A Who’s Who of Disordered Eating: Jane Fonda

 

Beyond being an Academy Award winning actress, beyond being an aerobics pioneer, Jane Fonda was also an eating disorder sufferer.

"I was raised in the ‘50s. I was taught by my father [actor Henry Fonda] that how I looked was all that mattered, frankly," she told Harper's Bazaar. "He was a good man, and I was mad for him, but he sent messages to me that fathers should not send: Unless you look perfect, you're not going to be loved."

"I wasn't very happy from, I would say, puberty to 50? It took me a long time," she admitted.

Jane Fonda's Decades-Long Battle with Bulimia | Everyday Health; By Sharon Tanenbaum

Here, we not only have the typical perfectionism factor impacting disordered body image, but also how it affects ALL ages. It is not simply just a teenage girl’s problem.

“…poor body image is surprisingly common among women of every age — even among older women. An Austrian study published in the International Journal of Eating Disorders asked women 60 to 70 years of age how they felt about their bodies. Around 60 percent of them said they were dissatisfied with their bodies, and about 90 percent said they felt very or moderately fat…”

Jane Fonda's Decades-Long Battle with Bulimia | Everyday Health; By Sharon Tanenbaum