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.
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.