| It seems to be coincidental. On the same day of the | | | | even do not seek treatment at all. |
| movie debut of Thin about eating disorders, Brazilian | | | | The mother of Ana Carolina wasted no time in |
| model Ana Carolina Reston passed away from | | | | spreading the message that no money earned |
| complications resulting from anorexia. She was only 21 | | | | through a lucrative modelling career can be worth the |
| years old and had represented for top modelling | | | | life of a child. She was extremely devastated by the |
| agencies such as Ford. However, at the time of her | | | | loss of her beautiful daugther. |
| death, she was severely under nourished. Apparently, | | | | Ana Carolina had died at a time amidst growing |
| she had lived on apples and tomatoes prior to her | | | | concerns about how designers are promoting the |
| hospitalization in October. Despite being 1.72m tall, she | | | | wrong ideas of a body image. Designers had started |
| weighed less than 40 kilos. | | | | the use of size zero models who were clearly |
| Her death drew much attention about the negative | | | | anorexic. |
| consequences from having an anorexia eating | | | | More fashion spots, including London, are taking |
| disorder. Even Wikipedia, the premier online | | | | notice now due the string of events relating to eating |
| encyclopedia, has a listing about her. She was not the | | | | disorders. In September, Madrid refused to allow all |
| first person to have died this year from an eating | | | | models with a body-mass-index (BMI) of less than 18, |
| disorder and who caught the attention of the media. | | | | to be in shows. The World Health Organization |
| Luisel Ramos, 22 had a heart attack in August after | | | | considers anyone with a BMI below of 18.5 to be |
| surviving on lettuce leaves and Diet Coke for three | | | | underweight. |
| months. | | | | The media, including all fashion houses and venues, |
| Ana Carolina had refused help for a long time as she | | | | should have a responsibility in the ideas that they |
| believed that she was not ill. Nevertheless, it was | | | | promote. Using anorexic models sends the wrong |
| obvious to all around her that she had an eating | | | | signals to millions of young girls and women around |
| disorder and was starving herself. She ate very little | | | | the world. Anorexia is an eating disorder that needs |
| at meal times but would purge immediately after her | | | | to be treated as there are strong pyscological |
| meal by throwing up. This behaviour as described is | | | | concerns. Defining beauty to look as if one is |
| very typical of someone with an anorexia eating | | | | malnourished and anorexic is in poor taste. Women |
| disorder. In most cases, an anorexic would refuse | | | | should look healthy and glowing. |
| treatment until the condition is fairly serious. Some | | | | |