At first glance, Eileen Palazzolo looks like a regular gal, this fit, blonde gymnastics coach has the outward appearance of
having it all together. You'd never know that she battled with poor body image, low self-esteem, and bulimia for more than ten years. Now, free from her self-afflicted and self-released shackles, Eileen seeks to help other women to overcome society's pressure to be a perfect size, weight and look.

As a culture, we've become drawn to the "perfect" body image we see on movie screens and fashion runways, somehow forgetting our health in the process. There are people, especially women, who will literally kill themselves in an effort to obtain what they envision as a perfect figure, when in reality their gaunt appearance has them looking skeletal in the short time before their inevitable demise. The human body simply cannot live on pride alone.

In 1999, as Eileen sat watching an episode of Oprah, she gaped as audience members were brought to tears over their frustrations and inability to successfully "correct" their appearance, even after trying "every diet in the book." "It was at that moment that I realized I was free," says Eileen. "I began scribbling down notes on how I had overcome my own battle, soon those notes turned into paragraphs, and the paragraphs into chapters." February 2010 saw the release of her first book, FREE FROM PERFECT.

In it, she states: "I believe that all 'diets' are a temporary state of hell. To me, the term 'diet,' as most often used in our society, can be translated as temporary deprivation or torturous change. Society has made 'diet' an unpleasant word, when indeed the word simply means: the usual food and drink of a person or
animal."

"I remember when a size eight was considered ideal. Not anymore. The numbers are getting smaller and smaller. Are women who wear a zero actually alive? What's next, negative sizes? The last time I checked, the average American woman was between a twelve and a fourteen. No wonder everybody is so depressed!"
Through her FREE program, run out of Hampton, NH, and now her nationally-released book, Eileen hopes to reach a broader audience of women and share the wisdom she gained through tough life lessons. Focusing not only on adults, Eileen has a strong commitment to helping teens since she became overly obsessed with her image during adolescence. Eileen feels that "perma-diet" parents reflect their insecurities on children and the whole family would be happier with a realistic and healthy outlook on life and image.

"Perfection is unachievable, all humans are flawed," says Eileen, "but if you love and respect yourself you'll no longer worry about what others think of you, because it won't matter. We've lost enough time and tears to these societal issues, it's time to enjoy life!"

Eileen Palazzolo is a wife and mother who lives on the Seacoast of New Hampshire. You can learn more about her at www.freefromperfect.com. FREE FROM PERFECT is available at your local bookstore, or online at www.publishingworks.com

For more articles by this author or articles on different topics visit the Applaud Women Library.