January Joiner Teacher Info Packet

R E H C TEA TION A M R T O E F K N I PAC

Y R A U N A J R E N I JO A WORLD PREMIERE

S S O L T H Y G D I E E A W OR COM R R O H

by LAURA

JAN 9 - FEB 10

This project is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts

JACQMIN directed by

ERIC TING

GO R D O N E D E L ST E IN ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

★

J OS HUA BORE NS TE I N MANAGING DIRECTOR

PRES ENTS T H E WORLD PREMI ERE O F

BY LA U R A J A CQ MI N DIR ECT E D B Y ER I C TI NG

JANUARY 9 - FEBRUARY 10, 2013 ON STAGE II

TEACHER INFORMATION PACKET COMPILED AND WRITTEN BY AN N I E D I MARTINO Director of Education M AL L O R Y P EL L EG RINO Resident Teaching Artist Administrator AN TH O N Y DE POTO Resident Teaching Artist KR I STI A N N A S MITH Resident Teaching Artist EL I ZABET H NEARING Artistic Resident

Teacher Information Packet Layout by CLAIRE ZOGHB

LONG WHARF THEATRE GRATEFULLY ACKNOWLEDGES THE GENEROSITY OF OUR EDUCATION SUPPORTERS

ELIZABETH CARSE FOUNDATION FREDERICK A. DELUCA FOUNDATION THE GEORGE A. AND GRACE L. LONG FOUNDATION THE SEEDLINGS FOUNDATION WELLS FARGO FOUNDATION THE WERTH FAMILY FOUNDATION FOUNDING SUPPORTER OF LONG WHARF THEATRE ’ S VIDEO STUDY GUIDE AND SUPPORTER OF THE EDUCATORS ’ LABORATORY

THE WORLD PREMIERE OF

JJANUARY JOINER A WEIGHT LOSS HORROR COMEDY

BY LAURA JACQMIN DIRECTED BY ERIC TING SET DESIGN COSTUME DESIGN LIGHTING DESIGN SOUND DESIGN CASTING PRODUCTION STAGE MANAGER

NARELLE SISSONS° OANA BOTEZ STEPHEN STRAWBRIDGE° LEAH GELPE° JAMES CALLERI, CSA MATTHEW MELCHIORRE*

This project is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts

* Member of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States ° Member of United Scenic Artists, USA-829 of the IATSE This Theatre operates under an agreement between the League Of Resident Theatres and Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.

TABLE OF CONTENTS ABOUT THE PLAY Characters 8 Synopsis 9 Glossary 10 THE WORLD OF THE PLAY On Obesity 14 Overweight, Obese, and Being Large 16 Childhood Obesity 18 Thinspiration 19 Weight Loss Plans and Dieting Trends 20 Weight Loss Reality TV 22 Life at a Weight Loss Resort 23 Media’s View of Celebrities 25 Celebrity Photos 28 Genres 31 Horror: Discovering the Genre 34 Write a Review 36 SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIALS Eating Disorders 38 Depression and Suicide 40 Real Teens Speak Out 42 Eating Disorders: The Male Perspective 43 Eating Healthy 44 Government Efforts 46 US Food Guides 47 Nutrition Facts 48

Look for this symbol to find discussion and writing prompts, CMT/ CAPT-prep questions and classroom activities!

ABOUT THE PLAY

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THE CHARACTERS

MYRTLE: An overweight woman in her 30s who lives in New York City; sister of Terry. Myrtle is overweight but is naturally pretty.

TERRY: In her 30s and overweight as well, she lives in Ohio and is more opinionated than her sister, Myrtle.

DARNELL: Somewhere in his 30s or 40s, he is an obese man who is chipper and cheerful about both life and his size. Darnell is very accepting of his weight.

APRIL: Around late 20s/early 30s, she is more skinny than athletic and not the nicest of people.

She is a camp coach along with Brian and is considered a “hard ass/ bitch.�

BRIAN: He is the physically fit, attractive camp coach in his late 20s/early 30s.

He is also the voice of the Vending Machine.

VENDING MACHINE: An evil machine that speaks and taunts Terry and April. The Vending Machine is played by the actor playing Brian.

HOLY-SHIT-GHOST: A bloody mess and horrific looking.

NOT-TERRY: This is an image of Terry but not played by actual Terry. She is very comfortable and confident with herself.

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SYNOPSIS OF THE PLAY

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her a whale), and she joins the X Program (X for Xtreme), determined to lose 100 pounds. Tensions continue to build, with late night vending machine visits, job and relationship woes, the appearance of a ghost, fraternizing among coaches and clients, sibling rivalry, and growing obsessions to have the perfect body. They reach a peak when Terry is replaced by Not-Terry, to the bewilderment and dismay of her sister. Meanwhile, Darnell is not progressing, he has actually gained 12 pounds since his last weight in. After being berated by April and rejection from Not-Terry, Darnell decides to take matters into his own hands and go for a swim…with weights.

t the beginning of the play, we meet two sisters: Terry and Myrtle. Both ladies are on their way to EVOLVE: a weight loss spa where you pay a lot of money to have a weight loss experience. Terry, having recently suffered a heart attack, hopes to lose 50 pounds, while Myrtle, large by very pretty, is more focused on supporting her sister than losing weight. At the spa, they meet spa veteran Darnell, who proclaims he is “fat proud, not fat-down-in-the-dumps”; counselor April, who is tough as nails but has some secrets; counselor Brian, a good-looking guy who has overcome a dark past; and a very tempting vending machine that seems to know everyone’s secret desires.

Afterwards, the clients and counselors must deal with more than just weight loss: the loss of a friend.

In the end, everyone “just goes home and hopes for the best.”

On her first night, the vending machine vends Myrtle a knife, and things start to go downhill from there. Terry has a life-changing experience after swimming in the ocean (i.e. a group of tourists call

IN THE CLASSROOM 1. (Before the show) With the subtitle “a weight loss horror comedy,” who do you expect to be the villain?

2. (After the show) What was different from what you thought?

Was there a clear villain? Were you right?

3. January Joiner is a new play. What about a modern play appeals to you as a modern audience?

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G LO S S AR Y Anorexia Nervosa: An eating disorder primarily affecting adolescent girls and young women, characterized by pathological fear of becoming fat, distorted body image, excessive dieting, and emaciation.

Binging: A period of excessive or uncontrolled indulgence in food or drink.

BMI: Body Mass Index *Note: Although it is an accepted standard, BMI has also been recognized as a flawed system.

Bulimia: Habitual disturbance in eating behavior mostly affecting young women of normal weight, characterized by frequent episodes of grossly excessive food intake followed by self-induced vomiting to avert weight gain.

MIL K

Calcium: A basic component of most animals and plants. Humans need calcium for strong and healthy bones and teeth.

Calorie: A unit of measurement for the amount of energy needed to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water through 1°C. Circa: In approximately; about.

EXAMPLE:

CASH E WS

born circa 1900.

Equinox: The time when the sun crosses the plane of the earth’s equator, making night and day approximately equal length all over the earth. They occur about March 21 (vernal equinox or spring equinox) and September 22 (autumnal equinox).

Exercise: Bodily or mental exertion, especially for the sake of training or improvement of health. EXAMPLE: Walking is a good exercise.

Ghastly: Inspiring shock, revulsion, or horror by or as if by suggesting death; terrifying.

Fat: Having too much flabby tissue; corpulent; obese.

RE D MEA T A ND E G G S ARE GOOD SOU RC ES OF IRON

Fraternize: To associate in a friendly way.

Folate: A salt or ester of folic acid.

Iron: Iron plays an important role in biology, forming complexes with molecular oxygen in hemoglobin and myoglobin: these two compounds are common oxygen transport proteins in vertebrates.

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G L O S S AR Y

Nutrient: A source of nourishment, especially a nourishing ingredient in a food.

Obese: Extremely fat; grossly overweight. An adult who has a BMI of 30 or higher is considered obese.

BAN A N A S A R E R I C H I N PO T A S S I U M

Overweight: Weighing more than is normal, necessary, or allowed, especially having more body weight than is considered normal or healthy for one’s age or build. An adult who has a BMI between 25 and 29.9 is considered overweight.

Personal Trainer: A person who works one-on-one with a client to plan or implement an exercise or fitness regimen.

Potassium: A soft, silver-white, highly or explosively reactive metallic element that occurs in nature only in compounds. Humans often get potassium from eating bananas.

Protein: Any of a group of complex organic macromolecules that contain carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and usually sulfur and are composed of one or more chains of amino acids. Proteins are fundamental components of all living cells and include many substances, such as enzymes, hormones, and antibodies that are necessary for the proper functioning of an organism. They are essential in the diet of animals for the growth and repair of tissue and can be obtained from foods such as meat, fish, eggs, milk, cheese and legumes.

F I S H A N D C HE E S E A R E T W O S O UR C E S O F PR O T E I N

Sodium: Also known as salt (table salt, sea salt).

Tryptophan: One of 22 essential amino acids that are required in the human diet. Humans often eat tryptophan in turkey. It’s also what causes you to feel sleepy after a big Thanksgiving meal.

Tubby: To be short and fat.

Underweight: A human who is considered to be under a healthy weight. A BMI of under 18.5 is usually referred to as underweight.

SA LT

continued on next page >

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G L O S S AR Y

Vitamin A: A fat-soluble vitamin or a mixture of vitamins, especially vitamin A1 or a mixture of vitamins A1 and A2, occurring principally in fish-liver oils, milk, and some yellow and dark green vegetables, and functioning in normal cell growth and development. Its deficiency causes hardening and roughening of the skin, night blindness, and degeneration of mucous membranes. Also can be referred to as retinol.

Vitamin C: A white, crystalline vitamin, C6H8O6, found in citrus fruits, tomatoes, potatoes, and leafy green vegetables and used to prevent scurvy.

V IT AMIN A: CARROT S AND SWE E T P OT AT OE S

Vitamin E: Any of several fat-soluble vitamins consisting of tocopherols, especially alpha-tocopherol that are found chiefly in plant leaves, wheat germ oil, and milk. They act as antioxidants in the body.

Vitamin K: A fat-soluble vitamin, occurring in leafy green vegetables, tomatoes, and egg yolks that promotes blood clotting and prevents hemorrhaging. It exists in several related forms, such as K1 and K2.

From dictionary.reference.com and thefreedictionary.com/cdc.gov

IN THE CLASSROOM

V IT AMIN C: ORANG E S

V IT AMIN E : KAL E AND SP INACH

Reading Recall and Application: • Can you name and define the various vitamins that are listed above and what foods they could be in?

• Can you plan a day’s worth of meals containing all the vitamins listed above?

V IT AMIN K: B ROCCOL I

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THE WORLD OF THE PLAY

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ON OBESITY OBESE adjective grossly fat or overweight: Origin: mid 17th century: from Latin obesus ‘having eaten until fat’, from ob-’away, completely’ + esus (past participle of edere ‘eat’)

BODY MASS INDEX (BMI) noun an approximate measure of whether someone is over- or underweight, calculated by dividing their weight in kilograms by the square of their height in meters.

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Approximately 17% (or 12.5 million) of children and adolescents aged 2-19 years are obese (2008)

More than one-third of U.S. adults (35.7 %) are obese.

CDC 2009-2010

CDC 2009-2010

ACCORDING TO THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION • Worldwide obesity has more than doubled since 1980.

• In 2008, more than 1.4 billion adults, 20 and older, were overweight. Of these over 200 million men and nearly 300 million women were obese.

• 65% of the world’s population live in countries where overweight and obesity kills more people than underweight.

• More than 40 million children under the age of five were overweight in 2010.

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OVERWEIGHT, OBESITY OR JUST BEING LARGE: DISPELLING THE LABEL MYTH

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things like breathing, digesting, and being physically active. Becoming overweight or obese happens over time when you take in more calories than you use.

Yet other causes play an effect in the overweight VS obesity label war:

n the play, personal trainer April leads the group in a sharing exercise that asks the questions why they are the way that they are, why their body is the way it is, and why they are overweight. In the scene, April confesses that she has always been thin and that she is blessed with a high metabolism and great genes, while personal trainer Brian confesses that he was not always fit: he grew up very poor with no fresh fruits or vegetables. Brian goes on to share that he suffered from asthma because his parents smoked, and, one day, he realized that his family lifestyle was slowly killing him, so he decided to make a change.

AN INACTIVE LIFESTYLE Many Americans aren’t very physically active. Many people spend hours in front of TVs and computers doing work, schoolwork, and leisure activities. In fact, more than 2 hours a day of regular TV viewing time has been linked to overweight and obesity. Other reasons for not being active include: relying on cars instead of walking, fewer physical demands at work or at home because of modern technology and conveniences, and lack of physical education classes in schools.

At EVOLVE, weight loss clients Darnell, Terry and Myrtle have all been subjected to the idea that they are big for their size. Yet, what is the difference between being overweight, obese, or just being big boned? Many reputable sites, including the CDC, enlist the help of something called Body Mass Index (or BMI) to differentiate between obese and overweight. Simply explained, BMI is a package that correlates height and weight to determine where an individual falls. According to the CDC, those with a BMI between 25 and 29.9 are overweight, while those with a BMI above 30 are obese; however, BMI does not take into account that bone and muscle mass is denser than fat. Because of this oversight, a person with a large bone frame or someone with large muscles will have a high BMI rating. What label would you place on the characters of Darnell, Terry, Myrtle, and Brian? With his muscle mass, one would think Brian to be physically fit, yet his BMI reading might place him in the same category as Darnell. Weight loss clients and sisters, Terry and Myrtle share similar genes, yet one might label Terry overweight, while Myrtle could be considered big boned.

ENVIRONMENT Our environment doesn’t support healthy lifestyle habits; in fact, it encourages obesity. Some reasons include: • Lack of neighborhood sidewalks and safe places for recreation.

• Work schedules.

• Oversized food portions.

• Lack of access to healthy foods.

• Food advertising.

GENES AND FAMILY HISTORY Studies of identical twins that have been raised apart show that genes have a strong influence on a person’s weight. The tendency to become overweight or obese can run in families.Your chances of being overweight are greater if one or both of your parents are overweight or obese. Your genes also may affect the amount of fat you store in your body and where on your body you carry the extra fat. Because families also share food and physical activity habits, a link exists between genes and the environment.

So, what is the defining line in the label debate? It is usually argued that a lack of energy balance most often causes overweight and obesity issues. Energy balance means that your energy IN equals your energy OUT. Energy IN is the amount of energy or calories you get from food and drinks. Energy OUT is the amount of energy your body uses for

HEALTH CONDITIONS Some hormone problems may cause weight gain and obesity, such as underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism), Cushing’s syndrome, and polycystic ovarian syndrome

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smoking; however, smoking is a serious health risk, and quitting is more important than possible weight gain.

(PCOS). Underactive thyroid is a condition in which the thyroid gland doesn’t make enough thyroid hormone. Lack of thyroid hormone will slow down your metabolism and cause weight gain.You’ll also feel tired and weak.

AGE As you get older, you tend to lose muscle, especially if you’re less active. Muscle loss can slow down the rate at which your body burns calories. If you don’t reduce your calorie intake as you get older, you may gain weight. Midlife weight gain in women is mainly due to aging and lifestyle, but menopause also plays a role.

Many women gain about 5 pounds during menopause and have more fat around the waist than they did before.

MEDICINES Certain medicines may cause you to gain weight.

These medicines include some corticosteroids, antidepressants, and seizure medicines. These medicines can slow the rate at which your body burns calories, increase your appetite, or cause your body to hold on to extra water.

LACK OF SLEEP Research shows that lack of sleep increases the risk of obesity. For example, one study of teenagers showed that with each hour of sleep lost, the odds of becoming obese went up. Lack of sleep increases the risk of obesity in other age groups as well. People who sleep fewer hours also seem to prefer eating foods that are higher in calories and carbohydrates, which can lead to overeating, weight gain, and obesity. Sleep helps maintain a healthy balance of the hormones that make you feel hungry or full.

EMOTIONAL FACTORS Some people eat more than usual when they’re bored, angry, or stressed. Over time, overeating will lead to weight gain and may cause one to become overweight or obese.

SMOKING Some people gain weight when they stop smoking.

One reason is that food often tastes and smells better after quitting smoking. Another reason is because nicotine raises the rate at which your body burns calories, so you burn fewer calories when you stop

IN THE CLASSROOM SOURCES: CDC Overweight and obesity http://www.cdc.gov/ obesity/adult/index.htmi What Causes Overweight and Obesity http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/ health/health-topics/ topics/obe/causes.html

Using any combination of factors listed above, describe what groups are most likely to fall prey to becoming obese or overweight. (Think of Brian’s story from the play).

Do you see any one of these factors at play in your own life? How could the potentially affect your health, and what can you do to overcome the factors?

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CHILDHOOD OBESITY: A QUESTION TO BE EXPLORED Over the past 30 years the way we live life has drastically changed. Childhood obesity is an ever growing issue in the United States. One out of every three children in the U.S.A. is either overweight or obese.

Why is this a problem?

There are many health issues associated with being overweight or obese. A few are: • type 2 diabetes • heart disease • high blood pressure • cancer • asthma Even if these do not present themselves in childhood, children who are overweight or obese face a higher risk of these diseases in adulthood. There are additional negative social effects to being overweight, such as threatening or bullying.

What does it mean to be overweight or obese?

According to the CDC, overweight is having a Body Mass Index (BMI) between 25-29.9, and obese is having a BMI of 30 or above.

QUESTION: Do you feel BMI is an accurate measurement? Can there be such a thing as a skinny fat person? Explain your answer. Is there a skinny fat person in the play?

Are there other factors that can play in to the rise of childhood obesity in America? Here are some suggested categories to explore.

• Family dynamics (Nature vs. Nurture) • Socio-economic status • Depression

According to the CDC, there are a number of factors that play into how chiildhood obesity has become a problem. They are: • Sugar drinks and less healthy foods on school campuses • Advertising of less healthy foods • Lack of daily quality physical activity in all schools • No safe and appealing place in many communities to pLay or be active • Limited access to healthy affordable foods • Greater availability of high energy dense foods and sugar drinks • Increasing portion sizes • Lack of breast feeding • Television and Media

CONNECT WITH THE TEXT: Terry and Myrtle’s mom limited the number of things she could eat, and eventually, died from malnutrition.

Compare Brian’s childhood with Terry and Myrtle’s.

What defining moments in their childhood created their adult relationship with food?

SOURCES: CDC Childhood Obesity http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/childhood/problem.html Let’s Move! Campaign

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http://www.letsmove.gov/

THINSPIRATION TERRIFIED OF GAINING WEIGHT, TERRY AND MYRTLE’S MOM WOULD ONLY EAT EIGHT THINGS. AS SHE GREW OLDER, THE NUMBER REDUCED TO SEVEN, SIX, FIVE, FOUR, THREE, TWO, ONE... UNTIL SHE ENDED UP IN THE HOSPITAL WHERE TERRY AND MYRTLE WATCHED HER DIE.

Pro-Ana and Pro-mia communities are not new, but they’ve found new and strong footing on sites such as tumblr, especially for teenagers.

“IT’S A HUGE ISSUE. Young people who are prone to disordered eating are generally plagued with insecurity and feeling very isolated, so this world of pro-ana provides a community and a sense of belonging, and validates their experiences. But unfortunately, it does so in a way that promotes incredibly unhealthy and dangerous behavior.”

– Claire Mysko, an advisor to the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA), from “THE HUNGER BLOGS: A Secret World of Teenage ‘Thinspiration’” on Huffington Post see also: www.skinnygossip.com In various degrees of severity, this mentality spreads into tabloids, news shows, and more. There are severe instances of bullying and discrimination in all age groups from “that girl needs to eat a sandwich” to “she’s too fat to report the news.”

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WEIGHT LOSS PLANS AND WORKOUT TRENDS LOSING WEIGHT CLEANSE/DETOX DIETS: o What it is: Restricting foods eaten (sometimes only liquids) in the hopes of “cleansing” the body, removing toxins and poisons. o How it works: Depends on the diet, some like the master cleanse which limits you to a maple syrup/lemonade combination, others limit you to raw, uncooked food only, and some are “juice diets” that have you consume nothing by fresh fruit and veggie juice for a week. o Pros and Cons: Detox diets are very controversial as there is not enough evidence to back up the claims they make. If you do lose weight, it may not be in the most healthy way possible. Some of these diets have very severe restrictions. o Everydiet.org

o

(probably through eating fewer calories and portioncontrol), there is no plan for keeping it off. The food can get expensive (because it is their brand), and you may get tired of eating cereal (although they do have several flavor options).

SpecialK.com

HEALTHY CHOICE: o What it is: Pre-packaged meals that you can heat up in your microwave at home or the office. o How it works: These portion-controlled meals “cut down on calories, saturated fat and sodium” while providing good sources of “fiber, whole grains and protein.” Fiber makes that full feeling last longer, while whole grains can improve your overall health. Protein “helps your body build and repair muscle tissue, boost[s] your immune system, and produces energy and hormones.” o Pros and Cons: While it is convenient and a more healthy option than McDonalds, it’s still processed food. o Livestrong.com

PALEOLITHIC “PALEO” DIET: o What it is: Known as the “caveman” or “cavewoman” diet, it is based on the diet of what our primal ancestors lived on before processed and fast food. o How it works: The hunter-gatherer mentality applies: “if you couldn’t hunt it or gather it back in the Paleolithic days, you probably shouldn’t eat it.” This means you can eat vegetable, fruit, nuts, and meat, but you must cut out dairy and processed food (anything that comes in a box, really). o Pros and Cons: Although it is very restrictive, it’s unprocessed, reduces bloating (by increasing fiber and water intakes and avoiding salt), is high in fruits, veggies, and healthy fats (like fish and nuts), and it’s filling (so no in-between snacking or starving going on). o Shape.com

WEIGHT WATCHERS: o What it is: Marketed as “[not] a diet, [but a] healthy way to live,” this program has almost 50 years of proven success. It is designed to help you live a healthy life by making “smart choices and eat[ing] real food.” o How it works: You create a plan with a target amount of daily points based on your height, weight, age, and gender.

You can use the points however you like, but you must keep track of the points you eat and not go over your allotted amount. Basically, it gets you thinking about what you eat, so you’re “eating smarter.” o Pros and Cons: There are no “forbidden foods”; the program has proven success stories and a long history of success; it provides lots of support in the form of meetings, online systems and apps; by teaching you how to make healthy choices, Weight Watchers makes weight loss sustainable. It costs money (although you can “join for free” to try it out) and requires commitment for you to make changes and stick to them. You also have to track your changes, exercise, and what you’ve eaten in a given day (in the form of points). It’s not easy and requires time and management, but it works. This is not a “quick fix.” o Weightwatchers.com

SPECIAL K CHALLENGE: o What it is: You can lose up to 6 pounds in 2 weeks by adding or substituting Special K products (cereals, shakes, and bars) to meals and for snacks. o How it works: Visit the Special K website to customize a plan that is right for you (choose your lifestyle and timeline, they do the rest). Print out the shopping list, and follow the plan! You can also keep track of your progress online, in a journal, or through their app. o Pros and Cons: While you will drop some weight

REMEMBER: Being healthy and being thin are NOT the same thing.

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P90X: o What it is: A series of home workouts designed to get you trim and toned in three months, working out for one hour each day. o How it works: The program “alternates between 12 intense workouts that combine to create muscle confusion… a form of cross training that switches up movements to avoid plateaus.” o Pros and Cons: This workout definitely provides results for your full-body and changes the routines up enough to not become boring; however, the videos spend little time explaining proper technique, so participants may injure themselves if they do not maintain careful form. Also, avoid plugs for the P90X nutritional supplements, as they are not regulated by the FDA. o Shape.com

WORKING OUT CROSSFIT: o What it is: A principal strength and conditioning program used worldwide, largely for “police academies and tactical operations teams, military special operations units, champion martial artists and hundreds of other elite and professional athletes worldwide.” o How it works: You can either work out on your own or at a licensed CrossFit affiliate. CrossFit posts daily workouts online for you to follow if you are not part of a class. o Pros and Cons: While CrossFit gives off the elite vibe, their routines are the same for “elderly individuals with heart disease and cage fighters one month out from televised bouts.” The need of these groups differ “by degree, not kind.” This workout, however, is no joke. o crossfit.com

ZUMBA: o What it is: Spanish slang for “buzz like a bee” or “move fast,” this workout calls for you to “ditch the workout [and] join the party.” o How it works: Zumba uses four or five repeated steps and Latin music to get participants moving to the beat and having a good time. Such a good time, that many students say they forget they are exercising. Don’t let the fun turn you away, it gets your heart beat up and makes you sweat, while trimming your body and tightening your abs because it is a full body workout. Additionally, learning the steps makes your mind sharper. o Pros and Cons: It’s very inclusive and simple: the steps can be modified so that it is low-impact, and you can do it with a group in class or in your home with the DVDs, all you need is a good pair of shoes. You also need to remember to be uninhibited to get the most benefit out of the workout. o WebMD.com

INSANITY: o What it is: A series of 10 workout DVDS that uses your own body weight as resistance (requires nothing but the videos and you) and last 30-60 minutes per day, 6 days a week for 60 days. o How it works: Cardiovascular-based “max interval training,” this workout has you workout as hard as you can for 3-minute intervals, separated by short 30-second periods of rest. o Pros and Cons: Easily done at home with no extra equipment required, this is a great program for people who want to lose body fat/weight fast and increase their cardiovascular fitness (not for people who want to increase muscle); however, it is an intense workout designed for people who are already in good shape and takes commitment. Insanity is probably not the best choice for beginners. o WebMD.com

IN THE CLASSROOM 1. Which plans appeal to you the most and which appeal to you the least? Have you ever participated in any of these plans or similar ones? Why or why not? Is there a plan at your school like any of these programs?

2. These are just a sampling of the variety of diets and workouts in the world. Do you agree with dieting? Why or why not? Hold a classroom debate arguing the pros and cons of various diets and/or workout plans.

3. Dieting and working out have a tendency to be trends. How do you think we can promote eating healthy and being active? Design a campaign slogan and plan of action, then present them to the class.

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WEIGHT LOSS REALITY TV “The Biggest Loser [is a place] where contestants repent their former, miserable fat lives and only gain redemption once they’ve lost weight…TV like that can fuel the terror that people, especially those with eating disorders, have of being fat. Who wants to be a member of a population where you are mocked and made fun of and criticized and judged?”

After Season 1 of BIGGEST LOSER, the show received 250,000 audition tapes a year. The show’s creator JD Roth now runs four different weight-loss reality TV shows. – NPR “Why do they have to be in sports bras and tiny shorts? It’s so people at home will be like, ‘Oh they’re so fat, that’s so gross!’ You wouldn’t treat animals on television the way they treat some of these people.” – Ashley Fink, Actress (HUGE, GLEE)

– Beth Bernstein, Psychotherapist

“In 11 months if you can go from 430 lbs to running the Boston Marathon, there’s nothing you can’t do. That’s what I want people to know—it’s never too late to make a change and change your life” – Danny Cahill, former BIGGEST LOSER contestant and motivational speaker

IN THE CLASSROOM 1. Do you think Reality TV shows have made it easier for people with weight issues to get help or do you think it has only heightened criticism of themselves and others?

2. Do you believe that the coaches and trainers on shows like “Biggest Loser” are too hard on contestants? Should they be nicer? Why or why not.

3. What is a better (more positive) alternative to shows like “Biggest Loser”?

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LIFE AT A WEIGHT LOSS RESORT A TYPICAL SCHEDULE 8:00 A.M.

YOGA

9:00 A.M.

BREAKFAST: VEGETABLE OMELET AND FRUIT

10:00 A.M.

OUTDOOR SPORT OR HIKING

11:30 A.M.

STRENGTH WORKOUT

12:45 P.M.

LUNCH OF SALAD WITH CHICKEN BREAST USUAL STAFFING

1:30 P.M.

NUTRITION CLASS

2:30 P.M.

KICKBOXING

3:30 P.M.

SNACK OF GRANOLA OR A SMOOTHIE

4:00 P.M.

FREE GYM TIME

Director of Behavioral Health

5:00 P.M.

WATER AEROBICS

Director of Fitness

6:00 P.M.

DINNER OF FISH AND VEGETABLES

7:00 P.M.

PERSONAL TIME

Program Director Director of Education

Fitness Specialists Wellness coach Dietician Chef Therapist

TIPS FROM RESORTS: • keep track of your food • weigh yourself often • identify your motivators • don’t overindulge in snacks • go heavy on the cardio • eat lots of fiber For more TIPS go to: http://healthland.time.com/2012/08/10/ weight-loss-advice-straight-from-the-spas/

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L I F E A T A WEI G H T L O S S R ES O R T

AVERAGE COST: $2,0004,000/week

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The Biggest Loser Resort proclaims that it is affordable at the average cost of $2,000-4,000 per week. Who does The Biggest Loser Resort cater to?

Is spending $2,000+ a week to lose weight equivalent to or a better alternative to a monthly local gym membership? Which do you think would yield better, longer-lasting results?

IN THE CLASSROOM Research some of these best known resorts (see list to the left).

Which ones are similar to the resort “EVOLVE” in January Joiner?

Do you think the playwright used them as inspiration?

• Birchcreek Retreat www.weightlossretreat.com • Miraval www.miravalresorts.com

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MEDIA COVERAGE OF CELEBRITIES:

RICHARD DREW

ASKING AND RESPONDING TO THE WEIGHT QUESTION In a culture where celebrities rule on high, it’s interesting to hear their articulate and insightful thoughts and opinions on important issues. Not all Hollywood stars are made of plastic.

RESPONDING TO PUBLIC CRITICISM: Last March, news, entertainment, and social media sites were abuzz with Ashley Judd’s “Puffy Face” and the reasons behind it. Theories ranged anywhere from injectable fillers to plastic surgery, with insults calling her a “pig” and a “cow” and warning her that she “better watch out” because her husband “is looking for a second wife.” In April, Ashley Judd released an article in The Daily Beast replying to her accusers and highlighting the ridiculousness of the media and its presumptions.

Read the full article below.

to be held in esteem and fond regard by family, friends, and community, but a central part of my spiritual practice is letting go of otheration. And casting one’s lot with the public is dangerous and self-destructive, and I value myself too much to do that.

From The Daily Beast April 9, 2012 Written by: Ashley Judd The Conversation about women’s bodies exists largely outside of us, while it is also directed at (and marketed to) us, and used to define and control us.

The Conversation about women happens everywhere, publicly and privately. We are described and detailed, our faces and bodies analyzed and picked apart, our worth ascertained and ascribed based on the reduction of personhood to simple physical objectification.

Our voices, our personhood, our potential, and our accomplishments are regularly minimized and muted.

However, the recent speculation and accusations in March feel different, and my colleagues and friends encouraged me to know what was being said.

Consequently, I choose to address it because the conversation was pointedly nasty, gendered, and misogynistic and embodies what all girls and women in our culture, to a greater or lesser degree, endure every day, in ways both outrageous and subtle. The assault on our body image, the hypersexualization of girls and women and subsequent degradation of our sexuality as we walk through the decades, and the general incessant objectification is what this conversation allegedly about my face is really about.

As an actor and woman who, at times, avails herself of the media, I am painfully aware of the conversation about women’s bodies, and it frequently migrates to my own body. I know this, even though my personal practice is to ignore what is written about me. I do not, for example, read interviews I do with news outlets. I hold that it is none of my business what people think of me. I arrived at this belief after first, when I began working as an actor 18 years ago, reading everything. I evolved into selecting only the “good” pieces to read.

Over time, I matured into the understanding that good and bad are equally fanciful interpretations. I do not want to give my power, my self-esteem, or my autonomy, to any person, place, or thing outside myself. I thus abstain from all media about myself. The only thing that matters is how I feel about myself, my personal integrity, and my relationship with my Creator. Of course, it’s wonderful

A brief analysis demonstrates that the following “conclusions” were all made on the exact same day, March 20, about the exact same woman (me), looking the exact same way, based on the exact same television appearance. The following examples are real, and come from a variety of (so-called!) legitimate news outlets (such as HuffPo, MSNBC, etc.), tabloid press, and social media: One: When I am sick for more than a month and on medication (multiple rounds of steroids), the accusation is that because my face looks puffy, I have “clearly had work done,” with otherwise credible reporters with great bravo “identifying” precisely the procedures I allegedly have had done.

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M EDI A C O VER AG E O F CEL EBR I T I ES

That the conversation about my face was initially promulgated largely by women is a sad and disturbing fact. – Ashley Judd Two: When my skin is nearly flawless, and at age 43, I do not yet have visible wrinkles that can be seen on television, I have had “work done,” with media outlets bolstered by consulting with plastic surgeons I have never met who “conclude” what procedures I have “clearly” had. (Notice that this is a “back-handed compliment,” too—I look so good! It simply cannot possibly be real!)

Three: When my 2012 face looks different than it did when I filmed Double Jeopardy in 1998, I am accused of having “messed up” my face (polite language here, the F word is being used more often), with a passionate lament that “Ashley has lost her familiar beauty audiences loved her for.”

Four: When I have gained weight, going from my usual size two/four to a six/eight after a lazy six months of not exercising, and that weight gain shows in my face and arms, I am a “cow” and a “pig” and I “better watch out” because my husband “is looking for his second wife.”

(Did you catch how this one engenders competition and fear between women? How it also suggests that my husband values me based only on my physical appearance? Classic sexism. We won’t even address how extraordinary it is that a size eight would be heckled as “fat.”)

fall for it still) have internalized patriarchy almost seamlessly. We are unable at times to identify ourselves as our own denigrating abusers, or as abusing other girls and women.

A case in point is that this conversation was initially promulgated largely by women; a sad and disturbing fact.

(That they are professional friends of mine, and know my character and values, is an additional betrayal.)

News outlets with whom I do serious work, such as publishing op-eds about preventing HIV, empowering poor youth worldwide, and conflict mineral mining in Democratic Republic of Congo, all ran this “story” without checking with my office first for verification, or offering me the dignity of the opportunity to comment.

It’s an indictment of them that they would even consider the content printable, and that they, too, without using time-honored journalistic standards, would perpetuate with un-edifying delight such blatantly gendered, ageist, and mean-spirited content.

Five: In perhaps the coup de grace, when I am acting in a dramatic scene in Missing—the plot stating I am emotionally distressed and have been awake and on the run for days—viewers’ remarks ranged from “What the f--k did she do to her face?” to cautionary gloating, “Ladies, look at the work!” Footage from “Missing” obviously dates prior to March, and the remarks about how I look while playing a character powerfully illustrate the contagious and vicious nature of the conversation.

The accusations and lies, introduced to the public, now apply to me as a woman across space and time; to me as any woman and to me as every woman.

I hope the sharing of my thoughts can generate a new conversation: Why was a puffy face cause for such a conversation in the first place? How, and why, did people participate? If not in the conversation about me, in parallel ones about women in your sphere? What is the gloating about? What is the condemnation about?

What is the self-righteous alleged “all knowing” stance of the media about? How does this symbolize constraints on girls and women, and encroach on our right to be simply as we are, at any given moment? How can we as individuals in our private lives make adjustments that support us in shedding unconscious actions, internalized

That women are joining in the ongoing disassembling of my appearance is salient. Patriarchy is not men.

Patriarchy is a system in which both women and men participate. It privileges, inter alia, the interests of boys and men over the bodily integrity, autonomy, and dignity of girls and women. It is subtle, insidious, and never more dangerous than when women passionately deny that they themselves are engaging in it. This abnormal obsession with women’s faces and bodies has become so normal that we (I include myself at times—I absolutely

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beliefs, and fears about our worthiness, that perpetuate such meanness? What can we do as families, as groups of friends? Is what girls and women can do different from what boys and men can do? What does this have to do with how women are treated in the workplace?

I ask especially how we can leverage strong female-tofemale alliances to confront and change that there is no winning here as women. It doesn’t actually matter if we are aging naturally, or resorting to surgical assistance. We experience brutal criticism. The dialogue is constructed so that our bodies are a source of speculation, ridicule, and invalidation, as if they belong to others—and in my case, to the actual public. (I am also aware that inevitably some will comment that because I am a creative person, I have abdicated my right to a distinction between my public and private selves, an additional, albeit related, track of highly distorted thinking that will have to be addressed at another time).

If this conversation about me is going to be had, I will do my part to insist that it is a feminist one, because it

has been misogynistic from the start. Who makes the fantastic leap from being sick, or gaining some weight over the winter, to a conclusion of plastic surgery? Our culture, that’s who. The insanity has to stop, because as focused on me as it appears to have been, it is about all girls and women. In fact, it’s about boys and men, too, who are equally objectified and ridiculed, according to heteronormative definitions of masculinity that deny the full and dynamic range of their personhood. It affects each and every one of us, in multiple and nefarious ways: our self-image, how we show up in our relationships and at work, our sense of our worth, value, and potential as human beings. Join in—and help change—the Conversation.

SOURCES: The Daily Beast: http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/04/09/ashley-judd-slapsmedia-in-the-face-for-speculation-over-her-puffy-appearance.html The Huffington Post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/25/lady-gaga-weight-singerbulimic-teenager_n_1913701.html?utm_hp_ref=celebrity http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/26/adele-blasts-musiciansuse-sex-sell-records_n_1915980.html

IN THE CLASSROOM 1a. In your opinion, what was the tipping point for Ashley Judd to write this letter? a. Being sick and having to have multiple rounds of steroids b. Being accused of having plastic surgery c. Not looking like she did 14 years ago d. Gaining Weight e. Her husband is looking at other women f. All of the above 1b. If only one of these accusations had been made, do you think she would have written this letter?

2. INDIVIDUALLY: Who is Ashley Judd blaming? Defend your answer.

3. AS A GROUP: Compare answers and hold a debate between differing opinions.

4. Who do you feel are the biggest offenders in judging body image of celebrities? Of everyday people? Is it men or women? Does the offending gender differ for different groups?

5. Write a response to Ashley Judd. Do you agree with some of the points she made? How do you think we can begin to “change the Conversation”?

6. In the article, Ashley Judd asks, “how can we as individuals, in our private lives, make adjustments that support us in shedding unconscious actions, internalized beliefs, and fears about our worthiness that perpetuate such meanness?” Write a response that reflects your personal ideas, then come together as a class to include a community response.

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CELEBRITIES CRITICIZED FOR THEIR BODY IMAGE THE BODY REVOLUTION

2004

ARGUMENT LADY GAGA: Combating photoshopped pictures of her from an Amsterdam concert, Lady Gaga posted scandalous photos of herself and barely anything else on her social networking site Little Monsters and called her fans to do the same in support of a “Body Revolution.” After admitting to suffering from “bulimia and anorexia since I was 15,” Gaga encouraged others to share their stories and “be brave and post a photo of you that celebrates your triumph over insecurities.” The ultimate goal is to “to inspire bravery…to make our flaws famous, and thus redefine the heinous.” Fans have been enthusiastically responding, including a woman with stage 2 breast cancer and one woman who had “always been embarrass[ed]…to show how overweight [she] was.”

2007

200 5 28

2010

COUNTERARGUMENT ADELE: In a recent article in the Huffington Post discussed Adele’s opposition to showing skin to sell records. The 24-year old singer believes that musicians stripping down to almost nothing are selling a “false image” to their fans. Adele continued to say “Exploiting yourself sexually is not a good look. I don’t find it encouraging.” An eighttime Grammy award winner, Adele has been under media scrutiny in the past because of her weight, but she insists, “I just stand there and sing. I’m not worried that I’m a ‘plus size’ and so much bigger than other artists… No matter what you look like the key is to be happy with yourself.”

In 2011, Adele laid out her philosophy to Vogue: “I’ve seen people where it rules their lives, who want to be thinner or have bigger boobs, and how it wears them. And I don’t want that in my life. I have insecurities, of course, but I don’t hang out with anyone who points them out to me.”

2 0 11

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C EL EB R I T I ES C R I T I CI Z ED FO R T H EI R BO DY I MAG E

2011

2012 IN THE CLASSROOM 1. Do you identify more with Lady Gaga or Adele on the Body Revolution? Or do you have your own opinion. What is the middle ground?

2. Do you think any of these celebrities deserve the criticism they are getting? Where do you think it comes from and why? Can we do anything to stop this kind of judgment or is it “just the way it is”?

Source: BUZZFEED http://www.buzzfeed.com/hillaryreinsberg/11-beautiful-women-the-media-has-called-fat

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High Tolerance for Disorder: Comic plots tend to be more random; they seem to be improvised, leaving a number of loose ends.

Seeking out the Unfamiliar: Comic heroes and plots tend to see the unexpected and surprising as an opportunity rather than a norm-violation.

High Tolerance for Ambiguity: In comedy, ambiguity is what makes humor possible. Equally, not everything has to make sense in comedy.

Divergent Thinking: Comedy is more imaginative, stressing playfulness. It tends to look for a variety of answers and doesn’t need to solve everything.

Critical Thinking: Comedy tends to call attention to the incongruities in the order of things, be it political, social, religious.

Preference for the Familiar: Tragic heroes and plots have “a low tolerance for cognitive dissonance.” The violation of the norm is what brings about a tragic fall.

Low Tolerance for Ambiguity: In tragedy, things should have one meaning and have clear-cut application to problems.

Convergent Thinking: Tragedy stresses what is past and what is real. It tends to be more information-gathering based, wanting to find and resolve nagging problems.

Uncritical Thinking: Tragedy tends not to call into question the accepted order of things. To do so is to suffer the consequences.

Complex: Comic heroes tend to be more flexible. Life tends to be messier, full of diversity and unexpected twists and turns. It is more difficult to classify experience.

Simplicity: Tragic heroes tend to approach problems and situations in a fairly straightforward manner. Life can be understood in simple binaries—good/bad; just/unjust; beautiful/ ugly.

Low Tolerance for Disorder: Tragic plots tend to stress order and process—the end follows from the beginning.

COMEDY

TRAGEDY

JANUARY JOINER

After watching the play or reading the script, complete the January Joiner section of the table. Based on your answers, is January Joiner more of a comedy or a tragedy? OR does it belong in a category all its own? What would you name this category?

GENRES: Comparing Tragic and Comic Visions

We’ve all seen them: the iconic theatre masks representing tragedy and comedy. But these genres have more to them than just a sad or a happy ending. Let’s compare some qualities of tragedies and comedies in this chart below.

A WEIGHT LOSS HORROR COMEDY—WHAT?!

32 Playfulness: Even if it has its serious side, the comic vision tends to treat large portions of life as not quite so serious.

Seriousness: The tragic vision takes its characters and plots seriously. They are treated as important and make demands upon us.

JANUARY JOINER

Antiheroism: Characters tend to be normal, down-toearth individuals. Comedies tend to parody authority.

Pacifism: Comedies tend to call into question warrior values: Better to lose your dignity and save your life.

Heroism: Characters tend to be "superhuman, semidivine, larger-than-life" beings.

Militarism: Tragedies often arise in warrior cultures. And its values are those of the good soldier--duty, honor, commitment.

The Social Differences between Tragic and Comic Visions

Body: The comic vision is very concerned with the human body—its sexual desires, bodily functions, craving for food. Suffering is often slap-stick. Comic heroes seem comfortable in such a world.

Spirit: The tragic vision tends to value the human spirit. It can often be dualistic, prizing the spirit/ soul above the body. Tragic heroes often long for some higher, greater level of life than common human existence.

Pragmatic: The comic vision is more aware of concrete realities. Comic heroes seek how to make it from dayto-day.

Idealistic: The tragic vision longs for a clearcut world driven by principle. It tends to value ethical abstractions, such as Truth, Justice, and Beauty Reversal: At least for the clever, comic actions allow one to escape the consequences, to have a second chance.

Adaptable: Comic heroes are more willing to change.

Or if they are not, we as the audience find this funny rather than tragic.

Stubbornness: Tragic heroes tend to stick with a course of action and follow it to their doom.

They are firm and committed.

Finality: Tragic actions lead to inevitable consequences.

Emotional Disengagement: Comic heroes are often ironic and disengaged from the situation; they tend to respond with wit, imagination, or cynicism. They tend to abstract themselves from their misfortunes. The audience is expected to react in much the same way to what the characters undergo.

COMEDY

Emotional Engagement: Tragic heroes tend to respond with strong, overpowering emotions— pride, lust, grief, rage. This often results in extremist attitudes and reactions. In the same way, the audience is expected to respond with cathartic involvement.

TRAGEDY

Comparing Tragic and Comic Visions (CONTINUED)

A W EIG H T L O S S H O R R O R CO MEDY — WH A T ?!

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Equality: Comedies tend to include all classes of people.

The lower classes are often the butt of the jokes, but they also tend to triumph in unexpected ways.

More Sexual Equality: Comedies, while often sexist too, are sometimes less so. Women play a larger, more active role.

Questions Authority: Comic heroes more often question tradition and those in authority.

Situation-based Ethics: Comic heroes tend to make up the rules as they go along or at least be wary of generalizations.

Social Integration: Comedies tend to focus on the larger community and spend more time paying attention to the interaction between groups.

Hierarchy: Tragedies tend to stress the upperclass, the noble few, royalty, and leaders.

Less Sexual Equality: Tragedies are often maledominated.

Respect for Tradition: Tragic heroes often uphold the accepted order or champion one tradition against another.

Rule-based Ethics: The tragic vision tends to stress the consequences of disobeying the accepted order of things.

Social Isolation: Tragedies tend to stress the individual and the consequences of the individual’s actions.

SOURCES: Morreall, John. Comedy, Tragedy, and Religion. Albany: State U of New York P, 1999.

So...where does January Joiner fit in? Horror is usually a term that refers to a movie genre that plays on the emotions and fear of its audience. How does January Joiner do this for today’s modern audience?

IN THE CLASSROOM

Forgiveness: In comedies, forgiveness, even friendship among former enemies, happens.

Vengeance: Offending a tragic hero often results in a cycle of vengeance.

HORROR: DISCOVERING THE GENRE

T

o define the core of the genre, it is important to take a look at the word and its history. “Horror,” according to the Oxford English Dictionary, begins its

career in English as a roughness or ruggedness; there is something uneven about it. It also means “a roughness or nauseousness of taste, such as to cause a shudder or thrill.”

Nausea remains part of the horror response, part of the definition—and so do the shudder and the thrill… “A horror” also means a shuddering or shivering, especially “as a symptom of disease,”

but in Latin the verb horrere—the source of “horror”—means to tremble, shiver, shake or shudder, not necessarily because of disease, but in some cases because of fear; it also means to loathe and to dread as well as to bristle, to stand on end as hair does, and to be rough. The hair-raising shudder is part of the term.

The fullest and most lasting sense of the word is in place by the late fourteenth century: “a painful emotion compounded of loathing and fear; a shuddering with terror and repugnance; strong aversion mingled with dread; the feeling excited by something shocking or frightful.”

Beginning in the late fifteenth century it is also used to signify “a feeling of awe or reverent fear (without any suggestion of repugnance); a thrill of awe, or of imaginative fear,” a usage that touches on the heights to which fear can lead the imagination, an important aesthetic consideration, which also provides a link with our sometimes ineffable response to the sublime. There it is: rough, nauseating, dreadful, frightening, hair-raising, repulsive, unspeakable, nameless, loathsome—an odd foundation on which to build an art.

– Excerpt from Horror and the Horror Film by Bruce F. Kawin

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“Horror audiences stick their hands into a black box knowing something will bite, only uncertain as to how and when”

“Horror shares a special bond with comedy. These two emotive genres play off one another. Tension builds into fear. Fear is released through screams or laughs, often both in quick succession…Horror is bound to comedy by a human impulse to relieve fear with laughs. Fear is a fertile womb for laughter. Other genres use humor, but only horror carries an innate potential for humor.

For better and worse. No other genre so risks unintentional laughs. Nothing is inherently funny about detectives or astronauts, but a zombie or swamp monster is always at risk of shattering its delicate tension at the wrong moment.”

–Thomas M. Sipos, Horror Film Aesthetics

–Thomas M. Sipos, Horror Film Aesthetics

IN THE CLASSROOM BEFORE: What are your expectations for this show, knowing that it has the subtitle “a weight loss horror comedy”?

AFTER: What elements did the play use that could be classified in the horror genre? Did you think it deserved to be called a horror comedy? List specific instances to support your claims from the play. If you were going to create a simile using other well-known horror films to describe January Joiner, what would it be?

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WRITE A REVIEW Reviews are not summaries of plays, they are critical reports highlighting the overall experience one recieves while sitting in the theatre watching the performance.

HOW DO YOU DO IT? HOOK The introduction of the article which grabs the attention of your reader. It makes the rest of the article worth reading.

ARGUMENT Where you state your case.

EVIDENCE Supporting your case with specific examples from your source, in this case the play.

CONCLUSION The summation of your case.Your conclusion gives a final impression of what you feel this experience will be like for your readers.

TIPS! • Say what you think • Don’t give away the plot • Be Specific • No idea can be wrong as long as you support it!

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SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIALS

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EATING DISORDERS • Intense fear of weight gain or being “fat” even though underweight.

• Disturbance in the experience of body weight or shape, undue influence of weight or shape on self-evaluation, or denial of the seriousness of low body weight.

• Loss of menstrual periods in girls and women post-puberty.

ANOREXIA Definition [from Encyclopedia Britannica] eating disorder characterized by the refusal of an emaciated individual to maintain a normal body weight. A person with anorexia nervosa typically weighs no more than 85 percent of the expected weight for the person’s age, height, and sex, and in some cases much less. In addition, people with anorexia nervosa have a distorted evaluation of their own weight and body shape. They typically consider their emaciated bodies to be attractive or even a bit too fat, have a severely restricted and rigid diet, and have an intense fear of gaining weight. In women the weight loss is accompanied by amenorrhea (failure to menstruate for at least three consecutive months). An estimated 5–20 percent of people with the disorder die as the result of starvation or medical complications that are caused by low weight and a restricted diet.

Statistics • Approximately 90-95% of anorexia nervosa sufferers are girls and women (American Psychiatric Association, 1994).

• Between 0.5–1% of American women suffer from anorexia nervosa.

• Anorexia nervosa is one of the most common psychiatric diagnoses in young women (Hsu, 1996).

• Between 5-20% of individuals struggling with anorexia nervosa will die. The probabilities of death increases within that range depending on the length of the condition (Zerbe, 1995).

• Anorexia nervosa has one of the highest death rates of any mental health condition.

• Anorexia nervosa typically appears in early to mid-adolescence.

Symptoms [from www.nationaleatingdisorders.org] • Resistance to maintaining body weight at or above a minimally normal weight for age and height.

BULIMIA

Symptoms [from www.nationaleatingdisorders.org] • Regular intake of large amounts of food accompanied by a sense of loss of control over eating behavior.

• Regular use of inappropriate compensatory behaviors such as self-induced vomiting, laxative or diuretic abuse, fasting, and/or obsessive or compulsive exercise.

• Extreme concern with body weight and shape.

Definition [from Encyclopedia Britannica] eating disorder characterized by binge eating followed by inappropriate attempts to compensate for the binge, such as self-induced vomiting or the excessive use of laxatives, diuretics, or enemas.

In other cases, the binge eating is followed by excessive exercise or fasting. The episodes of binge eating and purging typically occur an average of twice a week or more over a period of at least three months, and repetition of the cycle can lead to serious medical complications such as dental decay or dehydration.

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Statistics • Bulimia nervosa affects 1-2% of adolescent and young adult women.

• Approximately 80% of bulimia nervosa patients are female (Gidwani, 1997).

• People struggling with bulimia nervosa usually appear to be of average body weight.

• Many people struggling with bulimia nervosa recognize that their behaviors are unusual and perhaps dangerous to their health.

• Bulimia nervosa is frequently associated with symptoms of depression and changes in social adjustment.

BINGE DISORDER Statistics • The prevalence of BED is estimated to be approximately 1-5% of the general population.

• Binge eating disorder affects women slightly more often than men—estimates indicate that about 60% of people struggling with binge eating disorder are female, and 40% are male (Smith et al., 1998).

• People who struggle with binge eating disorder can be of normal or heavier than average weight.

• BED is often associated with symptoms of depression.

Definition Not yet officially diagnosed as a separate eating disorder and sometimes referred to as ‘nonpurging bulimia nervosa.’

Symptoms [from www.nationaleatingdisorders.org] • Frequent episodes of eating large quantities of food in short periods or time.

• Feeling out of control over eating behavior.

• Feeling ashamed or disgusted by the behavior.

• There are also several behavioral indicators of BED including eating when not hungry and eating in secret.

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THE DANGERS OF UNHEALTHY BODY IMAGE

B

who assessed her as low to no risk for suicide and ody image affects the fundamental capacity returned her home. In early summer of 2012, Fiona’s that one has for communicating and father found her in her room. She had hanged herself. interacting with the outside world. During According to an essay released after her death, Fiona the teenage years, bodies go through many had expressed how tormented she was at school. She different changes and with these changes come a was given a great grade on the paper, and no one at more drastic view of how one’s body appears to the school reached out others. For many teens, to help her or shared negative body image “’FAT’ IS USUALLY THE FIRST INSULT A GIRL THROWS AT their concerns with her comes not only from ANOTHER GIRL WHEN SHE WANTS TO HURT HER. I MEAN, IS family. Fiona was just 14 self reflection but from ‘FAT’ REALLY THE WORST THING A HUMAN BEING CAN BE? IS years old. outside sources such ‘FAT’ WORSE THAN ‘VINDICTIVE’, ‘JEALOUS’, ‘SHALLOW’, ‘VAIN’, as media, appearance ‘BORING’ OR ‘CRUEL’? of peers, and, most –JK ROWLING The Center of Disease Control (CDC) reports importantly, the opinions suicide as the third largest cause of deaths for young of peers. It is the opinion of others that usually people ages 15-24. The National Institute of Mental drowns out all other voices at this highly hormonal Health says that 6.9per 100,000 children ages 15-19 age. The consequences for feeding into such outside commit suicide and that number jumps to 12.7 per opinions can be incredibly severe and, in some cases, 100,000 for young adults ages 20-24. can cost lives.

Fiona is not the only young person who has felt hopeless over her situation. Over five million people have eating disorders and those with eating disorders are at a higher risk for self-injury. The way we see ourselves, and the way we believe others see us affects our self worth. If you know anyone who you might think is at risk, don’t hesitate to get them help!

It is never too late to reach out to someone in need.

This is a story of a young girl named Fiona Geraghty.

Fiona began school in September of 2011 at a boarding school in England. During the beginning of school, she spoke to her mother about difficulties she was having with other girls her age. In February of 2012, Fiona was removed from residing at the school after her mother was told that she may be suffering from bulimia. Fiona was brought to a doctor

SUICIDE HOTLINE All of these are Toll Free Available 24 hours 7 days a week New Haven

1-888-979-6884

Youth America Hotline: Counseling For Teens by Teens 1-877-968-8454 National Suicide Prevention Hotline 1-800-273-TALK (8255)

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T H E DA NG E R S O F U N H EAL T H Y BO DY I MAG E

BBC “Inquest opens into death of ‘bullied’ King’s College pupil Fiona Geraghty” http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-somerset-18521916 Eating Disorders:Thin at all costs? http://pbskids.org/itsmylife/body/eatingdisorders/index.html About Teen Suicide http://m.kidshealth.org/parent/emotions/behavior/suicide.html Suicide in the U.S. Statistics and Prevention http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/suicide-in-the-usstatistics-and-prevention/index.shtml

IN THE CLASSROOM SELF REFLECTION Write a letter to yourself that yoiu will read in five years.

What advice do you want to remember? Is there a specific event that you feel will always be able to help you? What do you hope to have accomplished?

CLASS DISCUSSION We all have low times. What are things that you do that help you have self worth?

What tips would you give for someone who is having a rough time?

CONNECT TO THE PLAY: “Your momma” jokes are very popular. Are they just for fun or do you think they can be hurtful? Why would Terry and Myrtle tell”your momma” jokes?

While she is swimming in the ocean, Terry is called a whale by a group of tourists on a boat. This incident motivates her to join the X program and double her weight loss goal. Have you ever called someone a name? How do you think it affected them? Have you ever been called a name? Did it motivate you to change or make you feel worse?

Do you think Terry’s decision to join the X program and lose 100 pounds was healthy? Why or why not?

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REAL TEENS SPEAK OUT, MAKE MEDIA LISTEN 14-year-old Julia Bluhm, fed up with page after page of pictures of perfect, predominately white girls, decided to do something to change it. She launched an online petition stating “I want to see regular girls that look like me in a magazine that’s supposed to be for me. For the sake of all the struggling girls all over America, who read Seventeen and think these fake images are what they should be, I’m stepping up.”

Launched through change.org, the petition “asking Seventeen to include one unaltered, Photoshop-free spread every issue” gained more than 84,000 signatures… and in August 2012, Seventeen responded by publishing a “Body Peace Treaty”, vowing to “celebrate every kind of beauty” and pledging to “never change a girls’ body or face shapes with retouching.

The success over Seventeen has sparked a new petition targeting Teen Vogue.

SOURCE: http://msmagazine.com/ blog/blog/2012/07/06/ teen-girl-wins-photoshopfight-against-seventeenmagazine/

IN THE CLASSROOM This 14 year old girl was loud and proud… she wanted something, and she went for it! What are the things that you would change?

How can YOU be LOUD and PROUD in your community?

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M E N HA VE EAT IN G DISORDERS, T O O !

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those that have long plagued women. But unlike the female ideal, which tends to focus on a “goal weight” or overall skinniness, men’s focus is nearly always on achieving “six-pack” abs.” There have even been celebrities that have suffered from this problem. Film actor, Dennis Quaid, now age 58 years old said that he dealt with “manorexia,” and sought treatment. Quaid explained to Boodman that his “manorexia” begun while playing the role of Doc Holiday in the 1994 film Wyatt Earp. Quaid, who has been known for his slender and muscular figure, dropped 40 pounds for this role and was terrified to gain any weight. Billy Bob Thornton, another actor, battled with anorexia and lost 59 pounds rapidly over a short period of time, and singer/songwriter Elton John mentioned that he suffered from bulimia. It’s really no surprise that men constantly in the public eye and under critique may have issues with body image, but what about the average Joe? Twenty-two year old, Matt Gaebel was hospitalized for anorexia after his sophomore year at North Carolina State when his weight went from 155 pounds to 106 pounds. The 6’3” Gaebel became bulimic after gaining weight during his treatment for anorexia. Concerned that he would ruin his teeth (stomach acid in vomit destroys enamel in teeth), Matt sought consolidation in binge eating and now weighs 225 pounds.

hen you think of eating disorders what comes to mind? You may picture young girls and women struggling with bulimia and anorexia, but what about the boys and men? Males battle with the same problems females do regarding eating disorders. While the National Institute of Health states that it is two-and-a half more times likely for girls to have an eating disorder than boys, Catherine Pearson of the Huffington Post had this to say about the statistic, “a growing body of evidence suggests that such numbers and statements may not truly reflect the large number of boys and men with eating disorders—be it anorexia, bulimia, binge eating or the broader category of “eating disorders not otherwise specified.” Many cases of boys struggling with eating disorders are not documented or recorded. Sandra Boodman of The Washington Post says, “Harvard researchers reported the results of the first national study of eating disorders in a population of nearly 3,000 adults and found that 25 percent of those with anorexia or bulimia and 40 percent of binge eaters were men.” So who are the men that suffer?

There have been many cases in which male athletes get involved with bulimia. Many sports, particularly wrestling, require athletes to maintain a specific weight.

Most of the time, these men will aggressively binge eat then purge immediately after. On the other side, there are athletes with anorexia who are terrified to eat in fear they might gain weight. Both of these diseases cause your body to prevent muscle tissue from building and grow.ing Not only do large muscular parts lose their size and strength, but the heart suffers as well. Registered Dietician Timi Gustafson says, “Just as athletes with anorexia lose arm and leg muscle that helps them be strong athletes, they simultaneously lose heart muscle. The heart gets smaller and cannot respond to stress. The resulting arrhythmias can be a cause of death.”

Boys and men need just as much help as girls and women do when dealing with any type of eating disorder. Boodman claims that there are many men fear admitting to their problem or addiction because this type of problem is usually seen as “for women only.” Boodman also states that some men who are interested in seeking help may have trouble finding treatment because some eating disorder programs accept only women.

Please, think about everyone who may be struggling with eating disorders and assist them in finding the help they need. For help or more information with male eating disorders please visit http://www. namedinc.org/

Men also have the same self image issues that women have; they just aren’t as public about it. Sandra Boodman states, “Males appear to be vulnerable to social pressures to achieve the perfect body similar to

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B ASIC T R I CKS T O STA YING H E AL T H Y Healthy living is not about trying to become the next supermodel or pro ball player. Healthy living is about treating your body well so that you can live a long life free of medical complications. So, how can you start that life today?

BALANCE Eating a healthy diet does not mean eating only celery. A healthy diet is composed of a balance of foods in the correct proportions.

Below is an image of “My Plate” the national icon of the Let’s Move campaign. This is a healthy reminder of what a meal should look like.

Now let’s break it down.

• HALF of your plate should be fruits and vegetables.

• HALF of your plate should be grains (pasta, bread, or rice) and a protein (red or white meat, fish, beans, or nuts).

• A SMALL SIDE should also some sort of dairy (cheese, milk, or yogurt) So there’s a guideline, but couldn’t you just get a plates as large as a tray? NO! That isn’t a very balanced solution.

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count cherry ice cream or fruity drinks as part of your daily fruit serving.

To help you out, here are some ideas about proportions. The protein that you eat should only be as large as the palm of your hand. For most adults, this means a protein proportion the size of about a deck of cards. Using your palm as a guide, you can figure out the size plate you should be eating in order to have a balanced meal.

MODERATION Now that you have an idea of what and how much of what you should be eating, let’s talk about moderation.

Moderation is not only about quantity of what you eat but how what you eat is prepared.

For example, fresh fruits are best for you; however, if fresh fruit is not available, you should still make sure you are choosing a healthy alternative. Choose canned fruits in juice or water over canned fruits in sugar. Do not

Instead of eating out, cook your own foods at home with your family or friends. Aim for more freshly prepared foods and less processed and fatty foods. Remember that what you put into your body affects how much you’ll be able to get out of it.

ACTIVITY Bodies were made to move. If you want to be active until a ripe old age, you have to remember to treat your body well. Join a sports team, take a dance class, or just go on a walk with friends.You can even Switch out sugary stay active while watching juices and soda for your favorite television show water. If you want by doing jumping jacks or to add flavor, try push ups during commercials. adding a bit of Find some activity that you enjoy doing, and do it every fresh mint or lime. day for about 30 minutes.

TIP:

IN THE CLASSROOM ISSUE A CLASSROOM CHALLENGE: Make a plan on how you can make your life healthier (eat out less, exercise for 30 minutes a day, up your intake of vegetables and fruits, drink more water, get more sleep, control portion sizes, etc).

Pick three. Log these activities in a journal for ONE MONTH. Write what you did and keep track of any changes you notice in your body and mood.

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GOVERNMENT EFFORTS

In reaction to the above graph, the US Government has created new legislation on the city and state levels to try to reduce calorie intake while eating out. The publication of nutritional information is key in these efforts. Many cities now require restaurants to post the calorie counts next to menu items. There is also, of course, Mayor Bloomberg’s NYC soda restrictions to reduce sugar intake from carbonated beverages.

For more info go to www.healthypeople.gov [section on nutrition and weight status]

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US FOOD GUIDES

1943 “THE BASIC SEVEN”

1992 “FOOD GUIDE PYRAMID”

2011 “MY PLATE” THE END OF THE FOOD PYRAMID

2005 “MY PYRAMID”

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NUTRITI O N F ACT S Are too many carbs bad for you? Too much of anything is bad for you. According to the FDA, you should consume 6 times more carbs than protein. The recommended daily intake of protein is 50 grams, while the recommended daily intake of carbohydrates is 300 grams.

We have all seen the “Nutrition Facts” label.We might even glance at some of the facts. But do you actually understand the ideas behind what you’re reading? For example, do you know what an “empty calorie” is? How many grams of fiber should you have in a day? No idea? Well, let’s change that!

The Nutrition Facts label on your food is guide to help you assess the value of the food you are about to eat.

Before we go over the label itself, let’s discus some facts about nutrition.

What is a calorie? The amount of energy needed to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water by 1°C.Yup, that’s right calories are an energy measurement.

STEPS TO READING THE LABEL There is a lot of information on a Nutrition Label, but some parts are more important than others. Read the label from the top down.

STEP 1: LOOK AT THE SERVING SIZE. Don’t assume that one bottle is always one serving size. Sometimes, one container can contain multiple servings. All other information is listed per serving. So, if your container holds more than one serving, then you have to multiply all other facts. For example, a bottle of soda contains 50 calories per serving, and 2 servings are in that bottle.

That means there’s a total of 100 calories. A little math can go a long way.

How many calories should you eat a day? The average diet is 2,000 calories. Because this is the average for men and women, the Daily Value that is listed on the Nutrition Facts label is based off of a 2,000 calorie diet.

Do you need 2,000 calories a day? That depends on how your body is built and how active you are. If you are smaller than average, you require less calories. If you are more active than most people, you require more calories. Only you can decide how much you need to maintain a healthy weight.

What’s an empty calorie? An empty calorie is a calorie that contains no nutritional value.

Fats, Sodium, and Cholesterol are bad...right?

Wrong.Your body needs a certain amount of Sodium, Cholesterol, and Fats in order to function properly. The problem arises when you consume too much of these.

That’s why it’s important to be aware of what you’re putting into your body.

STEP 2: CALORIES. Remember calories aren’t bad. They are necessary, but you should understand how many calories are putting into your body. Use the following as a guideline: 40 calories per serving is low, 100 calories per serving is moderate, 400 calories per serving its high.

STEP 3: TOTAL FAT. It is important to not only look at the daily percent of fat, but also at the type of fat. For a 2000 calorie diet, you should have about 65 grams of fat a day, but only 20 grams should be Saturated fat.

Keep your eye out for those monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats.

STEP 4: CHOLESTEROL AND SODIUM. According to the FDA, you should have 300mg of cholesterol and 2400mg of Sodium. Fun fact: both sea salt and table salt have the same amount of sodium.

Are there good fats? Yes! There are four types of fat: saturated, trans, monounsaturated, polyunsaturated.

The good fats have “unsaturated” in them and can be found in things like liquid vegetable oil. Bad fats are the saturated and transfats and can be found in things like butter. No matter where it comes from ALL FATS HAVE 9 CALORIES A GRAM, which is why it’s important to keep your fats low.

STEP 5: SUGARS. The FDA has no suggested serving of sugars. So, the best thing to do is keep your sugar intake low.

There are over 20 more items that can be listed on a nutrition label: calcium, protein, fiber, iron, potassium,

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Vitamins A, B, C, D, E, K, and even more. While these might not be in print, they still need to be in your body.

To help you get started on your nutritional research, here are some lists of places to find Vitamin A,Vitamin E,Vitamin K,Vitamin D, and Vitamin B12.

Vitamin A can be found in: • Paprika, Red Pepper, and Cayenne Pepper • Sweet Potatoes • Carrots • Dark Leafy Greens like Spinach, Kale, Collards Vitamin E can be found in: • Sunflower Seeds • Almonds • Peanuts • Herbs such as Basil, Sage, Thyme Vitamin K can be found in: • Herbs such as Basil, Sage, Thyme • Scallions • Brussel Sprouts • Broccoli Vitamin D can be found in: • Fish • Fortified Cereals • Oysters • Salami, Ham, Sausages SOURCES Health A Ciousness Top Ten List http://www.healthaliciousness.com/mostnutritious-foods-lists.php American Heart Association http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/ GettingHealthy/FatsAndOils/FatsOils_UCM_001084_SubHomePage. jsp#mainContent Huffington Post http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/17/ nutrition-labels-how-to-read_n_1889011. html?utm_hp_ref=tw FDA Nutrition Label http://www.fda.gov/Food/ GuidanceComplianceRegulatoryInformation/ GuidanceDocuments/FoodLabelingNutrition/ FoodLabelingGuide/ucm064928.htm

Vitamin B 12 can be found in: • Clams, Oysters • Liver • Caviar • Fish • Beef Having a balanced diet will not only improve your body, but it will also improve the way you feel. In combination with physical activity, you can help ensure that you live a long life without complications such as diabetes, obesity, heart problems, or worse.You don’t have to stop eating foods you like, but being aware of what you put in your body hours a long way. REMEMBER: WHEN IT COMES TO FOOD, YOU CAN’T GET NOTHING FOR NOTHING. If your food says it doesn’t contain something (calories, transfat, etc), that means they’ve added something else.

For example, many calorie free foods have added sugars.

Next time you pick up a bag or bottle, take the time to look over what is in it. The time you spend looking at the container is time you could be adding on to your healthy life.

IN THE CLASSROOM Research one of the following nutrients and present about the four most common places it can be found.

Choose from Potassium, Fiber,Vitamin B,Vitamin D, and Iron.

IN THE TEXT: 1. How many grams of protein should you have a day?

How does that compare to carbohydrates?

2. Where the difference between the Sodium in table salt versus sea salt?

3. How many calories per serving is considered low?

Moderate? High?

4. What food can you find Vitamin E in?

5. What does a calorie measure?

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CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS WE BELIEVE THAT THEATRE CAN SUPPORT and work in tandem with everyday classroom activities and scholastic goals. Below are some suggested activities that can be done for each production, with a focus on vocabulary, fluency, comprehension, and writing.

VOCABULARY

FLUENCY

• Highlight words in the script that are unfamiliar.

• Read the script aloud in a large circle.

• Pair up and read scenes aloud together.

• Write definitions in the margins of the script.

• Pick a character and focus on reading his/her lines with accuracy and expression.

• Find synonyms for new vocabulary words.

• Find antonyms for new vocabulary words.

• Study the new vocabulary words for spelling tests.

• Switch roles so that the students have a chance to experiment with different vocal expressions for different characters (tone, tempo, and volume).

COMPREHENSION

WRITING

• Create a story map for the play.

• Write journal entries or monologues using vocabulary words.

• Create a biography for one of the characters.

• Write a journal entry or monologue from the perspective of one of the characters.

• Map out the relationships in the play.

• Write a scene depicting part of the story that we hear about in the play, but is not in the stage action.

• Summarize the play.

• Summarize each individual scene.

• Write a review of the production.

• Summarize the play from the perspective of one of the characters.

• Write a letter to one of the cast members, designers, director, playwright, or staff members sharing your impression and questions regarding the show.

• Answer the essay and text-related questions.

• Discuss the play’s themes.

• Write a letter from one character to another.

• Discuss the current events that correlate with the themes of the play.

• Write a new ending to the play.

• Cut out articles from magazines and newspapers that discuss some of the issues and topics brought up in the play.

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FOR THE FIRST-TIME THEATREGOER IN THEATRE ETIQUETTE, THE MAJOR CONSIDERATION TO KEEP IN MIND IS THAT YOUR ACTIONS CAN BE DISTRACTING NOT ONLY TO THE REST OF THE AUDIENCE, BUT TO THE ACTORS ON STAGE AS WELL. BEHAVIOR THAT IS ACCEPTABLE IN OTHER PUBLIC SETTINGS, LIKE MOVIE THEATRES, BALLGAMES, OR CONCERTS, IS OUT OF PLACE WHEN ATTENDING THE THEATRE. THE FOLLOWING TIPS SHOULD HELP YOU GET ACQUAINTED WITH SOME DOS AND DON’TS FOR FIRST-TIME THEATREGOERS.

DO arrive early. Make considerations for traffic, parking, waiting in line, having your ticket taken, and finding your seat. If you need to pick up your tickets from the box office, it is a good idea to arrive at least twenty minutes early. Generally, you can take your seat when “the house is open,” about half an hour before the show begins.

Late seating is always distracting and usually not allowed until intermission or a transition between scenes, if it is allowed at all. Follow the old actors’ mantra: To be EARLY is to be ON TIME. To be ON TIME is to be LATE. To be LATE is UNFORGIVEABLE. DO dress appropriately. Going to the theatre is a special event for many people, and your clothing should reflect your respect. The dress code is casual, but not sloppy: hats, bandannas, and revealing clothes are a bad idea. Nice jeans are okay, but those with holes are not.

DO turn off your cell phone. Phones and any other noise-making devices should be switched off before you even enter the theatre: you won’t be allowed to use them anyway. Texting during a performance is also rude. The intermission is a good time to use your phone, but remember to turn it off again before the next act begins.

DON’T leave your garbage in the theatre. Food and drinks are usually not permitted in the theatre at all, with the exception of bottled water. If it is allowed, be sure to throw out your trash in a garbage can or recycling bin in the lobby; don’t leave it for the house manager or ushers at the end of a show.

DO watch your step. Aisles can be narrow, so please be considerate when finding your seat. Avoid getting up during the performance whenever possible, since it can be very distracting. You can use the restroom before the show and during intermission. Also, be careful not to cross in front of the stage, as it will break the illusion of the show. Don’t step on or over seats, and never walk on the stage itself.

DON’T talk during the performance. Chatting is extremely rude to the actors and the audience around you.

Everyone is trying to pay attention to the play and those nearby will be able to hear, so please be quiet and considerate.

DO get into it! Actors feed off of the audience, just as the audience feeds off of the actors. Don’t be afraid to laugh, clap, or cry if you are so moved. However, there is a line that can be crossed. Please be respectful, and don’t distract from the work of the professionals on stage. After all, people paid good money to watch the show, not you. Just enjoy the experience and let yourself have an honest response.

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