Female Gaming Characters Get Realistic Makeovers from Eating Disorder Group

Eating disorder support group Bulimia.com has re-imagined a variety of female video game characters--including Lara Croft and Cortana--in an effort to bring awareness to body image issues.

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In a blog post (via Motherboard), Bulimia points out that graphics in video games has gotten better and better over time, with developers able to create more life-like worlds and characters. But video games too often perpetuate unrealistic body imagery, the group says--and this can be dangerous.

"If video game creators are going to pride themselves on accurate digital representations, then it's time for them to get real about women," Bulimia said.

"One could argue that the social pressures to obtain perfection are reinforced even through the depiction of video game characters," the group added. "Girl gamers--especially young ones--could develop a skewed image of how the female body should look. This might mark the beginning of obsessive thoughts about their own bodies, and self-questioning as to why they don't align with their perceived ideal. When dangerous, compulsive eating behaviors develop alongside of these negative obsessions, young women can quickly find themselves struggling with an eating disorder."

To make its point, Bulimia Photoshopped some of gaming's most well-known female characters using the average American woman's measurements. Take a look at the images in the gallery below, and be sure to read the full Bulimia blog post for even more insight on the matter.

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