European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 06, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse Obsessed with thinness by Susan Campbell Hartford Courante n fourth Grade Norma Lavoie weighed 145 pounds by eighth Grade she was up to 170 about that time she wandered into a Beach Bathhouse in new York where a Little girl turned to her Mother and said. Mommy did you see the elephant that ust walked in " i knew they were talking about Lavoie said she had Long since Learned not to cry i can remember going to a restaurant and i was always afraid to eat what i wanted to she said if you re overweight you should t have food like everyone else you should have cottage cheese " three months ago. She weighed 257 pounds. She stands 5-foot-4 today through a Senes of diets under the supervision of her doctor. She weighs 188 she is Shoolin for 135 Lavoie. Of new Britain. Conn. Is happily planning to buy leather Skirls and two piece bathing suits to show off her 30-year-old Frame but she will never forget the hard lesson she Learned As a fat Little girl her body and therefore her self was unacceptable she Learned that from the toys she played with Barbie dolls with impossibly thin waists the television shows she watched actresses with impossibly thin waists and he magazines she saw ditto and it was further reinforced by her Peers and Mouthy Little kids at the Beach while truly overweight girls May need supervised diets and exercise programs to help them achieve healthier bodies they Are not the Only ones who Are bombarded with the message that being fat is unacceptable Lisa g Berzins. Director of the eating disorders program at the Institute of living in Hartford. Conn. Recently wandered into the living room to watch her 6-year-old daughter watching Maxie s a cartoon about a Barbie doll like Young woman who goes to sleep and has a dream that she is obese in her dream Maxie destroys an entire City and finally floats off into the air when she wakes up Maxie goes to an aerobics class at the end of the show viewers Are encouraged to observe the rules of Good nutrition but said Berzins i wonder what the girls Are getting from this7" unfortunately it is too easy for a girl to learn her body is not acceptable. Berlins said recent studies have found girls As Young As age 9 Are dieting often without their parents knowledge or any medical supervision however the obsession with appearance so affects some Young girls that through poor loafing habits they adversely alter their development to the Point that the Onset of menstruation is delayed by two or three years they become emotionally far behind their Peers As their obsession with food overcomes Normal social outlets and intellectually they May never make up the time lost to wilful starvation in their teens said Ann milanese assistant director of paediatrics at Newington Conn children s Hospital All in the name of being thin what we Are really seeing Are 3 and 10-year-Olds who Are the products of adults who Are distressed about their bodies said Margo Maine associate clinical director of the eating disorder service at Newington children Hospital. Parents pass that along to children very Early in their development " in fact Maine said she has talked to paediatricians who treat infants and toddlers for non organic failure to thrive because their parents Are depriving them of important nutrients in an attempt to keep them thin infants and toddlers can t survive on the lean diet of their parents even if parents Are conscientious about what they eat. Breast milk after All. Is 50 percent fat. The typical . Diet according to Tho american heart association contains 40 percent fat too High for most adults. The heart association recommends adults aim for a 30 percent fat Content in choir food the american Academy of paediatrics suggest children need 35 percent fat Content in their diets the obsession with being thin often manifests itself in eating disorders about 2 percent of the female population is anorexic and 6 percent is bulimic said Lisa Gasper assistant director of the american anorexia bulimia association anorexia Nerosa is an eating disorder that affects mostly teen age girls it is characterized by a pathological fear of gaining weight that leads to self starvation and in some cases death bulimia affects Young women usually closer to College age and is characterized by an inordinate desire to eat typically followed by self induced vomiting in an attempt to prevent any weight gain the number of boys or men suffering from eating disorders is almost Loo Small to measure Galper said few men have the problem probably because our culture allows them More leeway As to their body size she said however overweight boys too feel the Brunt of the emphasis on thinness. Fat boys usually Aren t chosen for sports the very Arena in which most Young boys Are taught to seek self esteem. But eating disorder Counselor say their efforts arc especially hampered because there is such a social stigma for Young girls who Are overweight in w York Tifi severe anorexia can bring some children to the Point of starvation. Israeli bus attacked in Egypt 2 gunmen Ici Llo least 9, wound 17 huge rally demands soviet reforms some . Officials favor cuts below 195,000 every Day can make a world of difference. In a world that never takes a Day to rest every Day can make a world of difference. A Day can mean the difference Between a Campaign and a Victory. A budget and a budget Cut. A revolutionary idea and a revolution. The stars and stripes has All the news it takes to keep you on top of the world s events. And a subscription to the stars and stripes can assure you that you la never fall a Day behind. Call one of our circulation offices today listing on Page 11 Lor your subscription to the stars and stripes. Or write to ,. The stars and stripes attn sales promotion Apo 09211 tuesday february 6, 1990 the stars and stripes
