Body, Language

Thanks [sic] in large part to TV shows and fashion magazines, unrealistic body images have woven themselves into many women's psyches. The female bodies that appear in advertisements rarely even occur in nature; instead, they've been airbrushed and Photoshopped into teeny-waisted figments of the ad industry's imagination. Still: Countless women judge themselves against those unforgiving standards, to the point of developing eating disorders. In her new multimedia exhibit THIN, the remarkable photographer (and chronicler of "girl culture") Lauren Greenfield explores the harrowing reality of living with an eating disorder. Through portraits, videos and written narrative, THIN introduces the viewer to women like Shelly, whose anorexia was so severe that she needed a feeding tube in her stomach. Simultaneously unsettling and thought-provoking, THIN is not to be missed by anyone who cares about the mental and physical health of women in our society. The show opens Thursday, January 21, at Gallery 210 on the campus of the University of Missouri-St. Louis (One University Drive at Natural Bridge Road). The gallery is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, and THIN remains up through Saturday, March 20. There is no cost to view the exhibit. For more information, call 314-516-5976 or visit http://gallery210.umsl.edu.
Tuesdays-Saturdays. Starts: Jan. 21. Continues through March 20, 2010