[vimeo]http://vimeo.com/28066212[/vimeo]I have to be honest with you – I’m tired of seeing blog post after blog post depicting the fallacies of the media. I’m tired of reading about sexism, objectification, and disrespect. I’m tired of feeling hopeless about the state of gender representation in the media. Luckily, Jennifer Siebel Newsom’s new, edgy documentary Miss Representation… Continue Reading →
The Biggest Loser tempts disordered eating
We’ve written about the weight-loss reality television show The Biggest Loser before here on the About-Face blog, whether it’s the scariness of trainer Jillian Michaels or the reports of previous contestants developing eating disorders after the show. Recently, About-Face received an email from a concerned The Biggest Loser watcher in Australia. She was disturbed by… Continue Reading →
New children’s book celebrates the joys of diet and weight loss
No child should be reading a book that has the word “diet” in the title, especially when that book conflates weight loss with attractiveness and personal happiness—hell, no adult should be reading that book, but I can’t tell you what to do with your life. But alas, this world is full of things that shouldn’t… Continue Reading →
Millie Brown: Is vomiting rainbows glamorous, dangerous, or just gross?
The everlasting and continual question: What is art? The boundaries of this question are only pushed further by controversial London artist Millie Brown, also known as the Vomit Painter. Her newest and most famous work “Nexus Vomitus” is for sale and valued at $2,400. Millie began her vomit technique in 2006, when her art collective… Continue Reading →
Yoplait stirs up eating disordered thoughts in pulled ad
“Ohhh. Cheesecake.” So begins a gross and disturbing peek into the female psyche, as imagined by the people of Yoplait. “Okay. What if I just had a small slice? I was good today, I deserve it! Or, I could have a medium slice and some celery sticks and they would cancel each other out, right?… Continue Reading →
Is Demi Lovato sending mixed messages with bikini tweet?
Alrighty, how’s this for mixed message of the week? Disney darling Demi Lovato made headlines earlier this year for entering a treatment center to cope with undisclosed issues that many speculated included cutting and disordered eating. In an effort to demonstrate her newly-found confidence, Demi took to Twitter on Monday and posted a shot… Continue Reading →
A poem honoring National Eating Disorder Awareness Week
This is National Eating Disorder Awareness Week. I wrote this poem because popular media coverage of eating disorders normalizes the behaviors and results without addressing the serious medical consequences and disturbed cognitions underlying a disorder. For more information visit http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/index.php or call the free, confidential Helpline, Monday-Friday, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm, Pacific Standard Time:… Continue Reading →
Portia de Rossi’s memoir: Important story, but may trigger those with eating disorders
I’m concerned that those who want to stay in their eating disorder or who want “inspiration” to continue their illness will find abundant detail here. Information around how many calories de Rossi was eating every day help the non-eating disordered understand the struggle, but they do just the opposite for those afflicted. Other memoirs… Continue Reading →
Ballet critic takes on the Sugar Plum Fairy’s weight
Need an open forum to mock women’s bodies? Become a ballet critic! That’s what New York Times writer Alastair Macaulay did, and look how pleased he is with himself now. So pleased, in fact, that he felt entitled to defend his recent review of The New York City Ballet’s The Nutcracker. In the write-up, Macaulay… Continue Reading →