Does a neighbor call and say “I was at the dentist’s office this morning, and I happened to see Amy on the cover of Newsweek! How cool! Amy must be thrilled.”
A year from now, when guests come over, will this week’s issue of the magazine just happen to display itself on the kitchen counter? And when someone reaches over to it with interest, will Mrs. Nelson grab it and say, “oh, where did you find that old rag! What? Oh! Yes, it is actually Amy there on the cover. A real rough time we all went through, that was.” A ridiculous scenario, granted, but then, if you don’t want people to see your anorexic daughter and her anorexic name, why do let her pose on the cover of a national magazine for a camera that zooms in on her unhappy, underfed pout?
I remember watching a news show (60 Minutes? I can't recall.) about anorexia that featured the daughter of a former colleague of my dad's. It was strange seeing little Stacy G., whom I'd known in first grade, as the poster child for an eating disorder.
Anorexia has become a hardy perennial of the newsmagazine business, in print and on TV, appearing sometime after obesity season but before spousal abuse in the cycle. And for a time during that particular season Stacey G. was the it girl, quoted in magazines and featured on TV. And then she disappeared, replaced--eventually--by Amy Nelson.
I don't know how the Nelsons, or their neighbors, feel about Amy's current fame. But I can tell you this: Whenever I read a story about anorexia I think about Stacey G.
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