Too fat to die.

An eye-opening thing happened to me couple of days ago. I discussed with a girl who used to model in a hardcore way. The stories she told about her work were worse than I could have ever imagined.

Our culture is getting more and more self-aware and outlook-orientated every day. The idealization of beauty affects our behaviour and life choises. And let's face it, whether we want it or not, the matter of (ideal)beauty concerns mostly females on a regular basis.

"When I was modelling, I couldn't drink red wine because of the calories" the girl told me as we were sipping our bloody yet delicious glasses.

Still not convinced? Well let's try it another way. How many modern woman can say with a straight face they have never been concerned about looks?

No wonder. Even a normal day is filled with images and messages that tell how women should be and act. In the supermarket all the products are labelled with calorie-tags. Bus stops, streets and shopping malls inform about new diets, sports, clothes, beauty products and so forth. With our friends we compare our asses, thighs and bellies. There is always someone who is prettier, thinner or has bigger boobs than you - or eats healthier and makes you feel bad about the pizza you just finished for lunch.

Yes, it has been said that when you get older, you realize how unimportant these things are. But what if a young girl, who grows up in this kind of world, has so distrubed self-image that she doesn't reach adulthood?

"I've been on a diet since I was 15 knowing that I was the fattest of all the other models" the ex-model told me. And just to inform, I am talking about a girl who was adviced to loose weight when the scale said 45 kilos. She stopped modelling when a longer job in Asia literally took all of her. "I came back home and collapsed. My mom took me to the hospital. At that time I weighed 41 kilos."

A friend of hers was not as fortunate - she modelled herself to death. And sadly, there are thousands of stories like this.

What is wrong with this picture?

Who has the right to say, that when you are completely anorexic, you are not thin enough for these or those clothes?

Who has the right to decide that an eight year old child has wrinkles, and thus needs botox? (Yes, im serious, check this out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1EOgkA3p9zI&feature=relmfu ).

Who has the right to make growing kids focus on looking like adults instead of being the children they are?

Who has the right to influence on millions of young girls in a way that their view on food and their bodies is wrecked for the rest of their lives?