Cheryl Lavin`s profile on Jenny Craig (Tempo, April 22) trivializes the inner turmoil felt by people with eating disorders. Bulimia is not a ”neat trick” nor is it a method of dieting. It is a desolate cry for help in a society that demands we have the picture perfect bodies of glamorous models.
Binging is a way to take care of yourself when you feel like no one else will.
As author Geneen Roth states, binges are ”protective mechanisms.” Ms. Lavin claims that bulimia was a ”creative” solution during a time with few dieting alternatives. However, even now with more than 700 Jenny Craig Centers (not to mention Nutri-System, Weight Watchers and many others), bulimia is as rampant as ever.
Instead of focusing on Jenny Craig`s limousines and $500,000 income, Ms. Lavin might have written a more interesting article by asking why people visit Jenny Craig centers instead of accepting their bodies as they are.
