Review: Beauty Mark
When Diane Isreal set out to make a movie about the definition of beauty in American culture, little did she realize she would have to face her own demons about body image, self worth and ideals of beauty.
An accomplished runner and triathlete, she had her own battles with eating disorders, over-exercising and feelings of self-worth, something unfortunately not unique to the world of athletics.
As she examined cultural definitions of beauty, Isreal discovers that she has to explore her own family story before she can look at the issue more globally.
The result is the documentary Beauty Mark, a movie which strikes a chord with anyone who ever had second thoughts about the way in which they look, anyone who thought the their outsides didn't quite match up with their insides.
In the spirit of full disclosure, I know Diane Isreal, having met her in 2005 at a Women's Quest retreat in Colorado while she was working on the project. And when I saw there was a screening of of the movie at Binghamton University while I was in town visiting my brother and sister-in-law it was high on my priority list.
Isreal began running competitively at 14. She won the Pikes Peak Marathon and after burning out at 26.2 miles, decided to enter triathlons. She was a player on the professional circuit until age 28, when she collapsed from exhaustion in a race. Her body was broken from over training and not eating.
She was a good athlete who could have been great but she was too thin.
Too thin?
Yes. And she wasn't alone in her story. Throughout the movie, she interviews other female athletes who struggled with body image and issues with food. She wasn't the only one who survived only on a Power Bar for lunch and a salad for dinner. Survived that is, until her body finally revolted.
Isreal then examines her own family dynamic -- having a father who drove her to excel at athletics, a mother who was breathtakingly beautiful but suffered from mental illness and an older brother who was sent away when it was clear he was born with developmental issues.
From there, the movie turns toward examining beauty in the media including interviews with The Beauty Myth author Naomi Wolf, New York Times health reporter Jane Brody and Jane Scott, who was in charge of the global research was used as the foundation for the Dove Real Beauty campaign.
What does beauty have to do with athletics?
A whole lot, on a lot of different levels.
But in this documentary, the issue revolves around body image and what individuals believe about their bodies. There is a competitive edge to be gained from being lean and thin, but the line between drive and obsession is easily blurred.
The film ends with no firm conclusions, choosing instead to challenge individuals to define beauty for themselves and to make peace with their own body image. It's a fitting finish since each person needs to find that definition, that comfort level, for him and herself. Just as we can't fit into an industry standard of beauty nor can we all fit into one definition of positive body image.
--- Amy Moritz
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