STARVATION ISN'T BEAUTIFUL

What's most important when you look at a woman? Is it her eyes, her hair, her figure? When it comes to appearance, many women these days are too concerned about their figures.

According to a recent survey of 159 Japanese women (all students) who were asked, "Have you ever been on a diet?" 55% answered "yes." Why?

Society says fat isn't beautiful. Statistics have shown that slender women often get jobs more easily than overweight women, plus they have an easier time keeping their jobs. You may also notice that Ms. Sapporo and women in beauty contests are all thin; so are TV actresses and models; even popular cartoon characters are all thin. In addition, there are a lot of books being published these days about dieting. The title of one book I saw said, "If you want to become thin, you can become beautiful." We are told in so many ways that thin equals beautiful, so we start thinking the same thing.

However, this way of thinking can be dangerous. The worst problem is that severe dieting can result in anorexia or bulimia. When I was in high school, a friend of mine became anorexic and ended up in the hospital for a few days. In her case, she had problems with her family and her boyfriend who were always on her mind. She claimed she was never hungry, and, when she ate, she vomited. She continued to lose weight day after day even though other friends and I tried to persuade her to eat. I got really depressed because there was nothing I could do to help her!

When she got out of the hospital, she told me, "I really appreciated your concern, but I couldn't control myself. I knew I needed food, but my body wouldn't listen to my mind. I thought I was going to die." This story has a happy ending because now she is fine, she's spending more time with her friends, and she has great plans for her future.

However, not everyone is as fortunate as she is. Some women with anorexia or bulimia become diabetic or have heart trouble. Often their bones get weak and their periods may stop. The worst case is death, and one of the best-known examples is the singer Karen Carpenter. For seven years she starved herself, drinking only water with lemon, taking dozens of pills every day, and even throwing up. She fought against the disease. However, in the end, her body couldn't take anymore and she lost.

Princess Diana was fighting a different battle--against bulimia. It was partly caused by the stress of being in the public eye. Diana found a way to work out her anger and stress at the gym, and managed to overcome the disorder. She also shared her experience with the public. She said, "The thing about eating disorders is not about fitting into a small dress. It's in the head; it's all about self-esteem . . ."

A long time ago, plump women were thought to look healthy so they were considered beautiful, but now it's the opposite. Many people think fat equals ugly and dull. Even average-weight girls want to lose weight and check their scales every day; when the scales show a loss of weight, they feel relieved. This way of thinking comes from social pressure, so if we want to change this problem, we have to change society's attitude. However, to change society's attitude, we have to change our own attitude.

I think many women have forgotten the most important thing which is that there is only one of you in the world. There is a well-known Japanese proverb, "10 people have 10 colors." It means that any ten people are different from each other; nobody is the same as anyone else. The same is true about our bodies. You may be fat, thin, or average, but you are beautiful just the way you are.