52 min. ’09

Beauty Mark presents an alarming, infuriating, and at times humorous look at the myriad of forces that shape our perceptions of beauty.

At age 28, Diane Israel stepped down from her career as one of the world’s top women triathletes. Competing since she was 14, her body finally collapsed under the extreme physical pressures required of professional athletes. Though sports had been her life, Diane switched gears, went back to school, and became a psychotherapist.

In her new role, Diane heard a multitude of stories from patients, each more shocking than the last, of the lengths they would go in order to achieve the “perfect body.” To understand this heartfelt desire for physical perfection at any cost, Diane set out to explore the broader context of culture and the business of beauty in America. What she discovers over the course of her journey his frighteningly close to home.

The film follows Diane as she speaks with champion athletes, body builders, fashion models, burn victims, and inner city teens on their experiences and insights relating to self-image. Notable luminaries such as playwright Eve Ensler, author Paul Campos, and cultural critic Naomi Wolf provide commentary. Woven throughout is Diane’s relationship with her family, for whom maintaining the façade of a picture-perfect household mean everything.