Eighty percent of fourth grade girls are dieting, most in an attempt to reach ridiculous beauty standards set by advertisers, Hollywood and the media. Smoking kills more women than alcohol, illicit drugs, car accidents and homicide combined, while tobacco industry ads continue to link cigarettes with liberation, stress reduction and thinness. Today the average model weighs 23% less than the average woman (20 years ago the differential was 8 percent).

For these reasons and more, NOW Foundation has named September 25, 1998 as Love Your Body Day, the first national day of action to speak out against ads and images of women that are offensive, harmful, dangerous and disrespectful to women's bodies and women's lives. Activists across the nation will hold rallies, pickets and house parties as a part of the NOW Foundation's Women's Health Project.

"Tobacco, alcohol and fashion advertising are not only a health problem, but also a political problem for women, because these industries contribute to stereotyping of women and discrimination against us," said NOW Foundation President Patricia Ireland.

"Women who don't fit the prevailing standard of beauty often come under attack. Attorney General Janet Reno has been widely criticized for her wardrobe, makeup, and overall appearance. Can you imagine a feature story about the fashion choices of Secretary of Defense William Cohen?" Ireland asked.

In 1971 Congress designated this day as Women's Equality Day, in commemoration of women's suffrage, which passed on August 26, 1920.
 

Link to this release at http://www.now.org/press/08-98/08-26-98.html
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