UPDATE [1/21/11]: Isabelle Caro’s mother, Marie, took her own life after being consumed by feelings of guilt following her daughter’s death. Isabelle was hospitalized for severe dehydration. “‘[Marie] felt guilty for having put my daughter in the Bichat Hospital,” said Isabelle’s step-father Christian. “My daughter did not want to go to that hospital.” (Via The Daily Mail.)
The French model Isabelle Caro, who was featured in a provocative anti-anorexia campaign in 2007, died at the age of 28 last month after a two-week hospitalization. The model and activist entered a French hospital after returning from Tokyo, Japan, where she had suffered from acute respiratory disease. However, the cause of her death is on November 17th is unknown. Her family did not report her death to the media until December 29th.
According to CNN, Caro suffered from severe anorexia from the age of 12. She was first hospitalized because of the disorder at the age of 20, and at its worst reportedly weighed only 55 pounds. Although she came to campaign aggressively against the “worship of thinness,” it does not appear that she ever recovered from her eating disorder or regained her full health. She published an autobiography called The Little Girl Who Did Not Want to Get Fat, in 2008 and appeared on several TV shows to discuss her struggles. Caro was interviewed by Anna Richardson for Channel 4′s special Supersize vs. Superkinny and also appears on The Price of Beauty.
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As a ballerina who overcame anorexia, the last thing Jennifer Ringer probably wanted was to be criticized for her weight by a New York Times critic. In a recent review of “The Nutcracker,” said that she, as the sugar plum fairy, “looked as if she’d eaten one sugar plum too many.” The comment hurt initially but is just part of being a professional in a field that demands perfection from those who work in it.
“As a dancer, I do put myself out there to be criticized, and my body is part of my art form,” Jenifer Ringer, 37, told TODAY’s Ann Curry during an interview Monday. “At the same time, I am not overweight.”
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According to a report released November 29, 2010 by the American Academy of Pediatrics, eating disorders are on the rise. The numbers for children under the age of 12, male children, and those of minority descent showed a sharp incline. This report updates a previously filed 2007 report, due to a sharp rise in all areas reported, including number of cases reported and better understanding of the need for medical support.
One reason for the increase in reported cases of eating disorders may be the “increased focus on weight management and dieting related to increased rates of obesity,” the report’s lead author David S. Rosen, MD, said, as well as the rise in emphasis on Body Mass Index. With rising numbers of obesity for children, many feel that children are taking the message to lose weight too far. Dr. Rosen encourages pediatricians to “be mindful not to encourage unhealthy dieting or focus exclusively on weight (risk factors for eating disorders) and instead emphasize healthy eating and physical activity.”
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Portia de Rossi discussed her eating disorder on Oprah yesterday, admitting that she once restricted herself to as little as 300 calories per day. The interview comes in hand with the release of de Rossi’s new book about her struggles with anorexia and bulimia, Unbearable Lightness: A Story of Loss and Gain.
“It wasn’t that I was proud of it, but it was certainly a recognition of my self-control,” the actress told Oprah. “I definitely had some amazing will-power to get down to 82 pounds.”
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This show will re-air on Tuesday, January 4, 2011.
Tune in this Monday, November 1 to The Oprah Show when actress Portia de Rossi discusses her battle with anorexia.
According to Us Magazine, Portia, aka Mrs. Ellen DeGeneres, openly shares her weight battle and admits to eating just 300 calories a day in the heyday of her eating disorder and dropping to 82 pounds.
“It wasn’t that I was proud of it,” de Rossi says. “But it was certainly a recognition for my self-control. I definitely had some pretty amazing willpower to get down to 82 pounds. And that’s what I was holding onto to. I didn’t think about anything else.”
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