Speech
given by Diana, Princess of Wales on "Eating Disorders"
27th
April 1993
“Ladies
and Gentlemen:
I have
it, on very good authority, that the quest for perfection our society demands
can leave the individual gasping for breath at every turn.
This
pressure inevitably extends into the way we look. And of course, many would
like to believe that Eating Disorders are merely an expression of female vanity
- not being able to get into a size ten dress and the consequent frustrations!
From the
beginning of time the human race has had a deep and powerful relationship with
food - if you eat you live, if you don't you die. Eating food has always been
about survival, but also about caring for and nurturing the ones we love.
However, with the added stresses of modern life, it has now become an
expression of how we feel about ourselves and how we want others to feel about
us.
Eating
Disorders, whether it be Anorexia or Bulimia, show how an individual can turn
the nourishment of the body into a painful attack on themselves and they have
at their core a far deeper problem than mere vanity. And sadly, Eating
Disorders are on the increase at a disturbing rate, affecting a growing number of
men and women and a growing number of children…
…Yet all
of us can help prevent the seeds of this disease developing. As parents,
teachers, family and friends, we have an obligation to care for our children.
To encourage and guide, to nourish and nurture and to listen with love to their
needs, in ways which clearly show our children that we value them. They in
their turn will then learn how to value themselves…"
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