Product Details

• Actors: Susan Sarandon
• Directors: Larkin McPhee
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: WGBH BOSTON
• DVD Release Date: June 29, 2004
• Run Time: 60 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0001ZDLTG
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #10,874 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #1 in	Movies & TV > Special Interests > Health > Women's Health
  #7 in	Movies & TV > Documentary > Series & Studios > PBS > NOVA
  #29 in	Movies & TV > Television > WGBH Boston

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

A 14-year-old looks at her image and says, "I see somebody that is fat and ugly and a disappointment." She is like a growing number of young American girls afflicted with such eating disorders as anorexia nervosa and bulimia. Tormented by an irrational fear of being fat, an estimated eight million young women are torturing themselves—sometimes to death.

It’s no wonder eighty percent of women are dissatisfied with their bodies. Driven by the waif-like images flooding the media of popular actresses, models, dancers and celebrities—who can weigh nearly twenty-five percent less than the average American woman—young girls are obsessed with an unattainable image of perfection.

Dying To Be Thin introduces you to students, ballet dancers, fashion models and other young women who are seeking recovery or have conquered their disease. Plus, you’ll discover how leading eating disorder specialists are making dramatic advances in the diagnosis and treatment of these two devastating diseases. Go behind the scenes with NOVA for a courageous and candid look at America’s body obsession.

On one DVD5 disc. Region coding: All regions. Audio: Dolby stereo. Screen format: 4 x 3 full frame.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent documentary!, July 8, 2001

By	Melissa (Boston) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Nova - Dying to Be Thin [VHS] (VHS Tape)

I was so impressed with Dying to be Thin. I am a graduate student and I used this video while presenting on disordered eating in adolescence. My classmates and professor seemed very receptive to the video. This would be a great video to show to girls ages 15 and up. It focuses on anorexia and bulimia as well as treatments for both.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars VERY interesting!, August 3, 2004

By	Leslie (Everett, Washington United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Nova - Dying to Be Thin [VHS] (VHS Tape)

I have read many books about eating disorders, and this is the first video I have watched. I enjoyed it and it brought the people to life, instead of just reading about them in a book. It follows a few girls during and after treatment for eating disorders. It brought me to tears a few times and helped me understand just how serious eating disorders are. I am more concerned about myself now, too. Do yourself a favor and take an hour to watch this video. It is well worth your time, whether or not you have an eating disorder or know someone who does.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Realistic Portrayal of Eating Disorders, Their Causes and Treatment (Compared to THIN), April 7, 2007

By	Elaina - See all my reviews

As a former anorexic, and after watching Thin by Lauren Greenfield, I was pleasantly surprised by this documentary. While perhaps not as visually artistic and with subjects not as shockingly thin as Greenfield's, this piece is ultimately much more even and balanced. It gives a little bit of the history of anorexia and hulimia, briefly discusses the biology of people prone to eating disorders, touches on the trigger points that lead to eating disorders (familial and cultural), shows treatment options and portraits of women who've recovered or are recovering (though not all in this order).

Unlike Greenfield's work, it does not show the drawbacks to treatment facilities (bad influences, competition, learning tricks from fellow patients) nor does it show the difficulty of recovery. It does, however, depict many of the underlying reasons why people develop eating disorders and some of the consequences of eating disorders. By far, the highlight of Dying to Be Thin was the interview with plus-size model (and former anorexic) Kate Dillon--who was, herself, one of my inspirations for recovery. Back in the late nineties, Kate helped me realize that beauty comes in all shapes and sizes, but we Westerners try to package beauty in a one-size-fits-all mold, which just isn't real or realistic. In a previous article, Kate said, "We all have different bodies, so why are we trying to make them all look the same." Go Kate!

If you want to watch Thin, definitely watch Dying to Be Thin with it. For more information on what it's like to be trapped in the hell of an eating disorder, read Lauren Greenfield's companion book to the DVD, also titled Thin. And for information on what causes eating disorders and how people deal with life after them, read Gaining: The Truth About Life After Eating Disorders.