Celebrity Eating Disorders
EATING disorders are constantly in the news and on the increase with even senior politicians like John Prescott, who recently confessed to bulimia, falling victim to them. Obesity among adults has trebled over the last twenty years and by 2010 it is estimated that 1 in 4 adults will be obese. But of greatest concern is the increase of obesity in children. Government statistics show that obesity levels in children aged 4 – 12 rose from approximately 2% in 1994 to 13% in 2004 and to date approximately 15% of 15 year olds are obese.
At the start of the epidemic it was believed that social class had the biggest impact on whether or not a child would be obese with research showing that most came from poorer families. However obesity across the social classes has now evened out but a new trend points towards parental eating habits as having the greatest affect on a child’s weight issues.
A recent Commons Committee Report stated that the most serious risk to a child developing obesity is if they have obese parents. Statistical research found ‘the strongest risk factor for child obesity is parental Body Mass Index score’ (BMI). Their results showed that 47% of obese children under 11 came from families where both parents are obese or overweight and 25% came from families where one parent is obese or overweight. The report concluded, ‘This finding highlights the importance of family behaviours and the influence they have on child obesity.’
However it seems that obesity is not the only eating disorder that is passed on from parent to child. Keira Knightly has often been subject to speculation about to her rail thin figure prompting reporters to question her about the eating disorder anorexia nervosa. After a recent appearance on the red carpet wearing a bronze Gucci dress that hung off her boney shoulders the actress denied she had the disease but admitted to it running in her family.
At a press conference the following day Keira said, “I’ve got a lot of experience with anorexia, my grandmother and great-grandmother suffered from it, and I had a lot of friends at school who suffered from it. I know it's not something to be taken lightly and I don't.” Last year Donatella Versace told the press that her daughter Allegra was being treated for the life threatening disease after pictures emerged of her looking skeletally thin. Reports suggested that 20 year old Allegra was admitted for treatment weighing only 70lbs.
In a joint statement Donatella and Allegra’s father Paul Beck said that Allegra had been battling the disease for many years. “She is receiving the best medical care possible to help overcome this illness and is responding well. As parents, we are doing our best to protect our daughter. However, due to numerous media reports, we want to let everyone know that we appreciate their concern for Allegra, and we ask that her privacy be respected at this time.”
We can only speculate on the stress of growing up in one of the worlds leading fashion houses surrounded by ever thinner six foot models but clearly it has taken its toll on both mother and daughter. Looking at Donatella’s surgically enhanced face, bleached blond hair and self conscious fashion statements it is not hard imagine the legacy she has passed to her off-spring. She recently admitted to wearing full make up to go to the beach and is never without high heels.
And this is not the only celebrity family to have succumbed to the disease. Olivia Newton Johns daughter, Chloe Lattanzi was pictured looking painfully thin after admitting she has battled the illness. She said, “I've gone through an eating disorder. It's nothing to be ashamed of. I'm taking very good care of myself now, but I'm not going to be like ‘Oh I eat pizza every day’. I'm honest about that.”
Chloe sited her mum’s absence as being a factor in her difficulties and said she spent a lot of time ‘alone in big houses’ growing up. Her mother, Olivia triggered a generation of young girls’ body-image anxiety when she appeared in a skin tight black outfit for the finale of the 1978 hit Grease. Rumours circulated at the time suggested she lived on an apple a day to look ubber thin and to pass herself off as an 18-year-old when she was actually 29.
It is clear that mothers who succumb to rigorous diet and exercise regimes influence their daughters to do the same. Experts say the family dynamic has to change in order to help a child with weight issues. “Its imperative parents confront their own issues with food and weight before attempting to help their child. If they are conflicted themselves how can they help anyone else?” Says author Abby Ellin who wrote a book on the subject. Professor Paul Gately, the director of Carnegie Weight Management says, “Parents need to set appropriate boundaries within the home and stick to them. Remember, it’s OK to say ‘no’ to your child, it’s worth putting up with the short term tantrums for the long term gains.”