Body Image

With the 1983 death of singer Karen Carpenter from anorexia-induced heart failure, body-image related illnesses such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia gained national attention. Many women's groups blamed the beauty, fashion, and movie industries for promoting impossibly thin women as the ideal towards which all women should strive. Others criticized the cosmetics industry for sales practices calculated to make women feel insecure about their appearances.

Gallery: