The Controversial Truth...It hurts.

UNSCRIPTED: Battling An Eating Disorder In Hollywood

It seems like the pressure of Hollywood has had an effect on the women some idolize--celebrities. Nicole Richie and Lindsay Lohan, are toning down right before our eyes. They are the young women who are being looked up to by girls everywhere and for them to not eat and not address the fact of their sudden loss of weight sets a bad example. Stars like, Victoria Beckham, Paula Abdul, and Tracey Gold, have also battled what seems like Hollywood's newest trend, an eating disorder.

Tracy Gold was in the limelight as a star in the 1980's. It seems like her life was moving in the right direction. But inside of this child star she was suffering in silence, battling her demons and going through her own "growing pains."

Victoria Beckham after years of denying it, finally admitted to having an eating disorder. She was obsessed with her apperance. But Victoria, of course, was not the only one trying to keep up appearances. Carre Otis a top fashion model, was on an insane diet for 17 years. Her diet at times resulted to starvation. She would fast, take laxatives, diet pills, drugs, all to control her weight.

In Hollywood, women must stay a certain figure. As there are no roles for women with a "heavy" figure. Competition is fierce in Hollywood and women must look the part for feature roles.

"As an actress, I need to get toned and look the part," said Jennifer an actress who once battled an eating disorder. "An eating disorder isn't just about weight. It's about having control in your life. I think more so today that there are underline issues," she added.

"It [Eating disorder] is not a disease. We just can't take a pill. The cure is to recognize it and get help from a professional." Jennifer was going through puberty when she began to gain weigh, she had concerns of her image "I would go in cycles," she said. "I would be fine and then bad. It is something I would relapse and have an episode."   As Jennifer grew older she knew it was something that she would have to fix. She wasn't treated for her bulimia. But instead she stopped herself from the eating disorder.

A reported 11 million people have eating disorders. That's 11 million people in the United States alone. 80% of American women are unhappy about their appearance. Bulimia is when someone binge-eats, followed by episodes of purging or ridding their body of food. Bulimia begins between the ages of 12-21. It is more common amongst women. Having bulimia can lead to dehydration and loss of minerals. Losing these minerals can cause heart damage. Signs of bulimia can be anything from someone overriding concerns of food, frequent trips to bathrooms after meals, overuse of laxatives.

Anorexia is a more common eating disorder in Hollywood. Anorexia occurs when someone starves themselves. Being anorexic is a psychological issue. No matter how thin the anorexic could be, he or she will continue to believe that they are too thin. Researchers believe anorexia stems from painful experiences in childhood. In the case of Hollywood it is the pressure of having to look perfect.

Having an eating disorder in Hollywood is nonetheless about trying to look beautiful. There's no doubt that this new trend will continue to hit not only Hollywood, but the World in general. It seems like eating disorders are nota only a troubled issue, but has grown to be an epidemic.