America the Beautiful revisited

Since my last post talked about a new documentary being filmed on eating disorders and self mutilation, I thought I'd briefly mention again America the Beautiful. I wrote about this film back in April here.

The film has already been shown in Chicago with good response as well as the Minneapolis "Emily Program," a comprehensive treatment program for eating disorders. It will be making its premiere in New York on August 1, 2008. Then it will be heading to the west coast at the end of the month. After that, it's premiering in a number of other large cities around the country. To find out more locations, look at their website America the Beautiful documentary.

In May, Roger Ebert reviewed the film, saying that the film "carries a persuasive message." Another article in the New York Sun also talks more in detail about the film as well as interviewing the director.

**********

I'm finding it highly interesting that within the last few years there seems to have been an increased number of films out about body image, eating disorders, and the beauty industry. I think it's very telling of the state of society in general. Even with all the studies out on these topics and the efforts made for awareness, I think there is still the question of WHY. Logically, the answers are there with contributing factors of nature and nurture. However, the reasons still seem to plague people. Beyond that, researching, observing, and evaluating effective treatments is still a pressing issue that warrants more attention.