'America the Beautiful 2: The Thin Commandments' Denounces Dieting
Director Darryl Roberts released the much-anticipated “America the Beautiful 2: The Thin Commandments,” the sequel to his 2007 film Thursday. The new documentary continues to explore the country’s obsession with beauty and weight.
The film raises issues surrounding the effectiveness of dieting, corrupt healthcare and whether Americans are too fat or too skinny. It strongly denounces dieting.
The film’s release coincides with the Oct. 16 release of Maggie Goes On A Diet, by author Paul Kramer, which chronicles the weight problems of a 14-year-old girl.
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Ridiculed for being “fat” and “chubby” by classmates, the book’s protagonist, Maggie, diets in an attempt to become more accepted by her peers. The book is listed at Barnes & Noble as being suitable for audiences ages 6-12; while Amazon lists it as appropriate for audiences ages 4-8.
Roberts was disgusted with the premise of the book when he first learned of it, and decided to schedule the release of his film in alignment with the book’s release.
In a press release, Roberts said, “Young girls have enough to worry about without adding the message that in order to conquer adversity you have to diet and lose weight. I wonder if the author (Kramer) has any daughters.”
“I can’t stop the book from coming out but I can counter the book’s potentially harmful dieting message with my message, which is you can become healthy and happy without dieting and losing weight,” he added.
Maggie Goes on a Diet has met with much scorn from many health officials and workers in the mental health industry. Eating disorder specialist Carolyn Costin has joined the opposition.
“With the knowledge we have today about the failure and dangers of dieting, why would anyone ever promote it, especially in young kids not sophisticated enough to separate myth from reality, or fact from fiction,” Costin said in a press release.
Costin, the founder of Monte Nido Treatment Center, added that she does believe the book’s author unintentionally wrote the message that a young girl could only find happiness through weight loss.
Roberts hopes that people across the globe will hear the film’s message: “What we look like is not more important that our health and who we are.”
A trailer of the film can be seen at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drpvF7gszOU.
