The Ugly, Beautiful Truth.
The depiction of la beauté in the media is intriguing to many people. It's exceedingly easy to become invested in the lives of famous beauty icons with the prevalence of social media... Interviews, personal Instagram posts, Twitter tweets, paparazzi, magazines, and Pinterest to name a few. These days it seems more rare not to be invested in their lives than it is rare. For many, this influence will be nothing more than a fun gossip with a friend or an interesting read in their spare time but for the not-so-lucky others, its impact will cause comparison, self-doubt and lead them down a self-destructive rabbit hole that's nearly impossible to claw your way out of.
Orthorexia...The eating disorder that's socially acceptable to have.
Orthorexia doesn't hide within the shadows, it lurks in the daylight. This is because nobody labels it as 'orthorexia', they label it as 'healthy'. But there's no doubt about it, Dolls... Orthorexia is an eating disorder and just like any eating disorder, it wreaks havoc in the minds of its prisoners. Many bodybuilders, models, people in the beauty spotlight and of course, everyday people have become influenced by 'healthy' and 'weight loss' advertisements and terminology to a compulsive degree. Equally, 'perfection' is tied into these phrases: having the 'perfect' body, eating the 'perfect' quantity, choosing the 'perfect' option, and being the 'perfect' healthy friend. There isn't a problem with choosing healthy foods, but only choosing healthy foods because there exists an underlying fear of eating anything that isn't classified as 'healthy' is a problem. It begins to rob people of experiences, opportunities and freedom. Orthorexia is glorified in weight loss advertisements, Victoria's Secret fashion shows, 'What I Eat in a Day' videos, gym and exercise culture, sporting careers, and what a 'body goal' looks like in the media. It's nearly impossible, living in the society that we do, to not be impacted by the messaging that 'healthy' and 'skinny' and 'pretty' and 'perfect' are important components of living a meaningful life. The messaging is necessary to a degree when discussing the rise in diet-related diseases but if we placed more focus on achieving balance, it's almost undeniable that our society would be a more accepting, harmonious and kind one to be a part of.
Food restriction also lurks in the daylight when the motive is labelled as one of morality. 'Vegan' and 'vegetarianism' are familiar terms, yet many people with eating disorders use these labels to excuse themselves from eating fear foods, eating out with others or eating home-cooked meals. It's the perfect one-liner that provides an explanation as to why they're not eating, why they've brought their own food along or why they're eating a meal that isn't nutritionally complete. But unfortunately, what lies beneath these terms is not just a lie, but shame... Shame that they're struggling with an eating disorder but feel that it's less complicated to brush their struggle off as a moral choice. When I first used these labels to try and hide anorexia, I genuinely believed it was a moral choice. I'd say I was 'doing it for the animals' or 'the environment'. But as time progressed, so did the itch in my stomach. I knew that the true source of my food anxiety was a debilitating eating disorder, not a moral dilemma. After a while, the judgement, criticism and inquisition of my moral beliefs made me just as uncomfortable as inquisitions about anorexia. Except, because in many ways I was living a lie to myself and others, the shame kept accumulating and accumulating until it was so concrete that I didn't know who I was without my labels, whether it was 'vegetarian', 'vegan' or 'anorexic'. I wish there was as much education on eating disorders as other dietary labels because if more people were aware of its prevalence, perhaps sufferers could be more candid about their suffering and in turn, allow for a larger scale of diagnoses, treatment and shame reduction.
A lot of the intel that society had into the lives of famous beauty icons was once upon a time predominantly scepticism. And the intel that was gathered directly from celebrities were fleeting comments made in interviews. The rise in social media has allowed celebrities to actively and frequently engage with their fans.
It's exciting but it's also dangerous.
Assumptions that young, impressionable audiences are making into the eating habits that allow certain celebrities to look 'big-screen material' are no longer assumptions. The big Hollywood labels themselves are sharing their exercise and eating regiments and it's added fuel to the fire that is 'how to be thin'. Often, the input of these stars is incredibly disordered and obsessive... Kate Moss, Kim Kardashian & Gwyneth Paltrow to name a few. Dolls, celebrities are people and I know that I've fallen into the trap of wanting to look like them but often, they're just as lost as we are with finding peace in a 'weight loss' orientated society. My advice? Listen to the wise intel of famous people who are either recovered or are advocating for healthy relationships with food, exercise and their body. I've found Demi Lovato and Lili Reinhart to be reliably positive sources. My other advice? Know that you aren't alone. I've been there and done that Shopaholics and the truth? It's not worth it. These celebrities are not health professionals and their 'body' and 'weight loss' tips are often aligned with under-eating, over-exercising and self-harm, not with scientific-based or government-funded healthy eating and exercise guidelines.
Sometimes, Dolls, the most beautiful things in life aren't as beautiful as they seem beneath the surface. Don't allow what's truly ugly to affect the individuality of a soul that shines as bright as yours. Your beauty is enough as is.
Kisses,
COS x
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