Suffering to Be beautiful Elizabeth: I think it's up to everyone to decide what is right for them, but I do feel that there is too much emphasis on appearance these days. And I think there are real dangers here there are dangers from eating disorders, like anorexia, and from having cosmetic surgery. And there are a lot of people who are unhappy because they just dont happen to fit societys current ideas about what is beautiful Mary: Yes, you're a historian; perhaps you could give us a brief historical perspective on this Elizabeth: Well, there are lots of examples of societies in which people have done some horrendous things so instance, foot-binding used to be common in China, as to make themselves more beautiful in quotes. FElizabeth: I think it’s up to everyone to decide what is right for them, but I do feel that there is too much emphasis on appearance these days. And I think there are real dangers here. There are dangers from eating disorders, like anorexia, and from having cosmetic surgery. And there are a lot of people who are unhappy because they just don’t happen to fit society’s current ideas about what is beautiful. Mary: Yes, you’re a historian; perhaps you could give us a brief historical perspective on this. Elizabeth: Well, there are lots of examples of societies in which people have done some horrendous things so as to make themselves more “beautiful” in quotes. For instance, foot-binding used to be common in China. Suffering to Be Beautiful