BBC America's "Body Image" Documentaries

There isn't a single woman alive who doesn't fret about how she looks. Society pressures us to fixate on our body image in unhealthy ways. Yet it's a topic not openly discussed except among close friends.

That's why I'm so glad to see BBC America confront this issue in December. They're airing five separate hour-long documentaries Sunday evenings through the month of December 2007, starting this weekend (see below).

Subjects include celebrity-inspired extreme dieting, teenage obesity and gastric bypass surgery, breast enlargement, breast reduction, and teen transsexuality. Viewers will appreciate the range in ages and stages of women profiled.

The first one, scheduled for this Sunday evening at 10pm EST/PST, is something every woman should watch. Sit down with your daughters, your friends, or by yourself and see the true story behind the uber-skinny female celebrities the tabloids and magazines thrust in our faces.

In the hour-long film, journalists Kate and Louise go on a crash diet to replicate what celebrities do to trim down to size 0. Five dress sizes in five weeks.

These women are of normal weight and look fine (don't they?), but by the end of the 'experiment' they both develop disturbing and serious issues with food and with their self-esteem.

Next week you'll meet Bethany, a sweet and earnest 19-year-old who is Britain's largest teenager at close to 500 pounds. All she wants is a normal life, and gastric surgery may offer that. But as we learn it's no magic bullet.

Each episode of the Body Image series speaks to the fears and obsessions we all have with how we appear to the world and to ourselves.

I watched the first two episodes with my teenage daughters and used both as a starting point for discussions on self-image and body image. The programs clearly impacted their thinking, and are one way we can counteract the false images of women that are promoted as ideal.

Programs like this don't come along often enough. This is one not to be missed.

Photo courtesy of BBC America

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