Is A Body Beautiful Worth This?

It is no secret that more and more young, and not so young, folks these days are becoming increasingly obsessed with their bodies and looking good. Jokes about aging divas going overboard with botox and face lifts are the stuff of soap operas. It stops being funny, however, when young girls – who are not old enough to make a reasoned judgment – are willing to go to extremes for that must-have figure. The following is a cautionary true story that should make parents speak up and take notice.

17-year old Thill, from Orlando, was pretty but, well, a bit on the plump side. Taunts from her high school mates only added to her embarrassment and discomfiture. She was willing to do anything to become slim. She had tried throwing up to lose weight, but it wasn’t working. In fact, she had put on almost 20 pounds in the past few months. Her depression increased exponentially with her weight gain.

Then one day at a camp for diabetic teens, she heard counselors scold two girls for practicing "diabulimia" - not taking their insulin so they could lose weight - one of the consequences of uncontrolled diabetes. "Do you not realize you could die if you skip your insulin?" the counselor scolded.

But Thill, who has Type 1, or juvenile diabetes, focused on the one aspect that seemed to be a solution to her weight problem: skipping insulin equals weight loss. For the next 17 years, diabulimia was her compulsion. This was 17 years ago. "I took just enough insulin to function," said Thill, who is now 34.

Today, she is mature enough to lament the truth that her desire to look good – to fit in with the popular girls – came at a terrible cost. At age 25, a blood vessel hemorrhage in her eye required surgery. At 28, doctors told her she had damaged kidneys.

"I'm fearful for the future," Thill says now. "I feel very strongly that, had I taken care of myself, I could have lived as long as anyone without diabetes. I don't think that's going to happen now."

The truly frightening part of this story is that Thill’s is not an isolated case. Diabulimia is being increasingly practiced by teenage girls and young women - and it may be growing more common. As advertisers – and even colleagues at the workplace – place increasing emphasis on physical appearance, the pressure to conform can become almost unbearable. Those tempted to take extreme measures need to ask themselves: is the body beautiful worth this?