Nicole Richie: Lovely and Thin as Always

I read a recent interview Nicole Richie did with Marie Claire recently.  Nicole continues to deny accusations that she has an eating disorder, but even after having two beautiful babies, she is as thin and lovely as ever.  The NYDailyNews stated recently,

Nicole Richie is setting the record straight: she never had an eating disorder.

“I felt it was a little unfair to say someone has an eating disorder when they don’t. It’s extremely insulting and irresponsible,” the 28-year-old mother of two said in an interview in the latest issue of Marie Claire magazine. “An eating disorder is serious and it’s a disease.”

Critics point to photos from her past, like the infamous 2006 bikini photo which shows a bony, skeletal Richie running on a beach. But Richie also said that pictures like this were out of context.

“I think when you see me in person, you see that I’m, like, five foot one. I’m a small person,” she told the magazine. “When I was heavier, everyone said I was too heavy. You can’t win in the public eye and I find it really hard.”

Take a look for yourselves!  (Click the photos to see a larger version.)  Included in the gallery are photos of “classic” Nicole, as well as some of the beautiful new photos from Marie Claire (March, 2010).

I wont talk about whether or not Nicole has an ED, because she’s right about that–it’s unfair and we can never truly know what’s in another person’s thoughts.  All I know is that from where I stand and look at her, she’s gorgeous and very thin for sure.  If she’s happy the way she is, and she feels comfortable with her body, I do not believe that anyone has the right to criticize her about it.  Let’s all live the life that is right for us.

Triggers in the Inbox

Sometimes I’m able to clearly see many reasons why eating disorders are so widespread and impact the lives of so many young people, men, women and families that struggle to cope with the pressures they create.  Every day when I open my email inbox, I’m met with countless unwanted spam messages about weight loss, new fad diets and exercise plans, so-called miracle weight loss pills or potions, and advertisements for the most beautiful, sexy clothing and swimsuits for thin bodies.  Today I was promised “six pack” abs, weight loss recommendations based on my height and weight, a quiz to test how “calorie conscious” I am, and free coupons for sales on health food supplements guaranteed to make me lose weight.

Pro-ana and Pro-ED websites are definitely not to blame for the rise in numbers of people seeking treatment for, or trying to live with an eating disorder.  Although the fashion industry is part of the ED epidemic, I believe the true culprits are in the food industry and the weight loss business.  These two industries conspire together to make people obese with unhealthy foods and chemical additives that break down their body’s defenses, and then offer to sell miracle solutions for these weight problems.  The weight issues and negative stereotypes are propagated by the media and the entertainment business, which is truly just a reflection of what the majority of people want, idolize, or fear the most.

Without a fashion industry walking skeletal beauties down the runways, there would be a lot less thinspiration.  Without actresses, musicians, athletes and all other types of performers and public figures struggling with their weight; training their bodies and minds constantly, there would be so much less encouragement and inspiration for the average girl or woman to be a size zero babe.  Above all else, we would not struggle with weight and an unhealthy body image if the food industry and media did not set us up from birth to go through it.

Eating disorders and the pro-ana movement are some peoples’ answer to the mounting pressures of today’s society that tell us you must be thin, attractive, talented and/or tremendously smart in order to succeed.  I am not the only woman living with an eating disorder and receiving countless spam email messages–triggers in the inbox–every single day.  These endless messages go much further to program my subconscious mind than any pro-ana slogans, such as “nothing tastes as good as skinny feels.” 

The abolition of eating disorders will not come by banning pro-ana websites and discussion forums on the internet, or censoring thinspiration collections and photo albums on xanga and photobucket.  It can only come through the majority of people rising up against the old ways of advertising, and fighting back against the health risks in our food supply.  We need to change the majority view to accept and embrace the beauty of all life, so we can be free of judging one another and being judged, based on superficial characteristics we possess or struggle to achieve.

Couture Thinspiration

Some high fashion thinspo for your enjoyment 😉  Fashions are by Dior and you can see more photos at Jezebel.

beautiful collar bones enhance the bridal gown of my dreams!

 

skinny bridesmaids make weddings more beautiful

a visible spine is the best accessory

 

gorgeous back for a backless gown

Wannarexics?

Have you heard of wannarexics?  These are people who say they want to have an eating disorder like anorexia.  They idolize people who struggle with real life eating disorders every day of their lives, and they spend countless hours looking at thinspiration and talking about anorexia like some kind of glorified spiritual movement on pro-ana discussion forums and their livejournal entries.  These are the kinds of people who like to think you can choose to develop a real eating disorder, and they ignore or overlook the fact that these are very serious mental illnesses.

Most often, wannarexics are young girls, typically still in high school, and they are often ridiculed on eating disorder discussion forums, including pro-ana boards.  Many people who are dealing with real eating disorders do not want to be disordered and would choose to be free of their illness if they could, so they find wannarexics offensive.

I have personally seen posts about the subject of wannarexics where some people write things like, “No one in their right mind would actually choose to have this disorder,” and “living with anorexia is hell and I wouldn’t wish this experience on anyone.”

I do have to agree that is absurd to want to develop an eating disorder, or to decide to live an “anorexic lifestyle” because you think it’s somehow trendy or the cool thing to do.  I also find it terribly sad that anorexia and other eating disorders have become trendy.

However, wannarexics are not entirely different from the pro-ana crowd, when you look at what the two groups have in common instead of the issue of mental disorder vs lifestyle choice.  Both groups tend to appreciate thinspiration, both groups restrict calories and might be tempted to purge, exercise excessively, or engage in other harmful behaviours and addictions, wannarexics and pro-anas are both resistant to treatment and therapy, and they’re both trying to maintain the lowest possible body weight they can manage.  At the end of the day, how much does it really matter if a person uses these behaviours and techniques to lose weight because they’re driven by a mental disorder they cannot control, or because they made a decision to do it for a weird sense of being cool?

My position regarding the issue of wannarexics is that they have a right to make the choices they wish to make, and to live however they choose to live.  I honestly don’t mind including them in an online conversation about eating disorders, weight loss, or anything else.  I think we can all learn from one another, and we can all benefit from being there for another human being.  I see raising public awareness of eating disorders as a positive thing that could lead to transforming the current attitudes, services, and support systems available to those who live with these conditions, and if wannarexics can help in that process, I will not complain.