today, seven years later, to make sure the man who abducted her finally faces justice. the stunning new testimony about her captivity, from a bizarre marriage ceremony to daily sexual abuse. and, fat and happy. meet the women who have said no to size 0. why real curves are back in fashion, and self-acceptance is envogue. plus, ink stains that tribal arm band, the one who got away. clay aiken? there are more and more tattoos, and more and more regrets. what to do when you need to rethink bad ink. it's tonight's "sign of the times." from the global resources of abc news, with terry moran, martin bashir and cynthia mcfadden in new york city, this is "nightline," october 1st, 2009. good evening. we begin tonight with a story of remarkable courage. it was 2002 when a 14-year-old

girl was brazenly abducted from her utah bedroom in the middle of the night. for nine agonizing months she remained missing until police spotted her in disguise, and in the company of the man who took her. today, elizabeth smart, now 21 years old, appeared in court. she described in harrowing detail her captivity. her hope, that she can persuade a judge that her captor's behavior may have been bizarre, but it was not insane. barbara pinto was in the courtroom. >> reporter: it was the one unanswered question. what happened to elizabeth smart during her ne-month captivity. she never said. >> i have to much to live for. i just don't need to look back. >> reporter: not in interviews. >> i don't think that -- that any child, or any human should ever be in danger of having that happen again. >> reporter: not to her parents. >> likewiois and i, we heard bid

pieces. we don't feel the need to know what happened. >> reporter: the question was answered today and it was much more horrific than anyone could have ever imagined. >> there were certainly a lot of things that i had never heard before, and i had -- i had no idea what she had gone through. >> reporter: today, elizabeth smart marched into court, ready to finally confront the man accused of holding her captive. six years after brian david mitchell's arrest, the homeless, self-proclaimed profit refused to submit to psychiatric tests. her words could prove he's fit to stand trial. >> nose witnesses that observed him are the most important, and none more important than elizabeth. >> reporter: before she could enter the room, a judge ordered mitchell out. the defendant refused to stop singing church hymns. that was just one drama on this day of many. in a soft, but strong tone,

smart described the horrors she endured at the hands of the man who held her captive, saying, there wasn't an actual 24-hour period that he wasn't able to rape me. ♪ elizabeth's nightmare ganl in 2002, in what she believed was the safety of her own bedroom. brian mitchell broke in around 2:00 a.m. she said, he placed his hand on my chest, he then put the knife up to my neck. he told me to get up quietly, and if i didn't, he would kill me and my family. her 9-year-old sister shared a bedroom and witnessed the abduction. >> i was very shocked, and i was so scared. i -- i just, like, ran back in my bed and, li, hid underneath the covers. >> reporter: elizabeth says she was marched three miles to a con non, where mitchell and accomplice wanda barzee made her his wife, staging a wedding. we learned more details today of her frightening day-to-day. he had a big cable bolted onto

my leg, which was strung between two trees with a lock, she said. he had the kwey around his neck. she was given alcohol and drugs and was trapsed around the country. and today it was revealed that mitchell raped the teen at will. she testified in court -- anything i showed resistance or hesitation to, he would turn to me and said, the lord commanded you to do this. you have to experience the lowest form of humanity to experience the highest. >> the role of these child victims is really central. the difficult thing here is that having to be a witness against mitchell is making her have to relive what happened to her, the fear, the anger, the rage that she had to feel, the hopelessness that she had to feel. >> reporter: there was a massive nati nationwide search. ed smart never gave up hope. >> i feel confident that we're

going to find her and i'm hoping that we're going to find her today. >> reporter: to conceal her identity, oftentimes she was shoulded from head to toe in a religious veil. someone recognized her and called police. >> it's real! it's real. >> we're here to announce officially that we have found elizabeth smart, and that she is here and well. >> she's beautiful. she's happy to be home, and we're so happy to have her home. >> i don't know what she's gone through, and i'm sure she's been through hell. >> reporter: now, years later, things have come into focus. mitchell moved her from state to state, and even tried to kidnap another young girl. there were run-ins with police, after mitchell broke into a california church. >> where are you going to be living when you get out of custody? >> staying with some friends in the lord jesus christ. >> do we imagine that the mentally ill aren't manipulative, that they only

have nice traits? those things can exist side by side. manipulativeness and mental illness. >> reporter: years later, the teen has become a poised young woman, intent on putting mitchell and barzee in prison, but both so far have been found mentally unfit to stand trial. >> i don't want them ever out, because i really leave they wouldn't stop. >> reporter: her description of mitchell today in court? evil, wicked, manipulative, sneaky, slimy, selfish, greedy. not spiritual. not religious. not close to god. only a third of children abducted by strangers ever make it home alive. and that is only part of what is so astonishing about this case. >> elizabeth is really remarkable in the way that she's processed this. she's seized on new challenges. she's in college. she's accomplished. she's articulate. she's helping others. >> very proud of her, the way she was able to be so

forthright, and basically paint the picture of brian mitchell, of what he is. since day one of her return, i have been amazed at her strength. >> reporter: in fact, after this difficult day in court, elizabeth smart plans to head overseas on a church mission trip. i'm barbara pinto for "nightline" in salt lake city. >> truly remarkable young woman. barbara pinto reporting. when we come back, fat and happy beats thin and miserable. what is cloud computing? a cloud is a workload optimized, service management platform enabling... ...new consumption and delivery models. it's what? my cloud does email. lowers my energy bill. shares pictures. we collaborate on our cloud. i develop software in my cloud. i want a cloud that understands risk. ...compares patient histories... ...predicts traffic patterns.

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we turn now to an issue that affects everyone, at times with ugly consequences. body image. in our celebrity-crazed culture, rail thin movie stars and models seem to be everywhere. they set a standard that for many women is impossible, and in extreme cases, one that women

will risk their own lives to achieve. but there is ample evidence of a healthier and happier movement afoot. stephanie sy now reports. all right crystal renn has that exotic sort of beauty loved by fashion photographers. she's been photographed by the best of them and featured in "vogue" magazine that bible of high fashion, six times. >> when you get on set, you're a different girl. >> reporter: but you'll notice immediately that she is several sizes bigger than other top models. >> instead of saying, why can't i be a size 4, why not? i can just say, i'm happy in a 12. >> reporter: in her timely all biography, "hungry," renn describes her introduction to modeling. had to lose ten inches. >> reporter: that's a lot. >> yes. ten inches doesn't sound like that much. when you're 14 and you've never

measured your hips. what i realized obviously later that, because of those ten inches, i almost lost my life. >> reporter: she struggled with anorexia for two years, whittling down her 5'9" frame to 95 pounds. did you feel beautiful? >> no, i didn't. how can you? i was so detached from my body, to the point where i would look in the mirror and i would see something that's not real. >> reporter: but at 16, with her hair falling out and her skin turning gray, she got a modeling agent. so, after you lost 85 pounds, were the magazine editors saying, i'm going to put this girl on our cover. did you become the model that guy promised you? >> no, i didn't. all the promises that were for me didn't come true. they weren't happening. i was very unsuccessful. yeah, sure, i was doing a lot of editorials and stuff, but i wasn't doing the american vogue. i wasn't the girl that i wanted to be. >> reporter: renn says her body was so out of whack the weight

started creeping up with the tiniest bit of food. >> i had two roads in front of me and i said, okay, i can starve myself and continue what i'm doing and possibly die. i decided, i'm going to be healthy. that's what i'm supposed to be. >> reporter: the twist is that it was only when renn let the diet go that she got her dream back. a contract with ford models, and in 2004, that illusive american "vogue" spread. >> i finally worked with the people that i had been aspiring to work with since i was 14. so very young. >> reporter: renn's decision to return to her true form makes her an unwitting part of a groefing movement called fat acceptance, which is also spreading on-screen. the backout hit of the season on lifetime television is a show called "drop dead diva." >> can i help you? >> stacy? it's me, deb. >> my best friend was a deb.

she died this morning. >> i know. we were on the phone and -- >> reporter: the main character is a former model who died in a car crash and was reincarnated as a smart, likable, but larger attorney, played by brooke elliott. >> you have a dinner. new client. vicky wellner. >> to me, the message is, everyone is beautiful. you don't have to be a size 0 to be beautiful, to know your worth, to know how gorgeous you are. act accordingly. >> reporter: in the face of shows like "the biggest loser" and "dance your ass off," the hair win of "drop dead diva" chooses to lose her self-loathing instead of the pounds. >> don't hide it. embrace it. >> reporter: for elliott, playing the lead role is a vast improvement to the days when she was cast at the sugar bowl in broadway's "beauty and the beast." being a plus-size actress, even a great looking one, can still be cruel. i was reading the reviews and i

but astounding by the language. everyone was saying how great your performance was and they were using words like dumb by and frumpy to describe your body type. does that hurt? when you hear that? >> well, i hadn't read that, so i didn't know. >> reporter: sorry. >> no, that's okay. you know -- it -- it doesn't hurt my feelings as much as it shows me how much further we have to go. but it takes awhile to transition, you know? and i think our society as a whole is craving a transition. >> reporter: or, just falling in line with reality. more than 60% of american women are considered overweight. but perhaps they're just the new normal. celebrities from oprah to former tennis phenom monica seles have now proclaimed the merits of accepting yourself for your size. some in the movement even embrace the f-word. >> we do say fat. >> reporter: kate harding is a blogger. >> i grew up learning that fat

was a dirty word, fat was something i didn't want to be. it's a matter of reclaiming the word from all of those negative connotati connotations. >> reporter: including the assumption that fat necessarily means unhealthy. some studies actually show the extremery thin may die younger than the obese. >> there are all these stereotypes that we're in denial, we're ignorant, we don't know about good nutrition. that's not the case. >> reporter: at size 12, chrrysl renn can hardly be considered overweight when you consider the average american woman wears a size 14. renn says she's starting to notice a shift. >> what a perfect person to put on the cover, charlize theron. so comfortable in her body. >> reporter: she no longer struggles to fit onto the page. in fact, some of the pages are changing to fit her. for "nightline," steph knee sy, new york. >> confidence, of course, is timeless. stephanie sy reporting.

and when we come back. bad tattoos. we've all seen them. some of us have them. so, how do you get rid of them? that's tonight's "sign of the times." i'm semi retired and i'm here to tell a story. my parents all smoked. my grandparents smoked. i've been a long-time smoker. you know, discouragement is a big thing in quitting smoking. i'm a guy who had given up quitting. what caused me to be interested was, chantix is not a nicotine product and that intrigued me. the doctor said while you're taking it you can continue to smoke during the first week. (announcer) chantix is proven to reducthe urge to smoke. in studies, 44% of chantix users were quit during weeks 9 to 12 of treatment, compared to 18% on sugar pill.

today i see myself as a jolly old man, (laughing) who doesn't have to smoke. ...who doesn't have to sneak out to take a couple puffs of a cigarette anymore. (announcer) herb quit smoking with chantix and support. talk to your doctor about chantix and a support plan that's right for you. some people have had changes in behavior, hostility, agitation, depressed mood and suicidal thoughts or actions while taking or after stopping chantix. if you notice agitation, hostility, depression or changes in behavior, thinking or mood that are not typical for you, or if you develop suicidal thoughts or actions, stop taking chantix and call your doctor right away. talk to your doctor about any history of depression or other mental health problems, which can get worse while taking chantix. some people can have allergic or serious skin reactions to chantix, some of which can be life threatening. if you notice swelling of face, mouth, throat or a rash stop taking chantix and see your doctor right away.

tell your doctor which medicines you are taking as they may work differently when you quit smoking. chantix dosing may be different if you have kidney problems. the most common side effect is nausea. patients also reported trouble sleeping and vivid, unusual or strange dreams. until you know how chantix may affect you, use caution when driving or operating machinery. chantix should not be taken with other quit smoking products. the urges weren't like they used to be, and that help me quit. (announcer) talk to your doctor to find out if prescription chantix is right for you.

"nightline" continues from new york city with cynthia mcfadden. >> well, tattoos are no longer just for the biker crowd, and the sas among us. consider that 40% of generation x has at least one tattoo. while the designs come in all shapes and sizes, and in varying degrees of taste, they're all permanent. well, almost. for the desperate, there is now an answer. for jeremy hubbard, tattoo regret is "a sign of the times." >> reporter: the remnants of regrettable ink are all over the internet. that tribal arm band seemed like

such a good idea at the time. so did the ankle adorning tweetie bird and wait is that really a tattoo of clay aiken? why is her back covered in nascar? and how do you somehow end the night with kelsey grammar carved on your calf? if only you had another set of eyes to tell you this isn't going to look so good in the morning. when it's time to revamp the tramp stamp, they call dr. robert nosa. >> removal process is going well. >> reporter: business is booming for this dermatologist. seems lately, there is a surge of tattoo regret. >> tattooing is my life and business is booming. >> reporter: hard to believe, sense it seems tats have taken over your tv, from "l.a. ink" to "miami ink" to "tattoo highway." for a growing number of us, the appeal, like a bad ink job, is starting to fade. even some notoriously inked

celebrities are reportedly saying ta-ta to the tattoo. >> the point where you are in time, when you get your tattoo, is not necessarily the same place mentally where you are going to be a year from then, five years from then. here's a laser that can target the black very well. because of the economy, worried an employer won't hire them if they're covered in ink. but christy laird is here for a change of heard. this heart, on her ankle. hard to see but it bears the name of her ex-fiance, john. >> he was going into the marines. i found myself at a tattoo parlor. pretty popular back then. i wanted a tattoo. so i picked it off the wall and that was it. >> reporter: 15 years later, john is gone, and the tattoo will be soon. today she's having it lightened. would it have been easier just to find a new boyfriend named

john? >> well, it is a common name, but -- >> reporter: didn't work out? >> no, didn't work out that way. >> reporter: sebody with a shorter name in the future. >> no more names. not even children. >> reporter: then, there's tarin. her arms are covered in back t bats, relics of her rebel past. now she's studying to be a social worker and one day had an epiphany. >> i was sitting on my college campus, i looked oaf, i was like, oh, my god. i don't want to live the rest of my life with these marks on me. i didn't feel like it was apart of me anymore. i actually started crying, and i was like -- all broken down. i thought, oh, my god. this isn't me anymore. vir to get rid of these tattoos. >> reporter: $4,000 and eight sessions later, they're almost for this treatment, dr. nosa even lets me in on the act. my official title here smoke sucker? >> you are the smoke sucker, yes.

>> reporter: i'm vacuuming away her scorched flesh. >> a battery of small explosions underneath your skin, leading to that popping noise. >> reporter: sounds dreadful, but don't worry. her skin has been numbed. she feels nothing. >> ow. >> reporter: well, almost nothing. pain or no pain, it's no wonder the business is bustling, when you consider how many of us are tatteb up in the first place. one poll showed nearly 30% of people in their 30s now have a tattoo. then, the regret kicks in, within five years, about half of those people want their tattoo erased. sure, we all just want to spread our wings. to get that weird or in this case, that weird al tattoo, but there will come a time y'll rethink it. believe me, on this subject, i can speak with authority. i really do have a tattoo on my leg. honestly, it did seem cool, at the time.

i'm an ink-stained jeremy hubbard for "nightline" in new jersey. >> what does that mean, jeremy? jeremy hubbard reporting. when we come back, president obama heads to copenhagen. will he bring home gold for chicago? that's the subject of tonight's "closing argument."

time now for tonht's "closing argument." president barack obama is on his way to copen agen on air force one will he will meet the first lady, and they will make their case for chicago to host the 2016 summer olympics. it is the first time an americ president has taken such a step. chicago faces stiff competition from tokyo, rio and madrid.