Food Addict's True Beauty Inside
I am often amazed to discover how many food ad dicts don't see their own beauty. Debbie, an anorexic you'll read about in this article, was a particularly attractive patient who came into my office one day to talk about an episode of the television show Beauty and the Beast. As I listened to her, it became obvious to me that she identi fied more with the character of the Beast than the Beauty! The lovely, warm, ebullient woman who stood before me saw herself as ugly and an outcast. It became obvious to me that Debbie's obsession to transform what she saw as a completely unacceptable body image had led to her eating disorder. I then recalled how struck 1 had been by a television interview with Ron Perlman, who plays the beast in Beauty and the Beast.
Visit the Web's Most Respected Diet Information Site!
He talked quite emotionally about how he related to his character because he was obese as a child. When asked what it was like to be in love, he responded, "The end of loneliness." Here was someone who had gone from being unacceptable to incredibly ac ceptable, still relating to other people with the pain of the outcast. When I saw Phantom of the Opera, I was struck by the way the main character was transformed from a grotesque figure into someone who moved me to tears by the end of the play. I have come to believe these and other dramatizations, such as Mask and The Elephant Man, all about people who have been ostracized because they do not meet the prescribed standard of physical beauty, strike a deep chord in us. Everyone can identify with their pain because none of us feels acceptable, even the beau ties. It's helpful to remember that even the fortunate ones, whose good looks we may envy, are rarely happy about their bodies.
How tragic it is that we all seem to buy into the media myth that how we look is who we are! In the end, what does our outward appearance really mean? A package can be wrapped very attractively and expen- sively, but how long can anyone remain interested in an unopened gift? After that overrated first impression has been made, what people really relate to is your energy, and if there is nothing radiating from within that attracts others, you can be gift-wrapped by Tiffany and it won't matter.
Visit the Web's Most Respected Diet Information Site!
I am often amazed to discover how many food ad dicts don't see their own beauty. Debbie, an anorexic you'll read about in this article, was a particularly attractive patient who came into my office one day to talk about an episode of the television show Beauty and the Beast. As I listened to her, it became obvious to me that she identi fied more with the character of the Beast than the Beauty! The lovely, warm, ebullient woman who stood before me saw herself as ugly and an outcast. It became obvious to me that Debbie's obsession to transform what she saw as a completely unacceptable body image had led to her eating disorder. I then recalled how struck 1 had been by a television interview with Ron Perlman, who plays the beast in Beauty and the Beast.
Visit the Web's Most Respected Diet Information Site!
He talked quite emotionally about how he related to his character because he was obese as a child. When asked what it was like to be in love, he responded, "The end of loneliness." Here was someone who had gone from being unacceptable to incredibly ac ceptable, still relating to other people with the pain of the outcast. When I saw Phantom of the Opera, I was struck by the way the main character was transformed from a grotesque figure into someone who moved me to tears by the end of the play. I have come to believe these and other dramatizations, such as Mask and The Elephant Man, all about people who have been ostracized because they do not meet the prescribed standard of physical beauty, strike a deep chord in us. Everyone can identify with their pain because none of us feels acceptable, even the beau ties. It's helpful to remember that even the fortunate ones, whose good looks we may envy, are rarely happy about their bodies.
How tragic it is that we all seem to buy into the media myth that how we look is who we are! In the end, what does our outward appearance really mean? A package can be wrapped very attractively and expen- sively, but how long can anyone remain interested in an unopened gift? After that overrated first impression has been made, what people really relate to is your energy, and if there is nothing radiating from within that attracts others, you can be gift-wrapped by Tiffany and it won't matter.
Visit the Web's Most Respected Diet Information Site!