Important facts: Why We Need TBIO
Thanks, Sheri, for pointing us to that Turn Beauty Inside Out campaign. Here are some "shocking facts" I got off their site.
-- Eighty percent of 10-year-old American girls diet.
-- Girls are disproportionately affected by eating disorders and cultural demands for thinness.
-- More than five million Americans suffer from eating disorders.
·-- Ninety percent of those afflicted with eating disorders are adolescent and young adult women.
-- Fifteen percent of young girls have substantially disordered eating attitudes.
-- Between elementary and high school, the percentage of girls in the U.S. who are "happy with the way I am" drops from 60% to 29%.
-- The number one magic wish for young girls age 11-17 is to be thinner.
-- Millions of young girls, influenced by a culture that equates success and happiness with thinness, begin dieting to be accepted. (all the above statistics from The Body Image Project at www.justthink.org)
-- Between 1996 and 1998, teenage cosmetic surgeries nearly doubled from 13,699 to 24,623, according to the American Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons. www.newswecanuse.com
-- Thirty-nine percent of women in film are portrayed as “thin” or “very thin.” www.childrennow.org
-- At least 58% of women in the movies make or receive comments about their appearance. www.childrennow.org
-- In movies, 31% of women are shown primping, grooming, or otherwise fixated on their appearance, where only 7% of men are shown doing this. www.childrennow.org
-- Girls and women are underrepresented in movies. Only 37% of all movie roles are for girls or women. www.childrennow.org

I believe that we BlogSisters can serve as role models for girls of all ages who need support in going against the flow of the images of what females "should" be presented by commercial world. I would like to suggest that BlogSisters join the campaign in some way. Maybe on May 15 we each can post about TBIO and link to the site. And also put some kind of major announcement on this site. Any other suggestions? (I don't know how to import graphics into here, but maybe one of our more talented sisters could design something we can feature on May 15? Just a suggestion. What do you all think?)