Thin is in

'No woman can be too rich or too thin' said the famous writer and theatre critic, Dorothy Parker. This has become the catchphrase of every teenage girl today. They even have their own set of 'Thin Commandments' !

1. If you aren't thin you aren't attractive.
2. Being thin is more important than being healthy.
3. You must buy clothes, cut your hair, take laxatives, starve yourself, do anything to make yourself look thinner.
4. Thou shall not eat without feeling guilty.
5. Thou shall not eat fattening food without punishing oneself afterwards.
6. Thou shall count calories and restrict intake accordingly.
7. What the scale says is the most important thing.
8. Losing weight is good/gaining weight is bad.
9. You can never be too thin.
10. Being thin and not eating are signs of true will power and success.

The lollipop heads are everywhere - in tight-fitting jeans and skimpy tops - baring some flesh or should we say bone? Dressed mostly in black, to enhance their skinniness, these kids are mostly in the age group of 15-25, and are under a lot of peer pressure to maintain their rickety frames.

No amount of cajoling will get them to partake of a hearty breakfast or a scrumptious lunch. Instead, they nibble at breakfast, skip lunch altogether and make a mockery of dinner, however light it may be. But they don't mind gorging on junk food. Of course, they are blissfully unaware that they suffer from an 'eating disorder'. All they care about is of being 'in' with the crowd.

We live in a fat-phobic society, where we are raised to believe that 'thin is in' and 'fat is failure'. Look at the number of advertisements with thinner-than-slim models and role models like Ally McBeal doing the rounds everyday. It is not surprising then that healthy children of normal weight are concerned about their diet and afraid of becoming too fat, and of an increasing number of girls who haven't yet reached puberty, who are showing signs of anorexia.

It is hard to comprehend how someone could relentlessly pursue something that is killing her/him and ruining the family, etc. That their dedication to thinness is self-imposed is beyond reasonable doubt.

But why would anyone agree to become entrapped in such self-defeating practices? Is it the promise of beauty, the eternal youth, or everlasting love and happiness? The new "change your body, change your life" philosopy, that has caught on, is perhaps the answer to this question. No wonder we are driven to diet, body shape, and deprive ourselves in order to gain even a scrap of the carrot dangled.

The ones getting the most mileage out of this new 'fad' are the health clubs / spas / fitness centers, not to mention dieticians. Dozens of youngsters troop in each day in the hope of shedding a few pounds here and there. What they don't realize is that quick weight-loss plans damage the liver, kidneys and heart in the long run. Moreover, it does not make you feel healthy.

Exercise! The burgeoning gym culture has now evolved into a lifestyle imperative for most women and men. In an attempt to purge those unwanted pounds and calories, newer and more punitive methods of working it off have evolved. Just tune into a late night TV channel and see all the equipment for sale that promises rippling biceps and washboard abs!

Wake up Baby
Why do we continue to suffer from low self-esteem, a sense of worthlessness, bouts of depression, dieting and disordered eating? Size and shape standards arbitrarily set by the media and fashion industries seem to lead us to compulsive eating behaviors. As time goes by, in an attempt to provide greatly needed nutrition, the young dieter will binge out of the diet, eating anything and everything within range.

Bingeing and purging has attained epidemic proportions now. They say that compulsive eating is any eating done when not hungry. It is feeling out of control and afraid around food, feeling submerged to a point of depression by bingeing or dieting, spending a good deal of time worrying about food and fatness, and feeling awful about your body.

What can we do?
The irony is that real beauty, youthfulness, and love can be reached only through honest self-awareness and self-acceptance. The best way to go is to challenge those Thin Commandments along with like-minded people. Once you resolve to be yourself and set your own standards of shape and size, you could start a revolution. So go for it girls, set your own trends and set the world on fire.