Celebrity daughters with eating disorders

Eating Disorders – Low Self Esteem

Having a celebrity as a mother can sometimes be difficult on your self esteem. Being in the media’s spotlights can put pressure on any girl. Tragic events are also factors that can have damaging effects on a child’s self esteem. The daughters of Olivia Newton John and Donatella Versace, are brought up in the eyes of the media struggling with anorexia, an eating disorder that can be triggered by various factors.

Allegra Versace struggled with Anorexia

Allegra Versace, the daughter of the fashion icon Donatella Versace has been struggling with anorexia for many years.  People near the family have told about how she changed after her uncle died in July 1997. Her uncle was shot to death in his home in Miami. After that she became withdrawn and never gave any interviews even though she is the main owner of the biggest fashion houses in the world.

In 2007 Allegra Versace was forcibly admitted to a medical and psychiatric treatment center after her weight dropped to 70lbs (32 kg) due to her battle with anorexia. Her condition was so serious that she was under 24-hour supervision and fed through a naso-gastric tube.

Chloe Lattanzi also struggled with Anorexia

Chloe Lattanzi, the daughter of actress and singer Olivia Newton-John has been battling anorexia. She has been trying to gain weight and received help from nutritionists and therapists. Olivia Newton-John has said that no therapy can help, if parents aren’t supportive.

Chloe has had a lot of problems to deal with. Her mother has battled breast cancer, her parents separated and soon after they had financial problems. Chloe also has to deal with being a celebrity daughter. The “Grease” star mother Olivia Newton-John is a very beautiful woman with a charisma that even younger girls can’t compete with. It can’t be easy living up to the image of a gorgeous famous mother. Chloe is following her mother’s footsteps with her singing and acting career. She acknowledges the achievements of her mother’s career, but she wishes to be recognized on her own merits.

Chloe has said: “When I got to about 20, I started thinking about, like, not being in [her] shadow, but my mom, like, blows me away,” she says. “I hope to be like her one day. I don’t know if I could ever do that, but that would be, you know — she’s an amazing person.” We hope that Chloe will find her own star within herself.

 Anorexia Nervosa

Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by low body weight and body image distortion with an obsessive fear of gaining weight. It primarily affects adolescent females between the age of 12 and 20. However approximately 10% of people with the diagnosis are male. Anorexia nervosa is a complex condition, involving psychological, neurobiology, and sociological components. It often starts as an innocent weight loss where the diet continues in voluntary starvation. Anorexia nervosa can be triggered by:

• Difficult events or periods in life like puberty, death, family crises
• Psychological and biological factors
• Believing that having control over food/body is synonymous with being in control of one’s life

Some people only struggle with Anorexia nervosa for a year or so, while others have to struggle with the eating disorder for several years. In some cases Anorexia nervosa leads to death.

What are your thoughts on celebrity daughters with eating disorders? Do you think that the problem is due to the feeling of being compared with their parents? Is the media to blame? Perhaps these children are getting through life like any other teenager with the same problems, but in the eyes of the media? What can parents/media/society do to help children with eating disorders?