There have been recent reports that The Fantastic Four star Jessica Alba may be suffering from an eating disorder. Recent photos of the actress show her looking lighter than usual and noticeably lacking the curves that made her a famous sex symbol.

In 2005 - the same year she was named one of America's most beautiful people - Jessica admitted to battling anorexia during her early acting days when she starred in the television drama Dark Angel. The starlet reported that she worried so much about her developing curves that she literally starved herself to stay thin. She sought help for her disorder and regained her figure which has since been considered to be one of the sexiest bodies in Hollywood.

Her recent alleged weight loss opens the door for speculation that she may have relapsed. The fact that another star appears to be joining the list of underweight Hollywood starlets has certainly become a topic for gossip, but there are larger issues here. We need to start asking ourselves, why are all these beautiful young women looking dangerously thin and unhealthy? Are we returning to the days of heroin chic where models and actresses obsessively used heroin to become almost transparently thin?

It seems as though starvation, eating disorders and compulsive exercising have replaced hardcore drugs. These women seem to believe that being excessively skinny is beautiful when in reality it is dangerous and frightening. The problem is the film, television and magazine industries are doing nothing to stop this perception and are instead are fueling eating disorders by hiring these actresses for big roles in their ultra thins states. Perhaps instead they should try to assist these women in getting the help they need and start hiring stars with healthy body sizes to help change society's idea of what is beautiful. It may be a step in the right direction to help other people from relapsing or developing eating disorders.