to promote healthy values, such
as family, friends, trustworthiness, giving and caring,” she adds. “Do not put
excessive emphasis on the value of attractiveness. Moderation will keep
your child away from eating disorders and the lack of emphasis on beauty away
from BDD.”
“Eating-disorder specialists consider our culture to be a
hostile environment for developing a healthy attitude toward food and our
bodies,” says Dr. Theresa
Fassihi, a staff psychologist with The Menninger Clinic in
Houston, Texas, and primary clinician with the institute’s eating
disorders program. “There is evidence that rates of body image dissatisfaction
are increasing in both men and women and at increasingly younger ages. One
recent study of girls aged 5 to 8 demonstrated that watching
appearance-focused television programs increased their desire for thinness
and increased their risk for developing low self-esteem.”
As a parent, one of the most important ways to counteract
such media madness is to set a good example—and avoid turning the
kitchen into a battleground during family meals.
“The best way to promote a healthy attitude toward eating
in your children is to have regular family meals and model a healthy
attitude toward food and your body,” Dr. Fassihi tells Organic Authority.
Eating together as a family “reduces the risk of problematic health behaviors
in adolescent girls, including disordered eating and substance abuse,” she
explains. “A recent longitudinal study conducted by researchers with the
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute also found that family meals enhance
a child’s coping skills and increase family cohesion.”
Meals should be nutritious and appealing, Dr. Fassihi
notes, and children should have a say in what they eat as they mature. Be sure
to include favorite foods during mealtimes, and let your kids help plan family
dinners.
Finally, “be aware of the
example you are setting,” she cautions. “Avoid dieting or rigidly limiting your
own food choices.”
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