Originally released as a motion picture in 2007. Special features include: Deleted scenes; Boris Kodjoe and Reggie Theus on being attractive; Interview with Eve Ensler; Cosmetic ingredients are mislabeled; Girls with eating disorders; Canaries in the coal mine; Meet the victims: guys on the couch; Physiognomy with Stuart Ewen; Interview with Ethie Ann Vare.
Summary:
"Filmmaker Darryl Roberts goes on a two year journey to examine America's new obsession: physical perfection. In America the beautiful, we learn secrets, confessions, and strikingly harsh realities as Roberts unearths the origins and deadly risks of our nation's quest for physical perfection ... [and] see how these increasingly unattainable images contribute greatly to the rise in low self-esteem, body dismorphia, and eating disorders for young women and girls who also happen to be the beauty industry's largest consumers. Who actually benefits from this high-priced journey towards this ideal? Is corporate America's bottom line so important that it justifies a nation's psychosis? What are the true costs of our obsession with youth, beauty, and a slender physique? At the heart of America the beautiful is the story of Gerren Taylor, a teenager who went from being an innocent 12 year old girl to being one of America's next top supermodels. ... Her tumultuous quest acts as a mirror to the American psyche, and it becomes apparent how the same beauty that could jump-start her career could ultimately destroy her young life. ... Roberts dives deep into America's culture of fear, consumption, and idolatry for all things external; he seeks answers from celebrities, media, academia, as well as everyday Americans"--Synopsis.
OCLC:
(OCoLC)658216527
Locations:
OVUX522 -- University of Iowa Libraries (Iowa City)
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.