An estimated 20 percent of Americans suffer some form of eating disorder at some time in their lives. And recent polls show the problem is growing. But there is good news: Eating disorders are treatable, and more people — women and men — are acknowledging their problems and receiving treatment than ever before.
Photographer and filmmaker Lauren Greenfield is a pre-eminent chronicler of American youth culture and some of its disturbing ramifications. She will give a presentation about her work at 11 a.m. March 7 in Graham Chapel. The free, public program is part of the Assembly Series and is sponsored by Reflections, a student organization devoted to awareness and prevention of eating disorders.
In addition, Greenfield’s first feature-length film, which aired on HBO last November, will be shown at 6:30 p.m. March 6 in Simon Hall’s May Auditorium. Titled “Thin,” the documentary profiles women undergoing treatment at a center for eating disorders. It will be followed by a panel discussion featuring faculty members from a range of University schools and departments involved in teaching about and researching eating disorders. The viewing and panel discussion, provided by the Women and Gender Studies program in Arts & Sciences, is also free and open to the public.
American Photo named Greenfield one of the 25 most influential photographers working today and one of the top three female photographers. Her work can be seen in several major collections, including the Art Institute of Chicago, the International Center of Photography, the Center for Creative Photography and the French Ministry of Culture. She has received numerous awards for her photos, which are regularly published in magazines such as The New York Times, TIME, The New Yorker, Harper’s, ELLE, American Photo and French Photo.
Of her three publications, the most recent, “Thin” (2006), chronicles her documentary. A compilation of photos from her internationally renowned exhibition “Girl Culture” was published in 2002. Her first book was “Fast Forward: Growing Up in the Shadow of Hollywood” (1999).
One of HBO’s most highly rated documentary feature films, “Thin” is an unflinching study of women at the Renfrew Center in Coconut Creek, Fla., a residential facility dedicated to the treatment of eating disorders. Greenfield uses interviews, still photographs and behind-the-scenes footage to tell the stories of four women between ages 15 and 30 with different pasts and a common illness.
The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and won best feature documentary at the Independent Film Festival of Boston, the Newport International Film Festival and the Jackson Hole Film Festival. Most recently, the film received the Grierson Award at the Times BFI London Film Festival.
For more information, call 935-4620 or visit assemblyseries.wustl.edu.