The modelling industry is the clearest symbol of this dangerous attitude. When I read fashion magazines, I am usually repulsed by the pale skeletons which grace the pages. Basically, these magazines serve to make malnutrition fashionable.

Even worse, many of these women are regarded as extremely successful. These are the women that make the big bucks, get "any man they want" and are famous all around the world. It is no wonder that women are captivated by the emaciated figures of supermodels.

Inevitably, many women who seek to emulate these "heroines" become so obsessed with losing weight that too much is never enough. The more they lose, the more they think they have to lose.

In the desperate attempt to reach the ideal weight, many women resort to anorexia, instead of more healthy alternatives such as nutrition and exercise. The obsession often becomes so severe that these women lose sight of their goal and, instead of making an appearance on the cover of Vogue, they find themselves on hospital beds.

Even though more women are becoming aware of the problems associated with anorexia, solutions are rarely acknowledged. At Harvard, fortunately, important programs such as Eating Concerns Hotline Outreach (ECHO) already exist. Yet, few people know about them.

I must wonder if people actually realize that ECHO is a peer counseling hotline outreach? Or that it has drop-in hours, discussion groups and speakers? Or that it has an outreach program for freshman? Do people know that ECHO works with the Dining Services program to help facilitate awareness of eating disorders? Or that ECHO is only one link in a network of university organizations?

The student body apparently possesses a poor understanding of the resources available. Many students have never heard of the programs or they believe that they are some type of "mushy" method in which the counselors have a list of positive adjectives to spit out when you call or drop in. It is not enough to advertise these programs in the Radcliffe pamphlets that barely anybody reads.

Students at Harvard need to be made aware of the ways to overcome eating disorders. There should be a stronger and tighter communication between the existing programs and the student body. And, generally, more preventive measures should be taken so that one day, we eventually won't need such programs.

Something certainly must be done when it is considered a compliment to be called anorexic.