The Brown & White

In an effort to create awareness about eating disorders and to encourage positive discussions about the female body, the Women's Center sponsored Healthy Body Image Week March 24 to 28.

The week-long series of events helped women realize they are not alone in their thoughts about their bodies, said Alisha Gonzales, '09, event organizer and member of the Women's Center.

As part of the body image events on Thursday, Courtney Martin, author of "Perfect Girl, Starving Daughter: The Frightening New Normalcy of Hating Your Body," discussed women's dual personalities: the over-achieving "perfect girl," and the deprived, lonely "starving daughter."

The current generation of young women believes they need to be perfect in every way, she said.

"We are the daughters of feminists who said 'you can be anything,' and we heard 'you have to be everything,'" Martin said.

That belief pressures women to be perfect, to excel in all aspects of life ? school, sports and relationships, all while slipping effortlessly into her size-zero jeans, Martin said.

She said the ideal body type has become too narrowly defined. In the past, it was accepted that women had different body types.

"There wasn't a lot of shame in it," Martin said. "It was just reality."

However, today, 90 percent of high school females consider themselves to be overweight. This frightening statistic, Martin said, leads to girls purging, starving and over-exercising in order to maintain their appearance.

Women must also make the process seem easy. Martin called it effortless perfection.

The perfect girl cannot show weakness or struggle. They can not falter, Martin said, because they are the daughters of a generation of strong, motivated women. Showing weakness may disappoint the women who sacrificed to give them opportunities.

As the perfect girl strives for success, no matter what the cost, the starving daughter, the other side to a woman's personality, becomes desperate for attention and rest, Martin said.

"While the perfect girl drives forward," she said, "the starving daughter digs her heels in."

The starving daughter desires a calm existence, not a hectic struggle to be flawless in every manner.

"The starving daughter is tired of trying so hard all the time," Martin said.

If a woman allows the starving daughter to gain control of her mind, she commits transgressions, such as eating a pint of ice cream or skipping a session at the gym, Martin said.

When these mistakes occur, the perfect girl mentality fights back, leading to self-hatred and feelings of guilt. Because of this, the average woman will spend six months of her life worrying about her appearance and thinking about her eating and exercise habits, she said.

Martin said parents play a crucial role in a woman's self-image.

Often, young women develop their body mentalities from the way their mothers treat their bodies. If a daughter observes her mother mistreating her body, she will receive the message that this mentality is normal, Martin said.

A father's role in a woman's development of self-image is usually overlooked, Martin said. When a young woman hits puberty, most fathers react in fear.

"It is usually the woman who deals with all the messy things," Martin said.

Martin encouraged fathers to get involved. A father's acceptance of puberty stays with a woman for her entire life, even if it seems inconsequential, Martin said.

"Even if they seem unsuccessful, even if they seem awkward, [the interactions] help us understand our own body," Martin said.

Culture outside the home further develops women's self-perception, Martin said.

Hip-hop has defined an entire generation and sends the message that a body defines how a woman fits in with her generation, Martin said.

"If you want to be involved in your culture, you better be hot," she said.

Martin said the media contributes the most to unhealthy body images through popular, make-over reality shows, like "The Biggest Loser" and "I Want a Famous Face."

"These shows tell women if you have enough willpower or money, you too could look like the ideal of the day," she said.

The shows reinforce the idea that if a woman does not have the perfect body, she is at fault. Blame leads to disordered thoughts and habits, Martin said.

On a personal level, a woman can do simple things to alleviate body insecurities, she said.

Martin advised women to choose friends wisely and not be around people who have disordered thoughts. Group discussions like "how could we have just eaten all that?" allow a woman to think her feelings are healthy, she said.

Martin said if a woman starts criticizing herself, she should imagine what someone who loves her would say. For example, she said she considers how her brother will react. It brings her back to reality.