The YWCA’s “Beauty at Any Cost” Report
September 2, 2008 by angelique
Filed under Women's Health
A publicity representative working on behalf of the YWCA contacted me to provide me with information to a report that the non-profit organization is disseminating to the public.
Called Beauty at Any Cost, it’s a powerful reminder of just how skewed our views on what being beautiful means… and how we’re willing to destroy our health in order to have a “perfect” appearance.
Now, I know that eating disorders aren’t entirely about being attractive, but I do think that the report is worth your perusal.
Two paragraphs that particularly caught my eye were the following:
Discrimination against overweight people in the workplace is a widespread practice… according to one researcher who has examined 30 studies about weight-based discrimination, “weight based discrimination consistently affects every aspect of employment, from hiring to firing, promotions, pay allocation, career counseling and discipline.”
and
40% of newly-diagnosed cases of eating disorders are in girls 15-19 years old, but symptoms can occur as young as kindergarten.
Check out the full report here. Then, tell me what you think we could possibly do to stem the tide that encourages women to abuse themselves… then rewards them for their efforts?
Disclaimer: Please be aware that Beauty at Any Cost contains images that might trigger EDs in some persons.
