Sunday, June 29, 2008

ANOTHER MODEL DIES: SUPERMODEL RUSLANA KORSHUNOVA JUMPS TO HER DEATH IN NEW YORK CITY



This just in...

Ruslana Korshunova's death was ruled a suicide today (Sunday, June 29, 2008) by the Medical Examiner's Office in New York City.

~~~~~~~~~~


Below is a compilation of the most recent news reports on the tragic death of supermodel Ruslana Korshunova yesterday:

From the Herald Sun:

"Kazakhstanian model jumps to death from Manhattan apartment



"The fashion world is in shock after the death of supermodel Ruslana Korshunova yesterday.

Korshunova, 20, jumped from her Manhattan apartment to her death.

Korshunova, who has been on the cover of French Elle and Russian Vogue, jumped from her ninth-floor flat in Water St just before 2.30pm.

"I heard what sounded like a gunshot or a bomb or an explosion," witness Patrick, 32, of Brooklyn said.

"I looked down the street and I say to the cop, 'Did that person just get hit by a car?' "


Police said there were no signs of a struggle in the flat.

The window from which Korshunova fell had a balcony with construction netting around it that appeared to have been cut




The 173cm beauty has been in ads for DKNY, Vera Wang and Christian Dior, among others, and was hailed as the next big thing in a profile in Vogue three years ago.

"She's one of the sweetest, nicest people you'll ever meet," said a friend, who did not want to be identified.

"I'm still in shock. The world lost a great person."

Korshunova has been a mainstay at Fashion Week in New York and London, working with all-star designers Jill Stuart, Betsey Johnson, Rosa Cha and Lela Rose.

Her break came when modelling booker Debbie Jones noticed her while perusing an in-flight magazine article about her home town of Almaty, Kazakhstan, the Vogue report said.

"She looked like something out of a fairytale!" Ms Jones told the magazine.

"We had to find her and we searched high and low until we did."

Korshunova's friend said she had just returned from a modelling assignment in Paris and seemed to be on top of the world.

"There were no signs. That's what's driving me crazy. I don't see one reason she would do that, " he said.

Korshunova had been sending money to her parents in Kazakhstan.

Korshunova's doorman remembered her as being very soft spoken.

"She always said hi and bye," he said. "She was beautiful, beautiful."

~~~~~~~~~~

"Model falls from Manhattan building in apparent suicide

BY ANDREW STRICKLER

11:09 PM EDT, June 28, 2008

Photo by Thomas Concordia

"A model who walked runways around the world and graced the covers of fashion magazines fell from a Manhattan building Saturday in an apparent suicide, New York City police said.

Ruslana Korshunova, known for her distinctive long hair and green eyes, was apparently killed in the fall at 2:30 p.m. onto busy Water Street outside the Financial District condo building where she lived.

It appeared she fell from the balcony of her ninth-floor apartment, police said, where a large hole was visible in construction netting hanging on the front of the 12-story building.

Investigators were still examining the scene late Saturday, but a police source said there was no sign of a struggle in the apartment. It was unclear if anyone else was in the apartment at the time of the fall or if a suicide note was found. The city medical examiner is to determine the cause of death.

Mahmoud Nakeeb, 45, the building doorman, said he arrived for work about 4 p.m. to find Korshunova's sheet-covered body in the middle of Water Street.

"She's a very sweet girl. She was always smiling. I never see her depressed," Nakeeb said. Korshunova moved in about two months ago, renting the one-bedroom apartment, which had previously been converted from a studio, from the condo owner, he said.

Korshunova, 20, was originally from the former Russian republic of Kazakhstan, according to published reports. Since 2003, she has appeared on the covers of European editions of Elle and Vogue magazines, and in ads for DKNY, Vera Wang, Marc Jacobs and other companies.

Nakeeb worked the night shift on Friday and was on duty when Korshunova came home alone between 4 and 5 a.m., dressed casually and apparently undisturbed. "She said 'Hi.' She always said 'Hi,'" he said.

Korshunova was represented in New York by IMG Models, a top-tier international agency that lists supermodels Kate Moss and Heidi Klum among its clients.

An IMG representative confirmed Saturday that Korshunova was a client but declined to comment further. Korshunova's condo board president also declined to comment.

Pervaiz Shallwani contributed to this story."

~~~~~~~~~~

And from Gothamist.com:

"June 29, 2008

Model Apparently Jumps to Death in Lower Manhattan



Police believe that a 20-year-old woman committed suicide by jumping out of her Water Street apartment's balcony around 2:30 p.m. yesterday afternoon. The woman was identified as Kazhakstan model Ruslana Korshunova.

Newsday reported, "It appeared she fell from the balcony of her ninth-floor apartment, police said, where a large hole was visible in construction netting hanging on the front of the 12-story building." A Con Ed worker, who had been talking to a cop at the time, told the Post, "I heard what sounded like a gunshot or a bomb or an explosion...I looked down the street, and I say to the cop, 'Did that person just get hit by a car?'"

Another person told the Daily News, "All I saw was something moving out of the corner of my eye, and then boom. It sounded like a bass drum when she hit the ground." No one on Water Street was hurt.

The building's doorman Mahmoud Nakeeb described Korshunova, who had modeled for DKNY, Marc Jacobs, Jill Stuart, Vera Wang, Lela Rose, and others, as "sweet" and "always smiling." He added that she moved in two months ago. A friend spoke to the Post and said the model had just returned from a job in Paris, "The world lost a great person...There were no signs. That's what's driving me crazy. I don't see one reason why she would do that."

The ME's office will determine a cause of death; per Newsday, a police source said there were no signs of a struggle and it's "unclear if anyone else was in the apartment at the time of the fall or if a suicide note was found." According to British Vogue, Korshunova was discovered in 2003, when a booker was reading an in-flight magazine feature about her hometown, "I saw her by chance and she looked like something out of a fairytale!"

~~~~~~~~~~

And from the New York Post:

"MODEL SUICIDE

KAZAKH BEAUTY JUMPS TO DEATH IN FINANCIAL DISTRICT

Friends said Ruslana Korshunova showed no signs of depression. Picture: AP

By MELISSA JANE KRONFELD, TATIANA DELIGIANNAKIS and TOM LIDDY
Last updated: 10:24 pm
June 28, 2008

A stunning supermodel leaped from her swank downtown apartment to her death today in an apparent suicide, officials said.

Korshunova Photo Gallery

Ruslana Korshunova, 20, whose face has graced the cover of French Elle and Russian Vogue, apparently jumped from her ninth-floor apartment in her Water Street building in the Financial District just before 2:30 p.m.



"I heard what sounded like a gunshot or a bomb or an explosion," said a stunned Con Ed worker talking to a cop nearby before the beauty leaped.

"I looked down the street, and I say to the cop, 'Did that person just get hit by a car?' " said the worker, who identified himself only as Patrick, 32, of Brooklyn.

The two men raced over. "Her arms were crushed," Patrick said. "Her head was on the left side and blood was coming out in a pool."

Cops said there were no signs of a struggle in the apartment.

The window from which she fell had a balcony, which had construction netting around it that appeared to have been cut.

The 5-foot-8 head-turner has been featured in ads for DKNY, Vera Wang and Christian Dior among others and was hailed as "the next big thing" in a profile in Vogue three years ago.

"She's one of the sweetest, nicest people you'll ever meet," said a friend, who did not want to be identified by name.

"I'm still in shock. The world lost a great person."

The lithe looker has been a mainstay at Fashion Week in the Big Apple and London, working with all-star designers Jill Stuart, Betsey Johnson, Rosa Cha, Lela Rose and Libertine.

The pal said that Korshunova had just returned from a modeling gig in Paris and seemed to be "on top of the world."

"There were no signs," he said. "That's what's driving me crazy. I don't see one reason why she would do that."

Korshunova, who had been sending money back to her parents in Kazakhstan, was in love with the city.

"She really liked New York," said the friend. "People made her feel comfortable here."

Korshunova's doorman, who did not want to be identified, remembered the catwalker as "very soft-spoken."

"She always said hi and bye," he said. "She was beautiful, beautiful."

tom.liddy@nypost.com"

~~~~~~~~~~

Again, I am at a loss for words. May you find peace, Ruslana, in the Elysian fields.

If and when more information comes in about Ruslana's tragic death, I will update this post.

A tribute to Ruslana...





LINKS:
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/newyork/ny-nyjump0629,0,1107339.story
http://gothamist.com/2008/06/29/ruslana_korshunova.php
http://www.nypost.com/seven/06282008/news/regionalnews/model_suicide_117616.htm
http://movies.msn.com/celebs/article.aspx/?news=320967&affid=100055&silentchk=1&

http://www.bild.de/BILD/news/bild-english/celebrity-gossip/2008/06/29/model/jumps-to-death,geo=4989346.html

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A BUM RAP: OUTRAGEOUS ATTACKS ON KAROLINA KURKOVA FOR BEING "TOO FAT"






Karolina Kurkova walks the runway on June 18, 2008, during the Cia Maritima show in Sao Paulo, Brazil


With both designers and the fashion industry moving away from "size 0" models, the recent attacks on Karolina Kurkova for being "too fat" are simply outrageous.

Last week, during the Cia Martima show in Sao Paulo, Brazil, the Brazilian press skewered 24-year-old, 5' 11" Karolina Kurkova, Czech supermodel and model for Victoria's Secret, for being "too fat" for the catwalk, reporting that audience members were "shocked" when they saw "cellulite on her butt."

Ralph Lauren, Chanel, and Balenciaga have used Karolina in many of their ad campaigns, and her photos have graced the pages of fashion magazines worldwide.

Karolina Kurkova

The Brazilian press lambasted her for showing "back fat," "love handles," and "cellulite" while wearing a bikini for Cia Martima during Sao Paulo Fashion Week.

Ana Carolina Reston


This is especially troubling in light of the fact that another Brazilian model, Ana Carolina Reston, died at the age of 21 from anorexia on the eve of photoshoot in Paris. At the time of her death, she weighed only 88 pounds.

Uruguayan fashion models and sisters, Luisel Ramos, 22, and Eleana* Ramos, 18, both died from complications of anorexia.

Luisel Ramos

Luisel Ramos

Luisel Ramos

Eleana Ramos

Eleana Ramos


Luisel had consumed only lettuce leaves and Diet Coke for three months, after being told she could be an international sensation if she lost weight. Luisel suffered a heart attack moments after stepping off the catwalk at a hotel in Montevideo in August of 2006. Luisel's father told police that Luisel had not eaten at all for "several days" before she died.

*NOTE: I have just learned that it has been incorrectly reported by the international press that Eleana's first name was "Eliana." It is, in fact, "Eleana."

Eleana Ramos, also known as Elle Ramos, worked for Pancho Dotto Models, a renowned modeling agency in Argentina. In February of 2007, Eleana was found dead at the home of her grandparents in Montevideo, Uruguay, of a heart attack. At the time of her death at age 22, she weighed only 98 pounds which, given her height of 5' 9", gave her a BMI of only 14.5.

Photo from AP Photo by Marcelo Hernandez

Luis Ramos cries during the funeral of his daughter Eliana Ramos in Montevideo, Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2007. Model Eliana Ramos was found dead at her home Tuesday, six months after her sister Luisel Ramos, 22, another model, died of a heart failure while participating in a fashion show in Montevideo on August 2006.


With the tragic deaths of Luisel Ramos and Ana Carolina Reston, Madrid began banning models with BMIs of less than 18.5.

Let's hope that the ban of "size 0" models will be adopted worldwide so that a model with a healthy BMI will not suffer the scourge of the press and others for looking "too fat."

And for a trip down memory lane...


REMEMBERING WHAT ONCE WAS THE BODY IDEAL...


TO READ THESE PREVIOUS POSTS, PLEASE CLICK:

BONES OF CONTENTION ON THE CATWALK...

ANA CAROLINA RESTON: SHE WAS YOUNG, BEAUTIFUL & STARVED TO DEATH

HOW MANY MODELS HAVE TO DIE ?



LINKS:
http://www.thefashionspot.com/forums/showpost.php?p=4640915&postcount=3543
http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/story/0,26278,23916099-5007192,00.html
http://www.modelsblog.info/2006/08/21/in-memory-of-luisel-ramos/
http://www.modelsblog.info/2007/02/14/stop-this-absurdity-luisels-sister-eliana-ramos-dies-of-malnutrition-too/
http://allwomenstalk.com/heart-attack-kills-model-eliana-ramos-sister-of-luisel-ramos/
http://www.fashionmodeldirectory.com/models/eliana_ramos/showphoto/80768

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Saturday, June 28, 2008

URGENT WARNING !!! PREGNANT ??? DO *NOT* DO THE KIMKINS STARVATION DIET !!!



The Kimkins diet, created by Heidi Diaz, aka Kimmer, is a deadly starvation diet. If you are unfamiliar with the Kimkins diet, do a quick Google search and you will find hundreds of websites warning of the dangers of the diet and the fraudulent actions of Heidi Diaz aka Kimmer.

On the Kimkins website, several female members have asked if anyone has done the Kimkins diet while pregnant. One member said that she didn't want to gain weight and would "actually like to lose a little weight" while pregnant.

Rather than stepping up to the plate and telling these women that following the nutritionally bankrupt Kimkins starvation diet could result in causing untold harm to the fetus, Heidi Diaz aka Kimmer and her sidekick, SingingLass, and whatever administrators are left in that Kimkins ghost town, have failed to warn these women that dieting is the last thing they should do while pregnant.

Fellow blogger, Mariasol, has an excellent post on this subject on her blog:

http://mariasol-mariasol.blogspot.com/2008/06/kimkins-during-pregnancy.html

Please...if you are pregnant and considering any diet, especially a vLCD (very low-calorie diet) like the deadly Kimkins starvation diet, please see your doctor immediately. Failing to do so could cause catastrophic harm to your fetus, including mental retardation.


And Heidi/Kimmer and SingingLass...we will be watching for your responses to these women.

PLEASE NOTE:


This blog post was inspired by Jo who posted at the Fascinated board a copy of a copy of a post that was posted at Kimkins that somebody sent to her, but I don't know who, and if I knew, I'm not allowed to say who it was.

LINKS:
bauxhaus.stumbleupon.com/tag/women/

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Friday, June 27, 2008

THE LAST CUT IS THE DEEPEST: BLEEDING TO EASE THE PAIN...[UPDATED]



UPDATE:

I've received two comments on this blog post which I would like to share:

"Anonymous said...


As with anorexia, what it comes down to is control. This time, I control the pain. Not others who have hurt me, not a depressing job or bad news. I get to dish it out on my terms. There can be an incredible amount of relief derived from this when one lacks other safety nets.

June 25, 2008 10:45 PM
"


"Deni said...


There is a really helpful group out there that revolves around helping cutters. To Write Love On Her Arms is the name of it. www.twloha.com They have a myspace and a facebook page.. and many people post on the message board there at all hours of the day to help support each other in the efforts to stop cutting.

Now.... Medusa... some might wonder why you have taken this particular topic up... but I understand why. Post kimkins triggered me into wanting to do this again. (I struggled with this when I was a teen). I appreciate you for taking the time to make people aware of it, and to all of those people out there who are struggling with it.. I know they appreciate the "education" about it too. So many people judge the cutting habit as just something to label people with and don't ever stop to realize that there is emotional scars deep inside that drive it.


It becomes an addiction in the same way that eating, drugs, drinking, anorexia... etc... does.

There is a chemical released in the brain that actually overrides the part of your brain that says "hey this might be dangerous". It is a problem that cannot be ignored and forgotten.

If you are currently cutting, or even thinking about cutting... please go to twloha.com and look for where to get help. You are NOT alone... and there is help out there.

June 27, 2008 10:52 AM"



Here is the link Deni mentions in her comment:

To Write Love On Her Arms

~~~~~~~~~~~

It is seldom talked about, but cutting has reached epidemic proportions and has become especially prevalent in people suffering from eating disorders, particularly anorexia and bulimia.

Cutting is a form of self injury (SI) or self harm (SH) where razor blades, utility knives, tacks, scissors, needles, shards of glass, pins, knives, etc. are used to cut one's skin, usually the arms, legs, abdomen, or inner thighs.




For cutters, cutting relieves stress and overwhelming feelings of longing, pain, rage, rejection, sorrow, and emptiness. Because of their inability to express what they are feeling on the inside, self injury becomes the physical manifestation of these overwhelming feelings. Cutting and other forms of self injury often go hand in hand with mental illness, a history of trauma and abuse, eating disorders, perfectionism, and low self-esteem.


For those who cut, cutting quickly becomes an addiction as it releases endorphins causing the cutter to experience feelings of euphoria and peacefulness. Endorphins are natural painkillers that kick in during stress and trauma and numb the pain from the cutting.

This endorphin rush results in the “cutting high," driving the cutter to once again experience that "high" which, in turn, triggers more cutting...and the addiction. However, as episodes of cutting increase, the numbing effects of the endorphin rushes lessen and the cutter begins to experience pain. It is with the onset of pain that many cutters come face to face with their cutting addiction.

The majority of those who cut do not have suicidal intentions and are not seeking attention. In fact, most feel very self-conscious and guilty, and make every attempt to keep their scars and wounds covered with clothing.


Both males and females cut, although current data indicates that four times more women cut than men.



An excerpt from a post last week by a young cutter:

"About a year ago... i started seeing a councelor. At first, i thought i would hate it, but she ended up being awesome... i could never manage to really tell her about my cutting. I mentioned that i had done it in the past, but to me, that was all it was.

At the end of my freshmen year, i started again, more and more often, and couldn't exactly control it. For me, its not something that i hate, i hate it when other people who dont understand question my means of doing it, its not like i want to do it forever, but at the time, it was the only thing keeping me going. It was what i was surviving off of. I was dealing with my parents split up in what some people would say a horrible and disturbing way, but to me, it was natural, and its what my body wanted.

The summer after freshmen year was when i started to get bad. I started hiding everything from people, keeping my cuts on my legs, and making sure that i'd wear basketball shorts or that i'd swim in a bikini top and board shorts. No one thought anything of it, it was cute, it was my style. i kept it that way until i had to start volleyball at the beginning of the year. Wearing spandex makes it hard to hide scars, much less cuts, so i stopped all together... for a while. I managed to go for quite a while without turning back to, what at that time had escalated to a razor.

Finally, things started seeming impossible, and i had no way to deal with it. I hadn't seen my councelor for a few months, and even though i'd tried to get ahold of her, she would rarely return my calls, being insanely busy as she was.

Thats when i started on my shoulders, i found out that i could still wear t-shirts and volleyball jersey's, and no one would have any clue. Plus, i could fit at least a hundred cuts there, no matter how disturbing that seems. I managed to fully cover every spot i could reach, and it didn't seem like enough. I started moving down my arm slowly, and by the last game of the season, i was just at the point that my jersey covered all of them... barely. Finally, the end of the season came, and i had no reason not to do it, so i got worse. I ended up with more on my shoulders, going over the other ones when they had healed enough not to catch on the blade.

I remember one night, i had a breakdown, i dont even remember what it was over. I locked myself in my bathroom, and i remember sitting there in the warm water, with nothing but candle light, for over 3 hours. I attacked myself. I think i ended up with over 200 new cuts that one night. it was the worst i had ever gotten, and it scared me. I couldn't move, and i started to get cold, even though i was in hot water. My arms started feeling numb, and it was then that i decided that i could never let it escalate that bad ever again. This was only a few months ago, and since then, i've managed to almost fully stop myself except for the occasional here and there.

The only ones i've had in the past few months are a star that i carved into my ankle, now nothing but a red scar, though it'll probably last forever, and a few little ones on my arms, nothing big. The most recent was a few nights ago, i had a horrible day, and ended up with 15 on my stomach, but then realized that i needed to stop. they're not big, or deep, and should heal soon, but i still dont need them there.

I hope that i'm stopping, but i dont really think i have that much say in what happens, i think whatever path my life takes me on will determine whether or not i need to cut."


WARNING: THESE VIDEOS COULD TRIGGER...




The Secret Cut:








TO ORDER THE SECRET CUT DVD, CLICK HERE:

http://www.thesecretcut.com/default.asp?id=1806




LINKS:
http://www.freewebs.com/healthyrecovery/cutter.bmp
www.trustedtherapy.com/self-harm.htm
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y10/mezzobrit/warning.jpg
http://lancashirecare.wordpress.com/2008/03/27/february-2008-special-section-on-suicide-and-non-suicidal-self-injury/

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Friday, June 20, 2008

MEDUSA'S BOOKSTORE

~ MEDUSA'S BOOKSTORE ~



In my Amazon bookstore,which is featured at the bottom of this page, are many highly-rated books dealing with eating disorders, body image, depression, suicide, and self-harm.

Any Amazon book may be purchased using the Amazon shopping cart in my bookstore.

If there are any books that you would recommend and would like to see added to my store, please send me an e-mail. Thanks!




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BONES OF CONTENTION ON THE CATWALK...


Brazilian model, Ana Carolina Reston, participates in a fashion show in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, on April 14, 2005. Reston, a 21-year-old anorexic model who weighed only 88 pounds died on Tuesday Nov. 14, 2006 of complications related to anorexia nervosa (AP Photo/Eugenio Savio)


"Should ultra-skinny models be banned? The fashion industry claims it is being unfairly pillaged for the 'size 0' phenomenon. But self regulation has done little to weed out emaciated models.

"They have to understand that being thin is our job", states one size 0 model.

But following the death of anorexic model, Ana Carolina Reston, designers are coming under pressure not to use skinny models. Spain banned ultra-thin models from Madrid Fashion Week after complaints they encouraged anorexia.

"We didn't want teenagers to think excessive slimness is a model of beauty", explains organizer Cuca Solana. But other fashion capitals refuse to follow Spain's lead.

"The whole size 0 thing has come from Hollywood not the catwalks", complains Hilary Riva, Chief Executive of London Fashion Week. "It's too simplistic to blame fashion..."







Alice McCall


Australian designer, ALICE McCALL, reveals herself to be one idiotic twit in the video when she compares starving people in Africa to models suffering from eating disorders.

To view my previous posts on Ana Carolina Reston, please click here:


ANA CAROLINA RESTON: SHE WAS YOUNG, BEAUTIFUL & STARVED TO DEATH


To read more about Ana Carolina Reston and other models who have died from anorexia and/or bulimia, please click on the links below:


HOW MANY MODELS HAVE TO DIE ?


ARE THINNESS LAWS TOO HEAVY-HANDED?


FRANCE TABLES NEW "ANOREXIA" LAW


ABC NEWS FLASH !!! GOOD MORNING AMERICA and 20/20 REPORT ON THE DEADLY KIMKINS DIET SCAM, HEIDI DIAZ/KIMMER and ANOREXIA NERVOSA



The Guardian also has an excellent article about Ana Carolina Reston here:


http://lifeandhealth.guardian.co.uk/fashion/story/0,,1987945,00.html



LINKS:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJt4YvBQ3p8 http://urbanfashionista.wordpress.com/2008/04/16/look-book-alice-mccall/
www.daylife.com/photo/0faYeJW0k77eK

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Wednesday, June 18, 2008

ANOREXIA RETOUCHED...


Millions of girls and young women are starving themselves to death by sculpting their bodies through starvation in an effort to emulate the bodies of models in the fashion industry.

Catwalks and magazines are full of images of models who look like they're knocking on death's door, and these emaciated models, some as young as 14, have become the icons of many young girls and women suffering from anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and those following the pro ana/pro mia lifestyle.

What those starving girls and women don't realize is that many of those photographs have been digitally altered. The bodies of the women in those altered photos are so thin that the only way a girl or woman could attain that "look" would be by dying and, tragically, many have.

This video shows the real images of the models and then the fake digitally-altered images....an example of Photoshop being used in a most reprehensible way:





National Eating Disorders Awareness Week started yesterday, February 24th, and runs through March 8th, 2008.

If anyone you know is suffering from an Eating Disorder, please visit Joanna Poppink's blog here for more information on these horrific diseases:

http://eatingdisorderstoday.typepad.com/



LINK:

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Friday, June 13, 2008

ANA CAROLINA RESTON: SHE WAS YOUNG, BEAUTIFUL & STARVED TO DEATH...


Ana Carolina Reston (before anorexia)



Ana Carolina Reston (after)


Ana Carolina Reston began modelling in her native Brazil at the age of 13, and was one of the most beautiful models in the world. At 5 feet 8 inches (172 cm), she was a fixture on the covers of fashion magazines and the catwalks of Brazil, Japan, and Hong Kong. Designers loved her...especially Giorgio Armani & Dior, who both featured her in their collections.


While in China, in 2004, Ana Carolina was told that she was "too fat." From that utterance, she began the downward spiral into anorexia, and at the end her diet consisted of only apples and tomatoes.




Ana Carolina's BMI plummeted to 13.4, which is below starvation level. On October 23, 2006, she was admitted to hospital, weighing only 88 pounds (40 kg).

On November 14, 2006, she died of complications due to kidney failure as a result of complications of anorexia and bulimia, at the age of 21 years.

From guardian.co.uk:

"Reston was admitted to the Samaritano Hospital in Sao Paulo and two days later, on 25 October, she was moved to the Hospital Municipal dos Servidores Publicos, where almost immediately she was admitted to the intensive care unit, where she spent her last 21 days.

Her demise was agonising, a plastic tube inserted down her throat, unable to tell anyone how she felt, although the tears in her eyes must have made that pretty obvious. Patches of her once long brown hair had fallen out, too. Her death certificate...cites her time of death as 7.10 am and lists the cause of death as 'multiple organ failure, septicaemia, urinary infection'. Coldly it adds: 'Leaves no children. Leaves no property. Leaves no will.'"

(all bolding mine)

Please take a moment to watch this moving tribute to Ana Carolina (music by Maroon 5):




Such a tragedy, such a loss.


To read more about Ana Carolina Reston and other models who have died from anorexia and/or bulimia, please click on the links below:

HOW MANY MODELS HAVE TO DIE ?


ARE THINNESS LAWS TOO HEAVY-HANDED?


FRANCE TABLES NEW "ANOREXIA" LAW


ABC NEWS FLASH !!! GOOD MORNING AMERICA and 20/20 REPORT ON THE DEADLY KIMKINS DIET SCAM, HEIDI DIAZ/KIMMER and ANOREXIA NERVOSA



And please click the link below to read an excellent article from The Guardian about Ana Carolina Reston:

http://lifeandhealth.guardian.co.uk/fashion/story/0,,1987945,00.html




LINK:
http://lifeandhealth.guardian.co.uk/fashion/story/0,,1987945,00.html

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Thursday, June 12, 2008

BRAIN TEASER: TRY THIS A-LEVELS EXAM...

Can you solve this in one minute or under?
Note the spelling error in the first question :^)


(Click the exam sheet to enlarge it)

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HELLO DARKNESS, MY OLD FRIEND...


Hello darkness, my old friend...


I've come to talk with you again...


Because a vision softly creeping


Left its seeds while I was sleeping...



And the vision that was planted in my brain

Still remains...


Within the sound of silence..."


IN MEMORY OF HILA ELMALICH

Please click here for my previous post & video on Hila...



The Sound of Silence


"Hello darkness, my old friend
I've come to talk with you again
Because a vision softly creeping
Left its seeds while I was sleeping
And the vision that was planted in my brain
Still remains
Within the sound of silence..."

Paul Simon, 1964


LINKS:
http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/commondata/figureimages/toilet_fs_1499612.jpg

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Monday, June 9, 2008

THE DEADLY CONSEQUENCES OF BINGEING & PURGING...



I came across this post this morning in my travels:

"One step forward, two steps back... Via 6 choc-chip muffins, 300g of chocolate hobnobs and 2L of icecream...

June 8, 2008:

The title says it all. I do not feel good right now. The worst thing is I'm waiting to amke sure people are sleep because I want to carry on.

That beautiful dress will not fit...

Why is this so hard to beat? Definatly wallowing right now. Self pity is not an attractive quality."

LATER

Been a lazy day. The binge has continued throughout. Really sore tummy. I wonder if it's possible to literally 'bust a gut'? I can't stand straight. ** I wonder how many people start diets on Mondays? Fresh, new and full of promises.

My new start seems to be a circle.

Tommorrow I'll start again tommorrow. I'll try find my positive attitude. Depression does not help this. That black cloud brings out my worst attribute. Though I'd rather have them then walk around like im wrapped in a duvet. Feeling pain sometimes is better than feeling nothing. Rambling now.

Sugar high perhaps.

I can't vocalise any of this.

Forget this and try again."

~~~~~~~~~~

To answer this young woman's question:

Yes, it is "possible to literally 'bust a gut.'"

And here is the tragic evidence:


(WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGE)






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Thursday, June 5, 2008

PLUS-SIZE-PERFECT MODEL: NANCY HAYSSEN...FULL FIGURED & FABULOUS !



"She shocked the modeling world this week by posing totally nude on TV for all to see on CBS’ The Insider, weighing in at...169 pounds.

Plus-size model Nancy Hayssen proves once again, in an industry dominated by anorexic and bulimic models, that you can be sexy at any size by taking part in this controversial ad campaign.


Nancy Hayssen


In the stir of the recent disturbing anti-anorexia billboard by No-Lita fashion company of anorexic French model, Isabelle Caro, with a weight of only 60 pounds, the question has been raised again during Fashion Week: are models too thin?

Isabelle Caro

The fashion industry’s continued move towards skinnier and skinnier models has come under fire from several sources, mainly because of the negative influence it has had over young women and the rise of anorexia and bulimia.

In the last 20 years, fashion models have gone from a size 8 to a size 0 for runway models. Within the same time period, the average American woman has gone from a size 10 to a size 14.

TV Shows like “The Insider” and “Entertainment Tonight” are now getting involved in reversing the skinny ideal along with spokespeople like Nancy Hayssen, a beautiful plus-size model, by speaking out to women everywhere to recognize beauty in women no matter what their size.

Calling her “Plus Size Perfect” and “Full Figured Fabulous” the media is taking a new look at how beauty is defined. With the constant message in the media that women can only be beautiful if they are skinny to the bone Nancy became determined to prove otherwise.

Coined as the “next Anna Nicole Smith”, Nancy proudly says, “I’ve always been happy and confident of my voluptuous body. I believe ‘sexiness’ and beauty is a state of mind.”


There are over 8 million people in this country who are anorexic, bulimic or have eating disorders. Most of them are young women. “The fashion industry and Hollywood have spread the myth that to be thin is in. The truth is—a woman can be beautiful at any shape or size. Hollywood is finally realizing this and spreading a new message: it’s okay to accept yourself just the way you are,” says Nancy Hayssen, author of “You Can Be Sexy at ANY Size!”

The average American woman is 5’4” and wears a size 14 which is considered “plus size." This also happens to be roughly the size Marilyn Monroe, considered one of the most beautiful women celebrities of our time would have been today.


Marilyn

“So many people write to me saying their husbands and boyfriends tell them they love them just the way they are but the women are the ones that feel down and beat themselves up feeling ‘not good enough’ – the media has been conditioning women for so long to make us feel there is something wrong with us if we are not super skinny.”

Nancy now speaks out letting the public know what the “real skinny” is. “Women need to embrace and love the bodies they are in. Yes, you are perfect. You are good enough. Love and accept yourself just the way you are.”

“In so many other cultures the feminine body is appreciated and adored. Only in the US has this distorted image of reality taken place through images seen in the media. Fortunately, this is all dramatically changing now.”




LINKS:
http://www.nancyhayssen.com/
http://pr-canada.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=33618&Itemid=65

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Tuesday, June 3, 2008

PRO ANA & PRO MIA: THE RED & BLUE BRACELETS...

Pro-Ana Red Beaded Bracelet


Pro-Mia Blue Beaded Bracelet


ANA is red
MIA is blue

They wear red bracelets. They wear blue bracelets. And some wear both.

These beaded bracelets are the accoutrements of those living the pro-ana/pro-mia lifestyle, an underground movement that promotes self-starvation and/or bingeing/purging. Ana is short for anorexia, and mia is short for bulimia.

The bracelets are worn so that those who are pro ana/mia are able to recognize one another, to show that they are proud anorexics and/or bulimics, and to offer encouragement to lose weight, aka "thinspiration."

Many anas wear the red beaded bracelets on their left wrists; some wear them on the wrist of the hand they use to eat with as a constant reminder to resist hunger.

Mias wear the blue beaded bracelet on their right wrists.

The ana bracelets are distinguished by their silver dragonfly clasps, as seen in the photo above, and many pro anas refer to themselves as "Dragonflies." Dragonflies consider anorexia a lifestyle choice, as well as a badge of honour.


The pro-ana/mia lifestyle has taken flight on the Internet and is now a worldwide phenomenon.

This disturbing quote is from a pro-ana/mia blog:


"IFOF is a term that means "identification friend or foe" most commonly used in the aircraft industry. It is a thing on an airplane that tells people reading the signal if they are a friend or foe. We now have a system of our own. I got this from another site: Have you ever wondered if the skinny girl you see has an ED (A or M)? And proud of it? You so desperately want to ask, or even try to make friends but are scared? Well, no more ... since we have our ribbon "Ana is a lifestyle..." and its red.

I propose that we all get a red beaded bracelet. You can make it or buy them. Wear it daily or when you go out to secretly say that you are proud to be pro-ana or proud to have an ED that is. Anytime you see someone wearing a red beaded bracelet, capture their eye contact and point to your bracelet, and if they return the same point to theirs ... then they are ED friendly. If not, then its just someone whom is wearing one.

As for those who are older and feel silly wearing a beaded bracelet, wear a red t-shirt every Monday or when you go out on Mondays.

Please pass this along to every proED clubs, forums, websites (secrets/public) for we need to be known widespread secretly amongst us. So, copy/paste everyone!!!"


[NOTE: I have not posted the link to this blog for obvious reasons]

The proliferation of pro-ana/mia websites worldwide is a scourge and, unfortunately, getting those sites shut down is akin to tilting at windmills.

What can you do?

If you see your child wearing one of these bracelets, express your concern in a calm and non-threatening way. Don’t be surprised if your child acts defensively and becomes very angry when confronted. Many often have trouble admitting, even to themselves, that they have a problem with disordered eating. Explain why you are concerned, and make an appointment with a medical professional for an objective assessment of your child’s condition.

It is imperative that you have your child assessed as soon as possible because the pro-ana/mia adherents tend to pursue this lifestyle to the fullest extent, evidencing an “all or nothing " approach. It becomes, for many, a religious experience.

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Monday, June 2, 2008

ANOREXIA & BULIMIA: THE HORROR OF GASTROPARESIS

Aimee Moore

Aimee Moore's mother has watched her child battle eating disorders for 15 years, a pattern of behaviour that had her daughter purge as often as 150 times a day and become a skeleton with skin


Aimee Moore

In a recent update on my blog post, ANOREXIA & BULIMIA: THE TRAGIC LIFE OF AIMEE MOORE, it was reported that Aimee is suffering from gastroparesis:

"Aimee Moore, the Stratford woman with an extreme eating disorder, is now seeking intravenous feeding to nourish her starving body.

Moore, who spent seven weeks in an Alabama treatment facility after being featured on the Dr. Phil show, has continued to battle anorexia and bulimia since her early departure from the facility April 10.

She recently began investigating options for intravenous feeding after learning from doctors that little else can be done to treat gastroparesis, a digestive disorder which causes her extreme pain when she eats normally.

Medication hasn't been effective.

"It took me a while to process everything they were trying to tell me, but they convinced me I need this," the 68-pound Moore said last week.

With gastroparesis, the stomach takes too long to empty its contents, because of damage to a nerve which controls the movement of food from the stomach through the digestive tract."

~~~~~~~~~~
Since that update, I received a comment from the grandmother who often leaves comments on my blog posts regarding her granddaughter's condition. Her granddaughter is suffering from anorexia nervosa, and has also been diagnosed as suffering from gastroparesis. Here is her comment:

"Anonymous said...

I am the Anonymous with the anorexic granddaughter. She, too, suffers from gastroparesis and is in constant pain from the tiniest spoonfuls of food. She spent 6 months or more on intravenous, then had a feeding tube installed. Now she's staying alive on a babyfood jar of pears in a week, a supernutrient solution ($1000 per week) introduced 3-4 times daily, and an unlimited supply of CANDY to keep her blood sugar from crashing and her going into a coma. But the N.D. seems to be helping, and she does want to live. Hopefully it isn't already too late.
May 26, 2008 5:52 PM"
~~~~~~~~~~

The following is a description of gastroparesis from the Mayo Clinic:


Gastroparesis

Stomach


Your stomach is a muscular sac located in the upper middle of your abdomen, just below your ribs. If you're an average adult, it's about the size of a small melon, but can stretch to hold nearly 1 gallon of food and liquid. Your stomach folds in on itself when it's empty and expands when you eat or drink.

The walls of your stomach are lined with three layers of powerful muscles that mix food with enzymes and acids produced by glands in your stomach's inner lining. Once the food is thoroughly pulverized — reduced to the consistency of porridge — strong muscular contractions (peristaltic waves) push it toward the pyloric valve, which leads to the upper portion of your small intestine (duodenum), where the real work of digestion takes place. The valve opens just enough to release a scant eighth of an ounce of food at a time.

It may take three to four hours for your stomach to empty after you eat, depending on your diet — foods high in fat can prolong the emptying time considerably. The slowness of the process ensures that food is thoroughly mixed with digestive juices for the best possible absorption.

Why the stomach stops working

Arguably the most important nerve in your body, the vagus nerve stretches from your brainstem to your colon. It helps orchestrate the complex microcircuits in your digestive tract, including signaling the smooth muscles in your stomach to contract in peristaltic waves — usually at the rate of about three contractions a minute. When these contractions slow or stop completely, food doesn't move out of your stomach into the duodenum as it should.

Damage to the vagus nerve is the leading cause of gastroparesis, although the disorder can also result from damage to the stomach muscles themselves. Factors that can damage nerves or muscles in your stomach include:

Diabetes

Affecting people with either type 1 diabetes or type 2 diabetes, this is one of the most common causes of gastroparesis. Over time, high blood glucose levels and their metabolic effects can damage the vagus nerve and disrupt its normal functioning. Once gastroparesis develops, diabetes often becomes worse because erratic stomach emptying and poor absorption make blood sugar levels harder to control.

Surgery

Operations involving your esophagus, stomach or upper part of your small intestine can injure the vagus nerve and lead to gastroparesis. Symptoms may develop immediately after the surgery or appear years later.

Medications

Many commonly prescribed drugs slow stomach emptying. Chief among these are narcotic pain medications, tricyclic antidepressants and calcium channel blockers. Antacids that contain aluminum hydroxide, some high blood pressure medications and the psychiatric drug lithium also can disrupt the normal functioning of the stomach. Symptoms usually improve once you stop taking the medication.

Cancer treatments

Nausea and vomiting are common side effects of chemotherapy because most anti-cancer drugs target fast-growing cells throughout your body, including healthy cells in your intestinal tract. The nausea and vomiting are usually temporary and improve when treatment ends.

But some people receiving high doses of chemotherapy drugs may develop intractable nausea and vomiting as a result of chemotherapy-induced gastroparesis. In that case, problems with the stomach being able to move food (motility problems) originate in the nausea center of the brainstem, just above the spinal cord. Radiation therapy to the chest and abdomen also can cause gastroparesis.

Other disorders

A number of other medical conditions can cause gastroparesis, including anorexia and bulimia, the connective tissue disease scleroderma, Parkinson's disease and other nervous system illnesses, and metabolic disorders such as hypothyroidism. For reasons that aren't clear, some otherwise healthy people develop gastroparesis after a bout of the flu or other viral illness.

By Mayo Clinic Staff

~~~~~~~~~~

My heart goes out to both Anonymous's granddaughter and Aimee Moore, and to all those suffering from gastroparesis. It is a horrific disorder.




LINKS:

http://news.therecord.com/article/329264
http://news.therecord.com/printArticle/336239
http://news.therecord.com/article/338098
http://news.therecord.com/News/Local/article/356100
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/gastroparesis/DS00612/DSECTION=3

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