Madhuri Dixit, Madonna drive over-50s to anorexia: Experts

LONDON: Youthful-looking moms such as Mahuri Dixit and Madonna could be pushing older women to unrealistic level to look young as they age, experts have warned.
 
There has been a rise in the number of women in their 50s being treated for anorexia, which used to be regarded as a teenagers' disease.
 
Experts have warned that glamorous images of celebrities in their 40s, 50s and 60s looking as slim and youthful as they did in their 20s may give older women unrealistic expectations of how they should look as they age.
 
"Older role models such as Sharon Stone, Madonna or Jane Fonda put extra pressure on women and make them worried about their body issues, which can lead to an eating disorder," said Mary George, a spokeswoman for Beat, UK's national eating disorders charity.
 
"There is a new pressure on older women to stay young. Previously, no one would have expected it, people simply grew old gracefully. Today, people do anything they can to stave off getting old," Deanne Jade, the founder of UK's National Centre for Eating Disorders, was quoted as saying by The Independent daily on Thursday.