In honor of World Eating Disorders Action Day, NEDA is hosting a Twitter chat to explore the relationship between body shaming, bullying and eating disorders. Join us Thursday, June 2nd at 1PM ET and follow #WeDoAct. 

Body Shaming, Bullying and Eating Disorders

For years, my body didn’t belong to me. It was my disorder’s. Signed and paid for with my own self-hatred; countless hours at the gym on almost zero food; a scrap of paper I kept in my calendar to proudly mark the number of calories I’d burned, far greater than what I’d consumed. My anorexia had had her brittle hands on me for years, and I didn’t want to admit it. She was with me when I tried on wedding dresses, forcing me to choose the one I felt least fat in. She would whisper in my ear every time I bought groceries.

Note: This article was originally written for and published on the Proud2Bme site.

The Internet has a bad reputation. With the click of a button, we can easily hurt one another, whether it be in regards to race, sex, religion, or appearance.

For the week of April 27th–May 1st, the CSU Northridge Proud2Bme On Campus team has created a 5 Day Photo Challenge activity on social media. The idea came about after a successful week of campus events during NEDAwareness week.

 The holidays can be an especially tough time for people who are affected by eating disorders. But we in the eating disorders community can all act as resources for one another by sharing hope and support! That’s why we’re asking you to share short videos (no more than one minute long) about the unique challenges – and joys – that  are part of the holiday season for those working toward recovery. 

Need some ideas of what to talk about? How about posting…

 The Internet has played a complicated role in my battle against an eating disorder.

In the depths of my illness, I used to scour the web to learn how to become a “better” anorexic. I was a slave to it. With every year that I lived with it (twelve in all), anorexia consumed increasingly more of my mind and body, until its goals fused completely with my own. I wanted—I needed—to lose weight, and the Internet, a vast fund of information and pro-eating disorder communities, seemed to hold the key.

Technology is increasingly building bridges in eating disorder prevention, treatment and recovery.

The power of social media has grown into a force that can influence society and culture with the swiftness of wildfire.  Messages conveyed through social media sites can build into movements, rapidly creating a positive or negative environment for those engaging with it.  Unfortunately, trends that promote eating disorders have become rampant through social media sites, such as Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter.  With the combination of easy access to technology and the widespread use of these social media sites, a movement that endorses eating disorder behaviors has quickly risen