Thin is Good, but Thinner is Better
Anorexia - one of the most common and unrecognised conditions among teenagers and young adults of the twenty first century. Victims starve themselves; afraid to eat anything for the sheer dread of becoming fat. Some exercise to extremes in a desperate effort to shed kilos. But why can't they simply go on a healthy diet when they reach their 'thin' status? Melissa Smith, once suffering from anorexia, explains that "What was thin for other people wasn't thin at all in my eyes. Many of my friends and family would tell me I'd lost a lot of weight and that I was looking too thin to be healthy, but to me I knew they were just trying to make me fat all over again."
Smith was an attractive, healthy 16-year-old girl scoring great grades - she was full of potential. Smith participated in many community service activities and was a member of several sport teams, including the Bankstown Soccer team, East Hills Netball team and East Hills Tennis team.
Elizabeth Martin & Melissa Clark at the ship's clu...
Melissa Gilbert
Melissa Anne SmithHowever, after contracting anorexia, her grades plummeted, she dropped out of her sports, and left behind her a community deprived of her honourable deeds, with all her attention, motivation and commitment focused on losing weight and toning her body shape. Not only did all this change due to her obsessive and compulsive behaviour, but her upbeat, jovial and outgoing persona radically transformed to one of isolation and a withdrawn disposition.
You've seen all the pictures of famous stars in their size 6 outfits, with their perfect curves and bellies to die for. Well most of them have also been through a stage of anorexia or bulimia, but the public never realises the extent of the problem. Melissa's dream - to look like a television...