The truth behind body image and eating disorders

The year 2001 was a year that ultimately rebranded the nation we live in today. The year 2001 was also the year I was diagnosed with premature anorexia when I was only six years old. It is hard to imagine that it has been 15 years, but at the same time I can believe it.

Living and dealing with an eating disorder that has been around for so long feels like second nature. There are the daily reminders of course that are sometimes hard to brush off. Your spine cracks a lot, hair thins in weird places and sometimes your bones ache from time to time, especially in the winter. A lot of these problems are not just from the present, but more importantly when my body was developing and growing, back when I thought it was okay to take in a deficit of 500 calories.

Photo Illustration by Tim Smith/ Photo Editor

I’ve had a lot of really supportive friends that I’ve met in college, some who even deal with similar day-to-day problems. However, what I want to bring the table of conversation are people that I met that became friends with me because I had an eating disorder, or so it felt like. People asked me to go to the gym with them, which “safe” foods are best, my daily habits, intake or how to restrict. In a more broad sense, “What is your secret?” as a topic of choice to be asked.

Let me be the person to broadcast this in a no-frills-attached voice. There are no secrets, there aren’t any DIY miracles that make you hate yourself, starve yourself and be embarrassed about who you are. Do you think the people affected actually want this? If you want to drop those frivolous pounds here’s the reality, do it the right way and don’t make someone feel worse about themselves about something that they have trouble controlling. In terms of trouble controlling, I mean accidentally training their brain to over process and worry about consumption habits. That is how it really happens.

What I’m getting at is that there are so many people at Keene State College that have been silently struggling with eating disorders for years. In a sense it acts as a not so trusty sidekick, something that just follows you day after day, year after year. Sometimes it goes away on vacation to Malibu and other times it tries to pretend it is your best friend. If you are close to someone who is presently struggling or has in the past, all I can ask is to be as respectful as you can and think before you speak. And if you can’t, don’t talk about anything that involves whatever new diet you’re trying, your new exercise routine or weight loss. You have no idea how triggering a simple string of words can be for some people. Think as if you were in their shoes.

Angela Scionti can be contacted at ascionti@kscequinox.com