Be a Star KitSonja Vuk (HR)

installation, 2008

Lindsey Lohan said somewhere, “Bulimia is like a private ‘survival kit’. All the angst, all the stress, it all gets poured into the next binge-and-purge episode.”

She and many other stars, from day to day extend their lives in the tabloids thanks to their eating disorders. The more they vomit or lose kilos, the longer they stay on the covers. We are witnesses of numerous “Stars Extra” in which the new “never more beautiful and never skinnier” look is glorified. They are beautiful because they have an eating disorder.

What is the message the media are sending to the young girls still in the process of development? How much they weigh becomes more important than who they are. The desire to be thin becomes the desire to fit in. All around us, there are models telling us what a woman should look like, and she is: a size 0 is the US, a size 4 in the UK, while in Europe it is a size 32-34. The famous size 00 (size 2 in the UK) is proudly worn by Eva Longoria and Victoria Beckham. This “quality” of theirs is celebrated in the media as if it has nothing to do with the real meaning of this size – the body mass index typical of anorexia and bulimia!

Fuelling the illusion of perfection that needs to be achieved created social norms affecting one’s weight. Everyone’s eye got adjusted to this new reality (that everyone is thin) which does nothing to reflect the real life. New generations are obsessed with being thin because they are growing up consuming the esthetics of starvation in the media.

Naomi Wolf thinks that this is a trend wanting to make women less powerful and influential (Naomi Wolf: 1991, The Beauty Myth: How Images of Beauty Are Used Against Women). Jodi Foster says that today a person becomes the body’s fashion accessory. And she has a point: the body is the only thing with value, it represents who we are. It is what we are valued by.

It is not important that depression is one of the leading illnesses of western civilization, and it is a known fact that people with the eating disorder are generally depressive. Stuck in a point between feeling guilty after the binge and feeling relieved after the purge.

The treatment of the body as a thing no longer surprises—it is tortured and treated with different drugs and substances with the purpose of losing weight: for example, the ADD drug, cocaine and caffeine based drugs, esthetic surgery, starvation, the famous treatment with coffee and cigarettes, and the most famous vomiting. One becomes an enemy to one’s own body in order to reach the set ideal of skinny.

Glassy eyes, wounds on fingers and knuckles, bad teeth and the habit of disappearing after the meal, are all becoming a thing of fashion and a guarantee of the wanted appearance. The consequences are truly a small price for the success: stomach rupture, rotten teeth, dehydration, and electrolytes imbalance, sure heart and kidney failure, suicide…

But, Wallis Simpson says, “A woman can’t be too rich or too thin.” This is the guiding principle of today’s fashion and show business.

This work came into being as ionization of such condition. This ‘kit’ contains everything a woman, who cares about herself, should have in order to be happy and satisfied with controlling her weight. It allows for the hedonism of binge which goes hand in hand perfectly with the pleasure of purge. Is there a better way of controlling the weight of existence? And, while you are at it, to get the fame that comes with it?

Naomi Wol, The Beauty Mith: How Images of Beauty Are Used Against Women, 1991.

“BE A STAR” KIT

on the outside: Eat without feeling guilty

on the inside: Small tricks of great masters

Make your first steps in the struggle against obesity with the help of “Be a Star” Kit which helps you enjoy your food:

  • for the first time, it is possible to eat without feeling guilty
  • the pleasure of excessive consummation of food without disturbance
  • use our product for a more elegant dealing with the side effects of food pleasure
  • when shopping for this product your stomach is always full

Great Myths – Who Are You Lying to?

Perhaps these lies will make you feel better, but they will definitely not help you lose weight without pleasure I will be thinner

Fortunately, this is a great lie. For a correct diet, which will help you lose weight, no food item should be strictly forbidden. Freely enjoy all types of food: even those that today are called unhealthy. The thing is in the attitude. You should be determined in wanting to enjoy any food, wanting to live without unneeded sacrifice.

- my weight problem is inherited

Parents have played an important role in your eating habits but you can’t blame them for everything. If your mother had a weight problem and didn’t know how to solve it and enjoy at the same time, you don’t have to be so impractical as well. Today there are elegant solutions at your disposal which can help you put a stop to your disruptions in enjoying the food.

- I need no dieting! I need to exercise

Regular exercise can help you lose weight but it will not help you maintain the right rhythm of losing weight. Thus it is wise to practice different solutions for getting rid of an additional load.

- starve to lose kilos

Extreme dieting is deadly for your organism because of the stress it creates. Sudden weight loss will not help you lose fat because your body will spend energy stored in your muscles whose maintenance needs more energy. The weight you lose in this way can quickly come back.

Secrets Of Staying Fit

- what to eat

You can eat absolutely anything. Enjoy your food, sweets, desserts, alcohol, coffee… You should not restrain yourself from anything at the times when we all live and work under stress. You simply deserve food! You are lucky to be living in a civilization of plenty. It is up to you to take the most out of what is offered to you in such quantities. And enjoy while you are at it!

- what to avoid

Avoid anyone seeing you getting rid of the excess load. This is your private, meditative moment and no one else has the right to participate in it.

- advice: There are no shortcuts to success.

What Do You Need To Know When Eating Out

1. It is advisable to eat everything on your plate so that you show the man who asked you out that you care about him and that you respect his investment

2. The good solution is open buffets because you don’t have to be ashamed of the amount you eat. Probably no one will even notice.

3. Alcohol drinks are rich in calories, so if you keep yourself from eating in order to avoid someone thinking you are greedy, you can freely relax with a glass or two too many, which also has a positive effect on your social life and ensures better entertainment

4. while you are waiting for your food, kill time by eating some bread

5.if both of you have ordered dessert, and your partner doesn’t want to finish his, keep in mind that it is a shame to waste food so make a sacrifice and eat his dessert too

6. only from time to time focus on the conversation so that your partner does not feel excluded. The rest of the time dedicate fully to your meal.

7. alleviation after the meal should be done as nonchalantly as possible: you can simply leave the table even before coffee. After you leave your toilet box, don’t allow other women’s looks to confuse or shame you. Boldly do what you have to do, fix your make up and proudly leave.

Are You Afraid Of Your Food?

Here we show you how to never feel guilty because of the food you have consumed. Your good relationship with food begins with the application of this product…

1. Be aware of what you eat and how you feel

Make notes on what you eat and how you feel for two weeks. In this way, you will have an insight into the emotions that overcome you and the food they call for.

2. Discover which food you love

Learn to enjoy the food which once you considered a deadly sin for your figure and enjoy every bite of it. Taste everything you want and do so without feeling guilty.

3. Reward yourself with food

If you feel the need for food, do not restrain yourself. Keep in mind that at the same moment there are people in this world who are less happy than you, and they have nothing to eat.

4. Be your biggest admirer

Recognize your courage and dedication. A lot of strength is needed to be what you always wanted to be and to take responsibility for your actions. You’re changing your eating habits forever, and this should bring you an additional dose of self-respect.

design in collaboration with: Nina Bačun
production: KONTEJNER (DIY_ARTLAB)

Sonja Vuk (HR)

Sonja Vuk graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb, the Academy of Fine Arts and Art Education in Tilburg, the Netherlands, and did a post-graduate course at the same institution. She completed a master’s course in video and new media at the Academy of Art and Artistic Design in Ljubljana, Slovenia, and is now completing a doctoral course in art education at the Educational Faculty in Ljubljana. She deals with video, social and educational projects, and takes part in numerous exhibitions and video festivals all around the world (for instance, White Columns, New York; International Museum of Women, San Francisco; Akureyri Art Museum, Iceland; Tallin Art Hall, Estonia; Arnolfini, Bristol, UK; Today Art Museum, Peking ).

She won the purchase prize of the University Library for drawing at the 21st Young Artists’ Salon and was awarded at the 9th Sculpture Triennial, Zagreb. Her works are found in collections of the Institute for Contemporary Art, Dunaujvaros, Hungary; the International Museum of Women, San Francisco; the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Rijeka.

sonja.vuk@gmail.com