(March 14, 2008) — English supermodel Lesley Hornby, known as Twiggy, was probably the greatest influence of today’s thin culture. Upon her arrival in New York in March 1967, American culture took a turn towards thin that it has yet to turn away from. The first teenage supermodel in the world began a trend of twiggy style, twiggy fashion and twiggy expectations. History, psychology and sociology teacher Diana Jaynes has addressed this issue before in her classes. “Teens feel like they need this due to conditioning by society that thin is beautiful,” she said. “They do it to live up to the societal standard.” “These women on TV say ‘I went from a size twelve to a size four.’ What’s wrong with a size twelve?” said Judy Thomsen, sophomore PE instructor. “When I was young it wasn’t that big a deal to be fat or skinny, but because everything is so accessible, even on the video iPods, girls are constantly surrounded by these images of skinny models.” And so, to reach their goal weight, many teens use diet pills. There are different kinds of pills used to lose weight; some are laxatives that get rid of all the food in one’s gut by essentially causing diarrhea. Others are diuretics, which drop water-weight by making the user urinate. Both of these are very temporary and all of the weight is gained back the next time the user eats. While very popular amongst prom-goers who only need to be skinny for one night, these can be very dangerous to one’s health and no fun if the effects continue on through prom night. But the most dangerous are the most common. In simple terms, diet pills kill appetite, allowing users to starve themselves without having to battle their body’s need to feed. It’s anorexia for those without the willpower to go cold turkey. “Diet pills curb your appetite,” Thomsen said. “When you stop taking them, what happens?” Senior Sivon Toubeh, in his senior project “Healthy Life with Exercise,” studied the difference between losing weight with exercise and diet pills. “Once you lose the weight, your skin has nothing to hold onto because your muscles are the same size. Then you get saggy skin,” Toubeh said. “Once you stop taking the pills, you gain back double or even triple the weight.” The health risks are not only cosmetic. “When you lose body fat, your body shuts down,” Thomsen said. “[Girls] are in puberty, and they need to have their period, but when they lose their fat they can’t have their period, and that’s bad.” So, between saggy skin, interrupted puberty and at the end of it all, being even more out of shape than before, why are teenagers still choosing to cheat? “It’s a quick fix, and kids are looking for the quick fix,” Thomsen said. “The best way to lose weight is diet and exercise, but of course it’s not quick enough.” Still, many a Clarkie has studied an alternative to medication, each with its own hidden benefit. Senior Harris Ono used his field research for his senior project, “Yoga Affecting Physical Fitness,” to help him become a better skateboarder. “Skateboarding requires balance, and yoga helped me center myself. Yoga prevents injuries to muscles you don’t use much.” For Ono, weight is not a problem. “I eat anything, but I do activities that help me to maintain my weight.” Ono isn’t letting skateboarding come before his classes, either. “Academics are always first, but sports relieve academic stress,” says Ono. “I like to skateboard then go do homework.” Senior Vardui Yerkanyan’s study, “Alternative Therapy and Medication Can Cure Leukemia,” included religious aspects, which she believes can help young people handle their insecurities. “I believe that prayer can help girls accept themselves as God made them,” says Yerkanyan. “If you have faith, God will help you.” “Running is good for you, both mentally and physically,” said senior Zohrab Markosyan, who studied “The Art of Running.” “I don’t want to take diet pills, I’d rather exercise.” Diet pills do more harm than good, and alternatives have benefits that last a lifetime, instead of a day or two. “Diet pills make you skinnier, but they don’t address the problem,” Thomsen said. “Diet pills are fake, and it’s a fake change.”