Glamorous, beautiful, fantastic, a workout in a pill, the easy way, the answer you have been looking for! These are the things that came to my mind when I thought of diet pills. My struggle with disordered eating began way before my struggle with bulimia; it began years earlier when I began using diet pills. I was searching for a way to become the “ideal dancer,” and it seemed every time I turned around diet pills were in my face.

I remember the first time I went to the store to purchase these miracle pills- feeling both excited and ashamed I rushed through the store to an aisle full of options. After quickly picking one I rushed to the register, paid and began taking them as soon as I got in the car. I couldn’t wait to see the results in a few days. The problem was those results I longed for weren’t coming. I thought I must have got the wrong ones and began trying different types and while I did begin feeling jittery, moody and developed insomnia- I was not seeing those promised results.

Not seeing the results caused my self-esteem to diminish as I felt hopeless of ever looking like those models the bottle claimed everyone looked like- everyone but me! I began experimenting with more eating disorder behaviors especially if I didn’t have access to my diet pills after a meal. My life revolved around getting those promised results on the pill bottle, no matter what it took. This attempt to get the promise from these pills cost me a lot- the obvious is the large amount of money I spent on bottles and bottles of pills, but there was also the development of many health issues from the pills and years of disordered eating. 

In January, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) cracked down on fraudulent marketing and charged some prominent diet companies with deceptively marketing weight-loss products. This is a huge step in preventing eating disorders and helping people currently struggling. So often teenagers and young adults are targeted by these companies, and nothing speaks to these populations like the media. Individuals see the promises these diet pill companies make; desire this and don’t think about the health risks. The diet pill companies don’t advertise the health risks that come with these pills and are unable to prove safety and/or success with the use of the pills, but that is not what the audience sees. To an individual watching the commercial or reading the ad on the internet they see glamour, beauty and often times the answer they have been looking for.

I am excited about this step the FTC has taken and believe it is a step in the right direction. The Federal Trade Commission taking a stand is a big step in preventing others from having the experience I had.