Think dietary supplements are healthy and safe, right? Think again. Sure, they are in every local health food store, pharmacy, and grocery, but because of a loophole the size of the Grand Canyon in federal law, the usual government safeguards we depend on to keep our food and drugs safe do not apply to dietary supplements.

On July 11, Serena Williams won her sixth Wimbledon championship. After 21 Grand Slams and this milestone, Serena has quite clearly made history as one of the greatest athletes of all time.

Here at the National Eating Disorders Association, we believe that social media has the ability to empower people and spread messages of hope and (body) positivity. 

When I heard that women had been turned away from the Cannes Film Festival for wearing flats, I was frustrated. Not only were they discriminated against for their apparel choices, but for making healthier, safer ones. I was also, I’m embarrassed to admit, envious of those women. It would have taken courage for me to attend an upscale event in flats. That really got me thinking. 

Nearly one in five women and one in 71 men report being raped at some point in their lives, according to the Center for Disease Control. Given the shame and other complexities that keep many victims from reporting the crimes, these numbers are likely lowball—and don’t include other kinds of sexual violence, such as unwanted sexual touch.

Along with other challenging and potentially debilitating effects of sexual assault comes a high risk for poor body image, disordered eating and full-fledged eating disorders. 

In the United States, 30 million people will struggle with an eating disorder at some point in their lives. More than half of teen girls and nearly a third of teen boys are engaging in unhealthy weight control behaviors. Given these startling numbers, we at NEDA believe that early intervention and prevention is crucial, which is why we recently launched an eating disorder prevention and early intervention program: The Body Project.

My first blog post. How exciting! I’m Iskra, a JAG fashion model, an ambassador for the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) and creator of the NEDA Inspires Seal of Approval, which we launched at NEDA’s recent gala fundraiser and awards program in New York City.

It’s 2015 and dieting is officially passé.  

Instead of counting calories and fat grams, the next generation of disordered eating includes going raw, eating clean, or going gluten-free. Few self-identify as dieters; by now everyone knows that “diets don’t work.” Instead, new and even more draconian methods of food restriction fly under the radar as healthy “lifestyle changes.”

This piece originally appeared on Proud2Bme.org. 

Body image. We all have one. We all have an idea in our heads of how we look, in other words, our own body image. We also have thoughts about how attractive or unattractive we perceive our body image to be. How do we come up with our body image? What standards of beauty do we compare our body images to? For our American society, the answers to those questions can be found in the media we consume on a daily basis.