Reality Matters: Extreme Measures

Reportedly, one quarter of those who diet end up with an eating disorder--a disturbing if not particularly surprising statistic, considering our obsession with achieving the perfect body. What is truly frightening, however, is that four out of five of today's 10-year-old kids think they're fat, and kids as young as seven--pressured to achieve a certain standard of beauty or fitness--are dieting. It's hard to teach kids about proper health and fitness when many successful actresses are thin to the point of anorexia, and popular athletes take steroids ("don't do this yourself, but see how successful these people are" seems to be the mixed message our society sends). Extreme Measures, one of five programs in the Reality Matters series, speaks clearly and directly to students, exploring the emotional and physical consequences of extreme diet and exercise, including heart problems, weakened bones, loss of menstrual periods, dehydration, and kidney failure. Focusing on boys (who are too often overlooked in discussions of eating disorders) as well as girls, the film's most engaging interview is with Cheryl Haworth, a 290-pound Olympic weightlifter who has broken many world records; this confident teenage girl resisted the pressure to be thin and willowy, and is amazingly successful in her chosen field. The other titles in the series are: Smoke Signals, Deadly Highs, High Performance, Sexual Pressures and Cruel Schools. Recommended. Aud: J, H. (J. Asala)