Retailer Promotes Body Image and Self-Esteem

    NEW YORK, Feb. 19 /PRNewswire/ -- In a unique move for the "beauty"
 industry, specialty cosmetics retailer The Body Shop(R) announced today that
 it will host free eating disorder screenings for the public during Eating
 Disorders Awareness Week.  The screenings, offered in conjunction with the
 American Anorexia Bulimia Association ("AABA"), will be conducted February 23,
 24 and 25 from noon to 5:00 pm at The Body Shop store located at 20th Street
 and Fifth Avenue in Manhattan.
     The screenings will help launch the retailer's new "community room" inside
 the store dedicated to exploring the issue of body image and self-esteem among
 women.  Participants will complete a multiple choice questionnaire regarding
 their attitudes about food and body image.  The questionnaires will then be
 evaluated by a trained therapist, who will be able to counsel participants
 one-on-one regarding possible danger signs, and provide referrals for further
 help.  A brief video presentation and informative brochures provided by both
 the AABA and The Body Shop will also be available.
     Hosting the screenings is the latest development in the international
 retailer's crusade to redefine Western concepts of beauty.
     "I'm in the skin and hair care business -- an industry that at times seems
 hell-bent on promoting unattainable ideals.  Well, enough is enough," says The
 Body Shop founder Anita Roddick.  "Throughout our history as a company, The
 Body Shop has been challenging the cultural conceptions of femininity as
 portrayed in the 'beauty' industry.  Over the coming months we will be working
 hard to promote self-esteem, as well as cultural and physical diversity among
 women."
     "Self-esteem is truly the route to revolution," Roddick continues.  "We
 want to open people's eyes.  We want to encourage the celebration of all the
 unique qualities that make each of us who we are."
     The Body Shop is an international manufacturer and retailer of innovative,
 high quality skin, hair care and color cosmetic products, operating more than
 1,500 stores in 47 countries, including nearly 300 in the USA.
 
     Eating Disorder Screenings at The Body Shop
     20th Street & Fifth Avenue, New York, NY
     February 23, 24 & 25, 1998
     12:00 - 5:00 pm
 
 

SOURCE  The Body Shop