I saw a blog post today from a fashion designer. His daughter is bulimic. He has come to the realization that he, and the industry he represents, is a major contributing factor not only to his daughter’s illness, but to eating disorders of women around the world. He reviewed his own history and that of other designers and saw that each year he and others in the fashion industry have trended towards thinner and thinner models, so now their clothing is displayed on women that resemble hangers more than human beings. I realize that this is not an “issue” about nursing, however I think that all woman can relate to struggles with body image and appearance, and I am sure that most healthcare professionals have seen the devastating effects that anorexia and bulimia have had on patients and their families.

How sad is it that we can not embrace the women we are, whatever our size or shape, and feel it necessary to strive for someone else’s ideals for “perfection”? How many people, friends, family members or patients, have died or come to the brink of death when their struggle to be the “ideal size” took over their lives?

My message for the day: Love yourself.

Tomorrow’s subject – The Presidential candidates and nursing.

Hello and happy St. Patrick’s Day!

May the luck of the Irish be with you today.