News: Vogue ed blames eating disorders on 'pro-ana' sites

Vogue editor blames eating disorders on websites, not mags

The editor of Italy’s own Vogue Franca Sozzani says eating disorders are complex and the causes are myriad, but she placed most of the blame at the hands of ‘pro-ana’ websites that use extremely thin models as ‘thinspiration’ for their look. Critics were quick to leap, however, saying Sozzani ignored her own magazine and industry’s role in unhealthy eating habits. Sozzani said:

“One of the most disturbing aspects of the spread and globalisation of Eating Disorders is the employment of the web to convey cultural models that emphasize thinness though websites that promote pathological behaviors aiming at weight control and offer extreme dieting advice. Pro-ana websites, where ana stands for anorexia, are one of the most effective channels to promote the disease especially with adolescents who employ such instrument daily and with extreme skill.”

Just last year Vogue Italy removed a photo of one of its models from its website (it was too late for the print edition) because it had been used by the same pro-ana sites as ‘inspiration’.

Sozzani didn’t completely absolve the fashion industry – instead asking why thin was suddenly beautiful – and acknowledged many people would try and blame her when she started a petition to close down pro-ana sites last year.

“And this is where fashion comes into play, alongside models, fashion magazines and everything regarding aesthetics. What lead us to establish that thin is beautiful and that thinness is the aesthetic code we should follow? Why the age of supermodels, who were beautiful and womanly, slowly started decreasing and we now have still undeveloped adolescents with no sign of curves? Why is this considered beautiful? Marylin Monroe, Liz Taylor and Sophia Loren today would appear in our Curvy channel and be defined shapely,” she said.

Why indeed.

Australian Medical Association comes out against sexed up kids in media

It seems hard to believe but the AMA has never had a public position on the sexualisation of kids in media – advertising, magazines, television and so forth – but it has been working on one. Yesterday its President Dr Steve Hambleton told it as he saw it. As Fairfax reported:

Dr Hambleton said there had been renewed debate in the media and the community recently, sparked by ads that featured young children with images and messages that were ”disturbing and sexually exploitative”. ”Social media is spreading these images further and we’re seeing various health problems with kids, things like eating disorders, low self-esteem and depression.

“People are horrified. It’s time for government to just recognise that there are health impacts. And it’s more dangerous for girls and young women, and we should put a stop to it.”

Here’s Mia Freedman discussing that issue (and others) on the Today Show this morning:

And here are some of the images Dr Hambleton is talking about, you might recognise them:

Airline bans kids in economy class. Mostly.

Screaming infants getting you down? Don’t worry. If you fly Malaysia Airlines you can hopefully avoid them altogether if you nab a spot on the upper deck economy class of its new A380 jumbos. Children under the age of 12 will be kept out of that section, following a move by the same airline to ban children in first class after complaints were received last year.

Is this the future of travel?

– Speaking of flying with kids, here’s how you survive long-haul flights with the little beggars.

The Facebook body image problem

So, a survey has found something you may have already known: Facebook is terrible for our collective body image. Tagging of photos has made users hyper-aware of their own body and how it looks and has made them more paranoid about perceived flaws than ever before. And it’s also led to an increase in being ‘camera-ready’ – that state you’re in when you expect to be photographed and want to look your best.

The Centre for Eating Disorders at Sheppard Pratt, which conducted the study, said users should subscribe to body positive Facebook pages to interrupt the negativity on their news feed when friends complain about their body parts. Hmm.

New Queensland Premier axes literary awards

Not yet a fortnight into his new post as Premier of Queensland (after resoundingly trouncing Labor’s Anna Bligh) Campbell Newman has axed the Premier’s Literary Awards which acknowledge skilled writers and cost some quarter of a million dollars to administer. It’s the National Year of Reading. Mr Newman says it’s a necessary part of cost cutting, critics say it’s a trip ‘back to the future’ for Queensland as the government makes its mark. Queensland is now the only state without a version of the literary awards. What say you?

– Did you know 1 in 5 Indigenous kids can’t read?

80-year-old woman lands plane after husband faints, dies

The elderly couple were flying over Wisconsin when the pilot fainted, leaving the woman alone at the controls with no idea how to land. Authorities sent another plane up to take a look at the Cessna and establish an approximate air speed before relaying instructions to the woman. Then one tank ran out of fuel. Despite all this she managed to land the plane safely, but her husband later died in hospital.

Fair Work Australia defers dodgy union payments to prosecutors

Fair Work Australia has deferred its entire 1100 page confidential report, which looked into suspicious credit card transactions involving Labor MP Craig Thomson and other Health Services Union (HSU) officials, to the Department of Public Prosecutions. It will decide whether criminal charges should be laid. Mr Thomson is the former National Secretary of the HSU and it is alleged he used union credit cards to pay for prostitutes and make ‘extra’ cash withdrawals.

The report identified 181 breaches of the Workplace Relations Act, 105 of which related to civil breaches which would not draw criminal penalties. But the DPP will decide if other criminal charges should be brought.

“I maintain my innocence and will continue to do so,” Mr Thomson said in a statement.

“I will also continue to fully cooperate with any further investigations relating to this matter.”