Neda

During National Eating Disorder Awareness Week, I think that it's important that we take more away from it all than anger at the fashion industry, misunderstanding and confusion.

We all like to point fingers and speculate about eating disorders but the only ones who really know the truth behind it are those with eating disorders. Aimee Liu had anorexia in her 20s and conquered it, or so she thought. In her 40s, she stopped eating again. She wrote the book Gaining: The Truth About Life After Eating Disorders ($16.49) to chronicle her own struggles and dispel myths but also to tell the stories of 40 other people with eating disorders too. Liu believes that societal pressure, popular culture and family dysfunction do not make someone anorexic; it takes a particular genetic predisposition and temperament. The book will teach you who is susceptible to eating disorders and why, how these diseases can waste sufferers' lives in ways that have nothing to do with food or weight and why recovery requires more than good nutrition.

To read an excerpt from the book, read more

Liv Tyler recently talked about dieting and motherhood. She said, "I've been on a diet my whole life." Being in the public eye, she spent years worrying about her weight, that is, until she became a mom.

Many women can relate, comparing themselves to skinny models, and forever being on a diet and working out to shed pounds. The thing is, models are getting skinnier, so women think they need to too, even though it's unhealthy for their bodies and their self-esteem.

Liv Tyler doesn't agree with it. She said,"I definitely think the girls look too skinny now. I'm friends with Helena Christensen and Linda Evangelista, and I remember Linda telling me that when she was a model (in the '90s), a sample size was a 6 or an 8. Now a sample dress size is a 0 or a 2. That's pretty alarming. There's a lot of pressure on the models. It's not healthy. I can't even imagine what that's like."

I'd like to find inspiration in Liv's thoughts and in her sister, Mia Tyler. She's a gorgeous and sexy plus-size model who's healthy and confident. It's great to see celebrities who represent real women. You know, for all of us who'll never have a model's strict BMI, not because we can't, but because we know it's unhealthy.

Source

The trendy Bebe chain is testing a new boutique concept called Neda, which is named for Bebe vice chairman Neda Mashouf. The higher-end shop, which focuses exclusively on accessories, recently opened its first location in San Francisco—the same city where Bebe itself launched back in 1976. If it's a hit, the company could expand the Neda concept to other cities.

I visited the new store the other day, and I was definitely impressed. The sleek pink-and-black decor had a very luxury feel, as did the edgy shoes and handbags on display. Though Neda doesn't have its own web site, you can buy many of the products on Bebe's web site. Here are some of my pics.

Peep Toe Bow Pump, $360, available here.

Snake Embossed Leather Clutch, $290, available here.

Distressed Leather Shoe Boot in Gunmetal, $330, available here.

To see the rest, read more