Martha Lewis (note her real name), 22, fresh out of an Ivy League university is now raring to take a shot at the real world. After making good grades and earning her degree, she feels that she now has what it takes to make a name for herself in the corporate world. Being fluent in Spanish and French, she felt confident about standing out and being noticed by the powers-that-be.
Still, she knows that her academic achievements cannot cover up for her aesthetic flaws. Martha actually thinks that she’s too fat, not good-looking, and desperately lacks good fashion sense. She also worries about becoming the object of office gossip and behind-the-back jokes. All these years, she was secretly terrified of being the real-life Ugly Betty.
After getting a job offer from a Fortune 500 company, Martha frantically went on a diet, or more appropriately, she starved herself. Without the benefit of getting a doctor’s advice or the services of a nutritionist-dietitian, Martha tried to lose weight by subsisting on water and soda crackers — for almost two weeks. It was not long after that when she was rushed to the hospital for severe dehydration and...