Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson Post No. 2

   I think that Lia is probably one of the most complex characters that I have read about in a long time. She can never seem to have clear thoughts about anything. She hallucinates and always sees Cassie everywhere she goes. She also has a very sick twisted definition of perfect. Personally, I think that the way she starves herself and thinks that she's fat when she weighs 93.5 lbs. She talks about how she can feel the yellow bloat oozing out of her. How it covers her butt and thighs and stomach and arms. She is nothing but perfectly skinny. 

I understand that a lot of people can feel this way about their bodies but reading this book again really made me realize what an awful thing it is. You don't just throw up and be fine. You hate yourself. You think your ugly and fat and in Lia's case, you could be perfectly normal or in fact too skinny already. For example, on pg. 202 Lia is talking about her body. "I'm a fat load and I disgust myself. I take up too much  space already. I am an ugly nasty hypocrite. I am trouble. I am waste... I want to eat like a normal person eats but I need to see my bones or I will hate myself even more and I might cut out my heart or take every pill that was ever made." That was probably one of the most shocking and disgusting things I've read in the book so far. It's mind boggling to me that someone could think of themselves that way. That the only way she is happy is to be the skinniest person she knows. Her friend died because she was anorexic. I don't understand how after that someone could still want to keep going with it. It's kind of like an addiction. To be as skinny as possible. In another part of her book she says she wants to weigh 85 pounds. 85 pounds is “dangerland” and “heaven”.  So she can be just bone no fat. Nothing.

I think for someone to want to go this far with anything she really needs help. The fact that her parents are so blind to see it is mind boggling too. She refuses to talk about it with them. She’s killing herself and she knows it. Sometimes I think it’s so she can be with her friend Cassie again. But at other times I just think she’s crazy.

People don’t need to be perfectly skinny to be beautiful. It’s not something that should be advertised as something perfect. It’s changing young girls minds. Models who are incredibly skinny are sickening. They are often anorexic so I think by being put out and advertising this, companies are basically telling girls: Be anorexic. It’s okay as long as you’re perfect. And that needs to stop.