Someone, please help these girls

Also in last week's Sunday Times, two scary articles: 'Too Thin Teens' and 'Hey! Big Spender'.

Too Thin Teens

Not surprisingly, the number of teens with anorexia nervosa has risen. Boys were not mentioned much in the article but I understand that there are now also more boys with this condition.

Peer pressure seems to be really overwhelming these days. One of the girls talked about how everyone else was so thin and how thin girls were popular. In fact, the classmates competed to see who would be the thinnest of all. Doctors are also concerned because more girls see having anorexia as 'hip'. How and when did life in a girls' school become this way?

Even while in hospital for treatment, the girls resist recovery, outdoing one another in not putting any weight back on, hiding or getting rid of the food they are supposed to eat, exercising secretly in the toilet, etc.

Hey! Big Spender

According to this article, teenage girls are spending 'hundreds of dollars' every month on expensive make-up, and facial and beauty treatment.

Some examples:

eA salon has girls as young as 14 years signing up for $300 packages

eOne 18-year-old spends more than $300 on clothes from labels such as Chanel and Lanvin

eOne 18-year-old spends more time washing her face (using 5 different cleansers) than bathing. Said she, 'I'm late for school every day, but I can't help it. I cannot sacrifice my beauty regimen just because I'm late for school, you know?'

eTeens are buying expensive facial and beauty products such as those from dermatologists' clinics and high-end brands like Christian Dior. One girl got her mum to get her $1,200 worth of 'branded' make-up. Well, Christian Dior make-up has such lovely packaging (see below) but the prices are so prohibitive...

My, how values have changed. It's no crime, of course, to want to look pretty and slim - who doesn't want to? - but do they need to go to such lengths?

Anyway, I have a question. How is it possible for a girl's not eating adequately and losing too much weight to escape the notice of the adults around her? It's scarily like how girls can go through pregnancy without anyone noticing anything unusual.

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