Body Image

Name: Marilynn J. PhillipsHonored by The Carroll County Sun for:Her work in gaining equal access for disabled peopleAge: 47Residence; hometown: Hampstead; ChicagoEducation: Graduate of the University of Illinois in Urbana with a bachelor's degree in history, a master's degree in English and a master's degree in the history of ideas; earned a doctorate in folklore from the University of Pennsylvania in PhiladelphiaFamily: Husband: Robert Winans, 51, an...

Teenagers trying to enhance either their body image or their athletic prowess often turn to steroids or hormonal supplements without realizing the potentially harmful consequences. That's why a new local public awareness campaign about steroid dangers for teens is right on target. A 2003 study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that nearly 1 million high school students said they had tried steroids, triple the number who confessed to using them in 1993. The most rapid increase in use was among girls, probably due to their increased participation in sports as a result of Title IX, the federal law that prohibits sex discrimination in education.

Celebrity psychologist Dr. Drew Pinsky recently admitted on CNN to exercising obsessively to stay slim, a condition not technically a mental disorder, but what some call exercise bulimia. He joked about his condition saying: “a little whiff of a mental health issue never hurt anybody.” Doctors at The Center for Eating Disorders at Sheppard Pratt in Baltimore  found the comment disturbing. They say that calling exercise bulimia a “mild” mental health disorder sends the wrong message to the public.

"Will you split a mini-muffin with me? I couldn't possibly eat a whole one. I'll look like a pregnant whale at prom!" Walk into many school hallways in the month leading up to prom, graduation and beach week and you will hear girls — most of them at a seemingly healthy weight — discussing their personal travails of "lent." Most people understand Lent to be the period of abstention prior to Easter. Prom, beach week and graduation "lent" are the unofficial periods of dieting and intense exercise prior to cherished high school milestones.

Disney's Who Framed Roger Rabbit. Mrs. Rabbit's hyperbolically feminine frame lampooned the exaggerated hourglass figure of most animated heroines, but now, after years of catching flak from parent and feminist groups for depicting girls as miniature women with impossibly perfect bodies, Disney may be changing with the times. In its latest animated film, Lilo & Stitch, the girl protagonists possess body types more reflective of reality. Here, female images seem diametrically opposed to the Barbie doll-like Ariel from The Little Mermaid and Pocahontas.

Roll modeling WORD IS out that men are now as body-image obsessed as women. Nearly 700,000 men had cosmetic surgery last year; more than 50,000 had liposuction or surgical augmentation of muscles, and even penises, according to a recent hot-seller on the subject, "The Adonis Complex." Protein shakes, diet shakes, whatever it takes to get the look. Sound familiar? While women have long worried to extremes about their appearance, the fact that both sexes are equal partners in eating disorders is far from just desserts.

Check it Out Grab your sneaks and head toward the harbor Sunday for the Hadassah Check it Out Challenge 5K/10K run. Proceeds from the footraces will benefit local health education initiatives, including body-image seminars and cancer detection programs. Race-day registration ($30) begins at 6 a.m. on Rash Field. The 5K race begins at 7:30 a.m., and the 10K begins at 8 a.m. Rash Field is at 201 Key Highway. Call 410-484-9590 or visit www.charmcityrun.com Movie and wine Start the summer weekend tomorrow evening with an al fresco movie at Basignani Winery's T.G.I.

Celebrities are helping to raise the profile of large-size women. Rosie O'Donnell, Roseanne, Linda Ronstadt, Kathy Bates and Wynonna have changed the way we think about glamour.Former talk-show host Carnie Wilson hopes to do more and start her own clothing line:"I want to reach the people who shop at Wal-Mart. [The fashion industry] is in such denial. It's like giving heroin to an addict. 'If we give you fat sizes, you're going to stay fat!' "Delta Burke (who played Suzanne Sugarbaker on "Designing Women")

You've seen the TV ads: Aerobics instructors bark out orders to rows of sweaty fitness fanatics, while muscle-bound giants grunt their way through a weight-lifting session.Sure, joining a health club wouldn't be a bad idea for your uncle with the beer gut. But is it good for kids? With news reports regularly describing kids as chubby couch potatoes, one Chicago fitness center has decided to serve kids only.The Children's Health & Executive Club doesn't look much different from a typical health club, with its exercise bikes, weight machines (which are kid-size)

In the new issue of Rolling Stone , pop star Katy Perry joined many other celebrities in providing her analysis of political issues of our country.  According to the article, which you can view here , Perry revealed she's "recently undergone a political awakening" and now sees America as too focused on money and fame instead of people's wellness.  "I think we are largely in desperate need of revolutionary change in the way our...