It is a widely-known, yet little-talked-about fact that trauma in childhood can lead to the development of unhealthy and potentially-fatal coping behaviors such as eating disorders. Until a few years ago, I never spoke a word about the abuse that I had endured in my household, as well as the disordered behaviors I lived with for most of my life as a result. 

For the longest time, I did not let anyone in. If anyone asked how I was doing, I would just say, "I'm fine," and they’d stop asking. Now, I’m vocal about my mental health struggles; I’m no longer hiding, and I’m no longer silent.

In the world of public health prevention, we have an idea called “strategic science.” Basically, the idea is that when we set out to design a new study, we ought to be thinking about how the study findings could be used by policymakers and communities to make change happen to benefit people – real people, like you or your children, your friends and neighbors, or the people in a neighborhood across town. It’s a simple idea, but it demands a pretty radical departure from the more typical way that study ideas get out of the gate.

Pressure to conform to the ultra-thin beauty ideal promoted by the fashion industry hurts not only models, but consumers as well. Ahead of New York Fashion Week, NEDA teamed up with researchers, the Model Alliance, and nearly 100 leading models and industry professionals – including Iskra Lawrence, Jennie Runk, Sabina Karlsson, and Geena Rocero – to call on the fashion industry to put health first.