September 28, 2009
A Move to Curb Digitally Altered Photos in Ads
By ERIC PFANNER
Concerned that girls and women feel excessive pressure to live up to the digitally Botoxed and liposuctioned images of human perfection they see in glossy magazines, lawmakers in Britain and France are trying to push advertisers to get real.
Under their proposals, ads containing altered photos of models would be required to carry disclaimers.
“When teenagers and women look at these pictures in magazines, they end up feeling unhappy with themselves,” said Jo Swinson, a British member of Parliament from the Liberal Democratic Party.
The Liberal Democrats, the third-largest party in Britain, after Labor and the Conservatives, adopted Ms. Swinson’s proposal for a labeling system this month as part of their official platform. The party wants to ban altered photos entirely in ads aimed at children under 16.
In France last week, Valerie Boyer, a lawmaker from President Nicolas Sarkozy’s party, introduced a similar bill in the National Assembly, the lower house of Parliament.
She argued that altered images were undermining young women’s ability to control their own destinies. “These photos can lead people to believe in realities that, very often, do not exist,” she said.
In France, where the advertising posters in pharmacy windows can border on the obscene, there is growing concern about eating disorders, and many young women are obsessive in their pursuit of thinness. Ms. Boyer previously championed a bill to ban Web sites that seemed to encourage anorexia and bulimia. But that proposal has languished after being approved by the National Assembly last year.
In her quest to rid the media of misleading images, Ms. Boyer wants to go even further than the Liberal Democrats in Britain. Her bill would require warning labels on retouched photos published for editorial purposes as well as those in print ads. Violators could face fines of 37,500 euros, or almost $55,000, or up to 50 percent of the cost of an advertisement.
While altering photos is considered ethically dubious in many newsrooms, that has not stopped some prominent occurrences in the French media. In 2007, for example, the politically well-connected Paris Match magazine published a picture of Mr. Sarkozy, canoeing while on vacation in New Hampshire, in which the shirtless president’s bulging waist was digitally massaged out of existence. A rival magazine revealed the deception, publishing before and after shots.
Not every instance of retouching is that blatant. But small enhancements — a bit of color correction or textural smoothing, for example — are widespread even in news photos, said Derek Hudson, a Paris-based photographer, though he added that he would “make a stink” if an editor ever did it with one of his pictures.
In glossy magazines, of course, retouching is de rigueur.
“I have never yet seen, and you probably never will see, a fashion or beauty picture that hasn’t been retouched,” Mr. Hudson said.
In Britain, tabloid outrage over the use of unhealthily thin models in fashion shows and magazine spreads has been driven by examples of photos that had been altered to streamline models or celebrities. One example is a 2003 cover of GQ magazine in Britain on which the actress Kate Winslet appears several sizes smaller than her actual self.
But some magazine editors say they are overcompensating in the other direction, because consumers no longer want to see stick-thin figures.
“I spent the first 10 years of my career making girls look thinner,” Robin Derrick, creative director of British Vogue, told The Times of London recently. “I’ve spent the last 10 making them look larger.”
On retouching, even Ms. Swinson acknowledged that “a little bit is necessary to make a good photo.” Under her proposal, all advertising photos would be rated, perhaps on a scale from 1 to 4, depending on the degree of retouching. A 1 might involve only altered lighting, for example, while a 4 might warn of digital cosmetic surgery, she said. And the label would have to include an explanation of the changes.
“If people knew they had to describe what they had altered, it might make them less likely to do it,” Ms. Swinson said.
Unlike Ms. Boyer, Ms. Swinson said she thought such a system could be imposed without legislation. She said she hoped to work through the Advertising Standards Authority, which monitors the content of ads in Britain, to encourage advertisers to adopt it.
The Liberal Democrats have been trying to put pressure on the standards authority, which is financed by advertisers, with a Web site urging consumers to complain about examples of strikingly altered ads.
It has highlighted a campaign this summer for Olay cosmetics, in which the model Twiggy appears to have been given a younger woman’s skin, and an ad for Chanel Coco Mademoiselle perfume in which the actress Keira Knightley sports an apparently enlarged bosom. Ms. Knightley has joked about such enhancements in ads for a movie in which she starred, “King Arthur.”
Matt Wilson, a spokesman for the Advertising Standards Authority, said that out of 26,000 complaints from the British public last year, five involved airbrushing. He said the agency already had sufficient tools to deal with misleading ads of all kinds, not just those that involve retouching.
“The use of airbrushing and other postproduction techniques in all media is a widespread and standard practice,” he said. “We consider each ad on its own merit and on a case-by-case basis.”
Mr. Wilson said he could not remember any instances in which an ad featuring a manipulated photo had been sanctioned in Britain. But he said that the standards authority once reprimanded L’Oréal for misleading consumers in television ads featuring the actress Penelope Cruz, in which she promoted a product called Telescopic Mascara; while claiming that the mascara could give users “up to 60 percent longer lashes,” the ads failed to disclose that Ms. Cruz was wearing fake ones.
With deception lurking in so many places, Mr. Hudson, the photographer, said he did not think curbs on alterations would have the desired effect.
News
03.29.10
02.25.10
6 February 2010
February 25 at 6:00 pm
The last week in February is traditionally
known as “National Eating Disorders Awareness Week.” As Sustainer Jenny
Johnston has discovered in her educational program visits to area
schools, the term “eating disorders” is becoming taboo. The intended
message is about healthy body image and positive self esteem. This year
we will be celebrating these two messages at the event on
February
25.
At this new event a clip of the award-winning film, America
the Beautiful, will be featured. This is an eye-opening movie with a
riveting storyline. The theme of the movie is “Does America have an
unhealthy obsession with beauty?” Filmmaker Darryl Roberts goes on a
two-year journey to examine America’s new obsession; physical
perfection. In America the Beautiful, we learn secrets, confessions, and
strikingly harsh realities as Roberts unearths the origins and deadly
risks of our nation’s quest for physical perfection.
The event
will be held at the MCR Foundation of February 25 at 6 p.m. with
cocktails
and hors d’oeuvres. There will be a shortened version of the film
shown.
Reservations may be made online, by phone or mail. The cost is $40
per
person or $75 per couple.
Mary Cameron Robinson Foundation
1400
McCallie Avenue, Suite 210
Chattanooga, TN 37404
423.622.2666
www.mcrfoundation.com
02.25.10
"Love Your Body," a Celebration of Healthy Body Image and Positive Self Esteem
Who:
Honorary Chair, Kim Wamp, and the Mary Cameron Robinson Foundation honor National Eating Disorder Awareness Week (Feb. 22-26)
What:
Social with cocktails and hors d'oeuvres and a viewing of America the Beautiful (condensed version)
Where:
Loose Cannon Gallery, 1800 Rossville Ave, Chattanooga, TN 37408 (Valet parking)
When:
Thursday, February 25, 2010 at 6 pm
To make reservations:
Click this link which will take you to the "Contribute" section which will prompt you
to pay via PayPal. The price is $40 per individual or $75 per couple.
AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL - The Movie
"The United States of America is known for being one of the wealthiest nations on the planet with the most opportunities for its citizens. In 2004 alone, Americans spent $12.4 billion (yes, billion!) on cosmetic surgery. With such an abundance of wealth, why are Americans so discontent?
Filmmaker Darryl Roberts goes on a two year journey to examine America’s new obsession; physical perfection. In America the Beautiful, we learn secrets, confessions, and strikingly harsh realities as Roberts unearths the origins and deadly risks of our nation’s quest for physical perfection.
At the heart of “America the Beautiful” is the story of Gerren Taylor, a teenager who went from being an innocent 12 year old girl to being one of America’s next top supermodels. As she and her mother head down the windy road to stardom, viewers watch the dichotomy between Gerren’s adolescent struggles and her adult “rights of passage” on the catwalks of Marc Jacobs, DKNY, Tommy Hilfiger and other top designers. Her tumultuous quest acts as a mirror to the American psyche, and it becomes apparent how the same beauty that could jump-start her career could ultimately destroy her young life.
Follow Darryl as he asks Paris Hilton, Jessica Simpson, Aisha Tyler, Anthony Kedis, Tisha Campbell, Julianne Moore, Michael Beach, Mena Suvari, Martin Short, as well as Ted Casablanca from the E! Channel and Susan Schulz, the Editor-in-Chief of CosmoGirl!, along with various other celebrities and experts in cosmetics, fashion, media, and self-esteem the major question at hand…
Does America have an unhealthy obsession with beauty?" (www.americathebeautifuldoc.com)
Reviews:
"POWERFUL MESSAGE"
- Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
"ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT DOCUMENTARY FILMS OF THIS DECADE"
- Samantha Urban, The SMU Daily Campus
"AN IMPORTANT MESSAGE FOR NOT JUST WOMEN, BUT FOR EVERYONE"
- Bill Zwecker, CBS 2 Chicago
Sponsors:
To make reservations:
Click this link which will take you to the "Contribute" section which will prompt you to pay via PayPal. The price is $40 per individual or $75 per couple.
Valet parking will be available!
02.02.10
Kim Wamp Chairs Healthy Body Image Event
posted February 2, 2010
Honorary Chair Kim Wamp and The Mary Cameron Robinson Foundation will host “Love Your Body,” A Celebration of Positive Body Image and Healthy Self-Esteem at the Loose Cannon Gallery on Feb. 25 at 6 p.m.
Feb. 22–26 is National Eating Disorders Awareness Week and this is the MCR’s way of honoring this week and sticking with their mission “to provide resources for people who are affected by eating disorders in the Greater Chattanooga Tri-State area.”
Ms. Wamp is the wife of Congressman Zach Wamp and is a strong advocate for women's issues most importantly taking care of their body in a healthy way.
There will be a social hour with cocktails and hors d’oeuvres followed by a condensed showing of America the Beautiful with WRCB Channel 3’s Julie Edwards as the Master of Ceremonies.
The film “focuses on America's obsession with physical beauty and the psychological fallout.
“Love Your Body,” A Celebration of Healthy Body Image and Positive Self Esteem to include a showing of America the Beautiful - A must see film, cocktails and hors d’oeuvres will be served.
Space is limited. Reservations may be purchased at MCR online for $40 per person or $75 per couple. For more information visit www.mcrfoundation.com
12.28.09
Model fired by Ralph Lauren : "Too Large for Clothes"
12.05.09
Ralph Lauren Boycott featured on CNN 12/6 at 4 pm EST.
RALPH LAUREN BOYCOTT - UPDATE!
Whew! This has been a difficult week dealing with the boycott, but I think we're all making some headway.
This is where we are now - The Ralph Lauren Company didn't respond to my open letter (even though most of the high ranking executives at the company read it), so I called for a national boycott on behalf of all of the hundreds of thousands of women that were offended by his recent photoshopped ads. (See below).
I contacted CNN and told them that I was organizing a boycott of Ralph Lauren products on behalf of every woman in America that felt his ads were egregious and harmful to women and especially young girls.
CNN contacted The Ralph Lauren Company to get their side of the story and what do you know, they returned CNN's phone call. I can't wait for you to hear the statement that they gave!
Not surprisingly, an executive at The Ralph Lauren Company has been spending the last 2 days trying to keep me off of CNN. It would have worked, but the grass roots campaign that all of you have mounted by spreading my letter around was way too awesome. (I'll explain exactly what happened in my newsletter early next week).
So tomorrow tune into CNN at 4pm Eastern Time:
4pm Eastern which is 3pm Central, 2pm Mountain and 1pm Pacific time.
Someone told me that Ralph Lauren is personally thinking about coming on to debate the issue with me. I will give him a lot of credit if he does it.
I want all of you to tune in tomorrow because this entire boycott is for you. Tomorrow will let every woman and young girl that signed the boycott letter know that you do have a voice. And tomorrow your voice will be heard.
I'd like to thank ANAD, IAEDP, the YWCA of America, Monte Nido, the thousands of health professionals, the universities and the tens of thousands of you that support me. Together we will make a difference.
Barring any last minute strategies by the RL Company, see you tomorrow on CNN.
Forever with you,
Darryl Roberts
12.05.09
Boycott Ralph
By admin on Dec 4, 2009 in Featured
If you agree in principal with this letter and would like to be put on a list to receive ongoing updates with my/our Ralph Lauren boycott – Click here and leave your email address (please forward this email to everyone you know and ask them to sign up as well):
Boycott Ralph
if the above link doesn’t work, you can sign up at: boycottralph@americathebeautifuldoc.com
- RALPH LAUREN BOYCOTT – Join Us!
cc: The Executives of the Ralph Lauren Company
Ralph Lauren – CEO
Scott Myers – Marketing Director
Michael Morelli – VP of Advertising
David Lauren – SVP of Advertising
Laura Johnson- Public Relations Manager
Trecia Laird- Senior Marketing Manager
Hello Mr. Lauren,
Let me preface this entire letter by saying that I’m truly sorry that we have to meet under these terms and conditions. I would rather have met you at the Four Seasons Hotel and had a juice and pretzels with you, because I’m sure you’re a really interesting guy. And I assure you, I’m a really nice guy as well.
Fortunately for me, I’ve had the pleasure of meeting tens of thousands of young girls while promoting my documentary “America the Beautiful.” To look in the eyes of over 100,000 college women and hear their pain (body image, self-esteem) has been an experience that I will never forget. I’ve also heard from over 80,000 parents that are in pain because they have to hear from their sons and daughters in pain. It does truly become a generational cycle.
I’m sure that you’re fully aware that a lot of the American population feels that the unhealthy ads in magazines are damaging to women. The damage comes in various forms; body image problems, low self-esteem and for some of the women, they get a full blown eating disorder like your niece Jenny.
I had a professional in the eating disorders world tell me last night that images like yours don’t cause eating disorders in every girl that sees it – What happens is girls that end up with an eating disorder had a 50-80% predisposition for getting an eating disorder in the first place and the negative magazine fashion ads and other factors are the gun that pulls the trigger. For the millions of other girls that don’t get an eating disorder, they’re left feeling fat, ugly and worthless.
Ralph, there is no turning back for me. When I met these women traveling from city to city and country to country, I looked them in the eye and promised them that I would do whatever I could to make the world a better place for them.
In my last letter to you, I mentioned that I would never buy anything with the RL (Ralph Lauren) label on it. Well, over 100,000 people emailed me and said they were joining me. They said they wouldn’t buy anything with the RL label on it as well until you promised to stop the very harmful kind of marketing and advertising for which you’ve been accused. Some of their emails are below.
In case you’re wondering “what harmful marketing and advertising?” – I have exhibits A, B and C of your advertising below.
Most of the emails that I’ve received are from adults. They’re fed up with it Ralph.
Believe it or not, they get hurt as much as the young girls that read the magazines and look at the ads. “How? You wonder.” When a young girl reads these ridiculous fashion magazines and gets triggered into a full blown eating disorder, who do you think gets left holding the bag for the $30,000 a month treatment? I’ve met parents that have had their entire savings wiped out and some have taken out second mortgages on their homes to pay for the treatment of their young daughters. Trust me Mr. Lauren, they’re sick of it.
To be clear, this isn’t just an issue of eating disorders. In my film, “America the Beautiful,” I interviewed a 7 year old girl and a 12 year old girl, both of whom insisted that they were ugly. They couldn’t tell me specifically why they were ugly. They could only reference celebrities and ads of models as references of how they’re supposed to look. And you know what was funny about the whole thing, neither one of them were ugly. They were quite attractive girls actually. Their self-esteems have been assaulted by —- I’m sure you get the picture by now.
Mr. Lauren, women live in a very toxic culture. Men as well now that I think about it.
For the record, I’m letting you know that exactly 112,489 of us will no longer buy anything that you’re associated with until you give us a committment that you will no longer use droconian advertising like the ads below. We don’t want any money from you, nor do we want any free clothes. We just want young girls that read fashion magazines to be safe.
Also for the record, ANAD, the largest eating disorders awareness organization in the US is supporting me with my boycott. You can read about them at www.anad.org
I’ll be in Washington, DC tomorrow meeting with the CEO of the YWCA to get them to support me with my boycott as well.
There are YWCA locations in 122 countries around the world, 300 locations in the US working in 9 regions – 25 million women strong. You can read about them at www.ywca.org
I’m going to talk to the press, arrange demonstrations, basically anything I can do to help women that suffer from these ludicrous ads.
I plan on having over 1 million people that agree with my position to not purchase any RL products as well until you agree to advertise to women in a way that respects and values them.
For clarity sake, this boycott isn’t just about your company. It’s about the entire fashion / beauty industry that advertises in a way that’s harmful for women. We’re hoping they will see that people are fed up and change their advertising practices as well. We picked you because you went waaaaay over the top with the 3 ads below.
If and when you send a formal announcement agreeing to stop with your draconian advertising, the boycott will be over and I’m sure some parents will forgive you and start buying your bedding products again.
Remember we’re doing this for the safety of young girls Mr. Lauren, including your niece Jenny.
So, what’s it going to be Ralph? It’s your conscience. Your decision. We await your answer. Until then, I’m off to do my Christmas shopping with your competitors.
Respectfully yours,
Darryl Roberts
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AWESOME!!!! Can I sign or should I copy and send to?
Let me know!
XXXXXXXXX
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Darryl,
Thank you for sending me this letter to Ralph Lauren. I know what I can do which is boycott his products from bedding to clothes to fragrance. It sickens me that I have 2 sets of Ralph Lauren bedding in my home right now.
For the sake of my daughter a recovering from anorexia/bulimia I will never purchase anything by RL again and will tell my friends so. We can make a difference by getting the word out there. I will forward this to women I know. I have
given your DVD to a friend of mine who is a highschool counselor. She is anxious to watch it and I am sure will do something positive with this information.
Thank you again for your tireless work in this arena, trying to save our children.
XXXXXXX
————————–———————————–
D,
Great letter. Great public stance on what is a horrible ad campaign and a horrible message to send to young women. You will eventually affect change by taking these kinds of stands. Nice work.
XXXXXXXX
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Thank you Darryl! Writing these types of letters is very empowering and I encourage the women in my support group to do this. I know I do!
I will NOT buy any Ralph Lauren products and I will encourage others to bypass his products. I will also forward this to all of the women in my group and I’m sure that they, too, will boycott.
We have already begun boycotting Panera Bread because they are posting calories and fat counts on their overhead menus. Several of us wrote letters to them. Their response didn’t matter as much as the empowerment of the exercise of making ourselves heard.
Have you considered taking this Ralph Lauren BS to ANAD? They can really get on a roll and call national attention to ludicrous and sick things like this. I’m an Indiana volunteer with them and they’re really awesome about this.
Keep speaking Darryl! Thanks for all you do!
XXXXXXX
————————————————————
Great Letter Darryl! I, too, have walked past everything Ralph Lauren (and I was a big fan of their stuff before) and I am telling everyone else to do the same. And I know my friends and family will because they have seen what a horror my family has been going thru as we try to help my daughter get thru her eating disorders (yes, she has had both, God help us, anorexia and bulimia).
Thank you for your good work and God Bless.
mount laurel, nj
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Until you do, I won’t buy anything with the RL logo on it. You can take that to the bank.
I’m with you on that!
XXXXXXXX
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Hi Darryl
Well said! I applaud all of your efforts and hope that Ralph Lauren does something positive with this letter. It has to start somewhere in their industry. Maybe he could be the leader in helping promote a healthy ideal for fashion. That would be powerful. Thanks for sharing.
University of Alabama
Staff Psychologist
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Mr. Roberts,
I attended the showing of your documentary in Downers Grove at the fundraiser for the Arabella House. I was in tears as I watched and thought about the women (and some men) that suffer from eating disorders and low self esteem. The energy and dedication that you have brought to this cause is incredible. Your work lets girls know that someone really does care and is willing to stand up for them.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for everything you have done for me and my comtemporaries.
Sincerely,
XXXXXXXX
———————————————————-
Thank you,
I am so glad that SOMEONE uses their voice. I want to use mine!
XXXXXXX
———————————————————–
You Go Darryl,
Thanks for all the great work you are doing to help empower girls and women.
Best,
XXXX
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What a beautiful courageous letter! I wish there was some way for me to sign it, too! I want him to know that I have told everyone I know about his ads and to stop wearing anything he makes. I would sign a petition to boycott in a second! I bought your DVD the day it was available and spent my Thanksgiving holiday making all of my family watch it: my 3 sisters, my daughter, my mom, etc. I also plan on showing it to all of my friends. This is important work at the perfect time.
Thank you!
Franklin, TN
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Darrel, you are the absolute best ever!!!!! You go guy. xxxooo
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Whooooaaaaa!!! POWERFUL! You go Darryl!!! Behind you 100%!!
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I hope he gets it, that miserable asshole..
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Darryl- I watched your movie (FINALLY) with my 15 year old daughter and the rest of our mother-daughter group on Saturday night. Since then there’ve been emails exchanged showing how it affected the girls. How they went holiday shopping and saw what was being sold and how girls presented themselves in a different light.
This morning I got your Ralph Lauren email and forwarded to the moms in the group and asked that they send it to their daughters. One mom wrote back to ask if there’s an online campaign of email letter writing to Ralph Lauren the girls could write to.
Is there?
Thanks for all you’re doing,
XXXXXXXX
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Very powerful letter Darryl!!! Thank you for being who you are…
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wow. you’re so amazing. ;-)
Something is definitely amiss over there. He’s possible relinquished too much responsibility to someone who doesn’t really grasp the dangers.
XXXXXX
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REASON #1 FOR THE BOYCOTT -
REASON #2 FOR THE BOYCOTT - 
AND REASON #3 FOR THE BOYCOTT -
12.04.09
Open letter to Ralph Lauren
By admin on Dec 1, 2009 in Featured
Sent 11/29/2009
Ralph Lauren – CEO
Scott Myers – Marketing Director
Michael Morelli – VP of Advertising
David Lauren – SVP of Advertising
Laura Johnson- Public Relations Manager
Trecia Laird- Senior Marketing Manager
Hello Mr. Lauren,
To introduce myself to you, my name is Darryl Roberts and let me start off by saying I used to wear Polo Shirts when I was in high school. Back in the Stone Age before laptops, cell phones and You Tube. The Polo symbol represented elegance and a certain kind of refinement. That’s how I remember you. A class act. A gentleman’s gentleman.
That’s why it’s a little hard for me to understand your present stance against women. What, I can already hear you saying, am I talking about?
If you believe for one second that your personal views and the views/advertising of your company aren’t perceived as the same, you’re absolutely wrong.
Let me explain myself if you don’t mind. I spent the last 5 years making a documentary called America the Beautiful, that deals with America’s unhealthy obsession with beauty. The film has screened in 187 cities in the US and played in 7 other countries.
While traveling with the film, thousands of women have told me that the images of the super skinny models in magazines make them feel bad. I can hear you thinking, Well why don’t they put the magazines down if they make them feel bad? That is a worthwhile conversation to be had later. For now we have more pressing matters to attend to.
When this incident first appeared in the press you thumbed your nose at us all and said Filippa Hamilton violated her contract. After getting better council, you realized this debacle could hurt your bottom line, and you gave this statement:
For over 42 years we have built a brand based on quality and integrity. After further investigation, we have learned that we are responsible for the poor imaging and retouching that resulted in a very distorted image of a woman’s body. We have addressed the problem and going forward will take every precaution to ensure that the caliber of our artwork represents our brand appropriately.
After being forgiven for this hideous infraction against women, what do you do? You do it again. The mainstream press doesn’t know about this one yet, but I do…
This is horrible Ralph. But instead of cutting your losses while you’re ahead, what do you go and do?
You do it a third time! UNBELIEVABLE!
I see the man in the picture hasn’t been drastically distorted. Just the women.
I get about 500 emails a week from young women complaining about images just like these Ralph.
If that doesn’t move you, here’s an email from a concerned father that I received 4 days ago:
Hi Darryl,
I met you last year in Naperville, IL at the Candle Light Vigil at the Arabella House and we talked briefly afterwards. Last night my wife, XXXX and I watched your film. It is the most awesome movie that I’ve ever seen. The amount of time, sweat, blood, and tears that you put into this has probably changed your life forever.
Our 22 year old daughter, XXXXXX has been trying to deal with bulimia, addictions, abuse for the past 5 years. She somehow survived an attempt on her life 3 years ago (200 extra strength Tylenols) and has been in and out of 3 treatment centers since then. This disease has completely fractured my family. I have two other kids that have given up on their sister. My wife and I are hanging in there together. We have exhausted our home equity and retirement accounts trying to keep her alive, but we have become enablers. This beast has such a strong hold on XXXXXX that I don’t think that she wants to get better any longer. We gave her a deadline of Nov 28 to seek a structured treatment program or she is no longer able to live with us. On top of this her employer is going to give her a choice today of going into a treatment program or being fired. This is probably going to put her over the edge. I’m feeling so desperate and I can’t do anything about it. Even if I had unlimited resources, it would not help until XXXXXX decides she wants to recapture her life. She is a former high school scholar athlete and earned a basketball scholarship to XXXXXXX College before her addictions took control of her life.
I’m sending this note to you because I feel that you are making a difference by preventing some young women from the illnesses that my beautiful daughter, XXXXXX, has become a victim of.
I really appreciate your hard work and vision!
XXXXXXX
But wait, it gets even stranger…
I recently found out that you have a niece, Jenny Lauren, who suffered from a horrible eating disorder. Your niece was so lonely and afraid during her terrible struggle that she wrote a book called “Homesick.”
In case you’ve forgotten about your niece and her struggle, here are some quotes from her book:
I am twenty-four years old, and for a year I have been in physical discomfort. That is 365 days with my butt twitching and an inability to contract my gluteus maximus muscles…365 days of wanting to jump out the window, 365 days watching the entire lower half of my body turn into jelly and atrophy. This is a sick joke.
I’m trying so hard not to lose my mind…
…after such pain, I need a tangible answer.
Ugh, and taking a shit (vulgar no matter how you put it) is like giving birth, with the baby’s head getting stuck for hours.
I can’t exercise at all, can’t even walk comfortably.
I would panic most mornings and rush up to 87th Street and Park and sit and wait in Dr. W’s office, sometimes for hours, to see him. As I sat there holding my breath and clenching my legs together to stop the twitch, I’d rummage through the pile of magazines, flipping through all the fashion ads. Oh, there’s Uncle Ralph with his two dogs in a Purple Label ad. Whadda ya know, there he is again. Not his face but a Ralph Lauren fragrance ad with a young beautiful couple wrapped in velvet and in love. The good life, huh?…things to aspire to. Reminding me of everything I hated, everything I loved, everything I wished I could be…but that was then. Look at me now.”
Ralph, I’m writing this on behalf of 100,000 parents and young women and we’re requesting that you stop. Give it a break. Put a lid on it. No more empty apologies. No yadda, yadda, yadda. Just stop!
Tens of thousands of parents and young women have emailed me asking what should they do. Should they stop buying your products? Should they picket outside of your flagship NY store?
I don’t know the answer to that question Ralph. What would you have them do?
What I’m hoping by writing this is underneath your desire to make even more millions and make the Ralph Lauren empire even bigger, that you have compassion. That you remember the pain your niece went through. That you care about all the young girls out here struggling and dying from eating disorders. That you actually care about all the young women with a low self-esteem from body image issues.
I realize that images like yours in magazines aren’t the only reason that girls get eating disorders and feel bad about their bodies, but they are a factor.
Why be like the rest of the designers Ralph? Wouldn’t it really make a statement if you did things differently. Show us that the Ralph Lauren brand stands for something more than photoshopped skinny models. Show us that you really care about the people that buy your products.
Until you do, I won’t buy anything with the RL logo on it. You can take that to the bank. I was shopping for bedding accessories and furniture yesterday at Bloomingdales and I saw an entire section of your products. I walked right past it. See, I actually care about the young girls suffering out here.
So, what’s it going to be Ralph? It’s your conscience. Your decision.
Respectfully yours,
Darryl Roberts
12.01.09
Hot off the press! Our new book, "Out in the Garden," is now available. It was written by local author, Elizabeth Anne Peters. This book is available for purchase on our website for only $14.95.
"This delightful story, told from the perspective of bugs in a garden, is a teaching tale about the many kinds of nourishment all living things need to live and grow strong. From the bugs charming discussions as they listen to the teacher's instruction, children can learn about other kinds of food that provide more than physical nutrients. Here are lessons to encourage emotional literacy: how to verbalize fears of inadequacy, confusion, and insecurity as well as feelings of excitement and happiness; how to listen and communicate with empathy and kindness. And there are lessons about diversity and self-care -- about appreciating and celebrating the strength and beauty found in our own uniqueness. This is a wisdom tale, filled with both science and magic, about the kinds of nourishment we need to feed our bodies, our hearts, and our souls."
Anita Johnston, Ph.D.
Author, Eating in the Light of the Moon
Senior Advisor & Consultant, Focus Center for Eating Disorders
Clinical Director, 'Ai Pono Eating Disorder Programs
The MCR Foundation would like to thank the following sponsors:
Benwood Foundation
Church of the Good Shepherd
Memorial Health Care System
Pam Kelle, The Nutrition Coach
Top Flight
Weldon F. Osborne Foundation
And a special thank you to all the Founding Supporters of the LadyBug Program
11.02.09
Ralph Lauren sorry for freakish Hamilton image
Model Filippa Hamilton’s head appeared larger than her waist in the badly photoshopped image
FIRST POSTED OCTOBER 15, 2009
A Japanese department store caused controversy last week by using a digitally enhanced Ralph Lauren advert which seemed to show that model Filippa Hamilton's waist was thinner than her head.
Despite the Ralph Lauren legal team's best attempts to suppress the spread of the picture with various 'cease and desist' orders, this frighteningly unrealistic image has spread worldwide via the internet.
Now, Hamilton, 23, has spoken out about how the American clothing brand fired her for being too fat. The Swedish-French model says that she received a letter from Ralph Lauren in April announcing: "We're terminating your services because you don't fit into the sample clothes that you need to wear."
Hamilton, a countess whose father's family are Swedish aristocracy, was scouted on the streets of Paris as a 15-year-old, and had her first Vogue shoot a year later. Since then, she has worked with many of the fashion world's top photographers, including Mario Testino.
She's a British size eight, weighs 120lb, and feels that Ralph Lauren, a company she has worked with ever since becoming a model, have let her down. "I was shocked to see that super-skinny girl with my face. It's very sad, I think, that Ralph Lauren could do something like that."
Hamilton's lawyer, Geoffrey Menin, joined in the condemnation. "That Photoshopped image pushed all this into the open. That image was a gross distortion of what she really looks like and was professionally and emotionally harmful to her," he said. "From a professional point of view, nobody would want to hire somebody looking like that."
Ralph Lauren have apologised for allowing the emaciated image to run, saying it was "completely inconsistent with our creative standards and brand values". But while they say they are grateful for her work over the last six years, they will not be taking Hamilton back. They fired her, they said, "as a result of her inability to meet the obligations under her contract."
The story comes at a time when some fashion magazines and designers
are trying to change the culture of skinny models, but with little
success. When the German magazine Brigitte recently announced it was going to use 'real women' in its photo-shoots
from now on, designer Karl Lagerfeld responded that, "No one wants to
see curvy women". The current controversy, he said, was all about "fat
mothers with their bags of chips sitting in front of the television and
saying that thin models are ugly." 
