A new and informative website for girls and teens of color, www.urbangirlz.org, highlights an alarming trend revealing African American teens suffering from eating disorders most often linked to Caucasian women. Studies sited by the Office of Women's Health indicate Black girls and teens are not only binging and purging but admit to fasting and using laxatives regularly to lose weight. Researchers accredit changes in eating behavior among African American teens to body dissatisfaction.
In the past, this problem was not prevalent in the Black community because the Black culture has always been accepting toward all body types. However, because of the alarming obesity epidemic among Black girls and teens and the media's "thin is beautiful" concept, girls and teens are turning to drastic measures to conform to perceived societal norms.
Despite the need for age appropriate information, girls and teens of color are often forced to get their information from magazines, periodicals and entertainment targeting ages18-35 demographic. In fact, of the 100+ websites currently targeting girls and teens, less than 1% cater to African Americans girls and teens.
In response to the need for age-appropriate media for African American girls and teens, Trenette Wilson, a 15-year teen pregnancy prevention expert and Founder of the Ladies By Design Junior Debutante Course introduces,
www.urbangirlz.org
www.urbangirlz.org is a new and informative website designed specifically to provide a forum for African American girls and teens to celebrate their culture, encourage sisterhood, and gain knowledge on issues unique to being young, urban and female.
