Kate and Pippa Middleton still viewed as too thin, with new health warnings Health Consultant

Kate and Pippa Middleton still viewed as too thin, with new health warnings

“The Middleton sisters were catapulted to style-icon status the minute Kate (now Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge) walked down the aisle to marry Prince William with her stunning sister Pippa following behind,” reported MSNBC in a “Today” TV show health report July 14 while showing dramatic footage of both Kate and Pippa looking ghostly thin. “How we look in our swimsuits is our business and should not be compared to the princesses over there in England,” says a concerned mother of three daughters in Eugene after viewing almost non-stop images of the Royal sisters on TV and Internet reports.

In turn, MSNBC noted that “women the world over instantly connected with the commoner who became a princess and her rowdier, sexy younger sister. Fashion blogs carefully document the Duchess’s every sartorial choice, which often happen to be affordable brands like Zara and Reiss.”

Because Kate and her sister are Brits, the London media posts daily “thin” updates that spotlight photos and video clips of both Kate and Pippa wearing clothing that showcases their “model bodies.”

Also, it’s no surprise that those who report stories about Kate and Pippa are equally thin. “Being on TV adds 10 pounds easily. People on TV are ‘asked’ to keep their weight down,” said a Eugene TV announcer who asked not to be named.

Meanwhile, there’s a view that Kate and Pippa may now be the most famous young women in the world after more than 3 billion people watched the recent Royal wedding that featured Kate becoming a princess and duchess with her sister Pippa by her side.

Eugene health advocates – who recently produced “be yourself and be happy” health exhibits at the recent “Oregon Country Fair” that attracted more than 50,000 visitors to this “natural, and organic” retro-hippie event outside Eugene July 8-10 – noted that “there’s nothing more natural than being yourself.”

In turn, the “Fair” – as it’s called by locals – the “tradition is for women to simply walk around topless or with little or no clothing on,” explains Oregon Country Fair fan Maggie, while also noting that “nobody cares how your body looks because we’re all beautiful as we are.”

For instance, Maggie and fellow University of Oregon classmate Amy wore “evening dresses” to the recent Oregon Country Fair that “showed off our figures as we are,” exclaimed the two 20 something friends.

However, the recent MSNBC report noted that “some women are coveting more than the Middleton sisters’ blazers and sheaths. Images of both siblings are now serving as “thinspiration” on “pro-ana” and “pro-mia” websites — forums for promoting anorexia and bulimia that often give sufferers tips and tricks for losing weight.”

Moreover, the report noted that “these sites are very, very dangerous,” said Lynn S. Grefe, MA, president and chief executive officer of the National Eating Disorders Association. ‘Eating disorders are biologically based psychiatric illnesses, and these sites promote being sick and staying sick … bottom line, they delay treatment.’ Thinspiration,’ or ‘thinspo’ as it’s called in pro-ana vernacular, is imagery — often of models and uber-thin celebs — that ‘inspires’ those suffering from eating disorders to lose weight and ultimately prolongs suffering and prevents treatment. In the past, those celebs have included Victoria Beckham and Mary-Kate Olsen. But with increasing frequency, Kate and Pippa are popping up as ‘thinspo’ on online forums, social networking sites, and blogs.”

It’s no secret that more than 500,000 American teens have eating disorders, say experts.

For instance, the view that thin is good was shared on the recent MSNBC report with the following comments: “Awesome post, she’s so thin, she looks amazing,” wrote one commenter after a string of Kate Middleton photos were posted on a site devoted to thinspiration. On another popular pro-ana forum, one user lists Kate Middleton as No. 2 on her top 10 thinspiration list, in between Beckham and Olsen. That Kate and Pippa are becoming thin-girl icons poses a potentially bigger threat as the pair are more than just style icons: They’re role models.”

Moreover, health experts are warning that this is not just a fad.

“Every little girl at one time wants to be a princess, and these images will not only reach teenagers but middle and elementary schoolers,” said Jill M. Pollack, director of the Center for the Study of Anorexia and Bulimia. She has been treating patients suffering from eating disorders for over 20 years. “To have the Middleton sisters [on pro-ana sites] is like, oh my God, a disaster waiting to happen.”

“Recent tabloid reports have estimated Kate’s current weight at 95 pounds — and while there’s no evidence to support these claims, Pollack concedes that the Duchess’s visible collar bones alone may be cause for alarm. ‘It’s not easy to starve yourself,’ Pollack says, ‘and [people suffering from eating disorders] look for thinspiration to lose weight,’” added the MSNBC TV program report while showing Duchess Kate looking very, very slim, added a commentator.

Women are more likely than men to say they are “fat” or overweight even when they are scary skinny, states health experts in the wake of celebrities such as LeAnn Rimes and Kate Middleton dropping weight for their recent weddings; in an American culture that celebrates the image of a super thin bride.

Both LeAnn Rimes and Duchess Kate have received mixed media reviews for their bridal weight loss; with some saying both of these ladies are “way to skinny,” and others noting “they look great.” In turn, Dr. Michelle May thinks it all sounds confusing because most American women today don’t know what to do about weight and, in turn, jump into fad diets that put themselves at risk for eating disorders that she calls in her new book – “Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat” – as a health epidemic for women in America today.

Students here in this university town are bombarded with health information from elementary school into college, say local Eugene health experts.

However, “when it comes to eating right and not starving yourself to be thin,” that’s something “inside of their brains that can’t be controlled with just health classes.”

For instance, in a recent Cornell study of 273 women who were getting married within the year, 70 percent of respondents reported wanting to lose more than 20 pounds. However, those same women could not articulate “why” they needed to lose 20 pounds or more before their wedding day.

Also, local health experts in the Eugene region note that women are now “dropping lots of weight with new fad diets” for such things as the summer bathing suit season, taking a vacation, a visit from relatives, a high school or college reunion, or just about anything and everything that’s an excuse to shed a lot of weight.”

“Clearly we live in a culture that values thinness, and this is probably the event of most women’s lives that puts the brightest spotlight on them,” says Dr. Jeffrey Sobal, a co-author of the study and a professor of sociology at Cornell.

Dr. May says that eating what you love is good not only your waistline but also for your mind, heart, and spirit. In turn, she warns that Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa are clear and present dangers for both young and older females in our society noting in her book something she’s dubbed as the “eat-repent-repeat cycle.”

While Dr. May wants people to “not focus on dieting, but on a healthy approach to eating.”

“The idea is that improving your eating behaviors and your relationship with food can allow you to manage your weight without restrictive diets,” states Dr. May in her new book that also notes how “Anorexia nervosa is a serious, potentially life-threatening eating disorder characterized by self-starvation and excessive weight loss.”

As for another killer of young women – Bulimia Nervosa – this disease is also very serious, writes Dr. May in her new book. “Bulimia Nervosa is a potentially life-threatening eating disorder characterized by a cycle of bingeing and compensatory behaviors such as self-induced vomiting designed to undo or compensate for the effects of binge eating.”

Dr. May goes on to state that “the criteria for both Anorexia and Bulimia are found in the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders,” that’s available for free online.

According to Dr. Ira M. Sacker, an eating-disorder specialist and associate professor of pediatrics at NYU-Langone Medical Center, there are “red flags” about someone who may have an eating disorder. They are:

– Changes in food-related behavior: Does she avoid social situations that involve food? Does she play with her meal instead of eating it? Has she turned eating into a ritual — eating the exact same thing each day or refusing to eat outside of a rigid schedule?

– Extreme calorie shedding: Is she suddenly exercising more than 30 to 45 minutes a day? Does she run to the bathroom after a meal?

– Changes in mood: Has she become depressed, irritable, apathetic or agitated?

– Social isolation: Is your friend withdrawing socially? She may seem more self-involved, introspective and spacey.

– Extreme weight loss: Abnormal thinness is an obvious sign, as well as fatigue, dizziness or fainting, dry skin and brittle nails.

At the same time, Dr. May warns both friends and family of someone who’s trying to drop a lot of weight that one main characteristic of eating disorders is “they never think they’re thin;” but somehow view themselves (even while looking in the mirror) as fat.

In fact, one local Eugene health expert says the mantra for many young college girls she’s counseled is “I’m fat,” even when they are not fat at all.

Overall, Dr. May says “diets don’t work, so the sooner you realize that it is not about being on or off a diet, you can begin to take control over what you eat and realize that you really can eat what you love and love what you eat without guilt or emotional eating.”

Virtual Health Center