Body shaming has become such an everyday thing that we consider it as the ‘new normal.’ Unknowingly, we try to judge people based on their appearance, on their body weight, on their appetite. Then and there itself we lose the right to call ourselves rational! Even the educated ones amongst us, undergo these doubts at some point or the other. Everybody is so busy getting skinny that they forget that body shape and looks aren’t that important, knowledge is, being a kind person matters.
A society which judges, is to blame. So many youngsters lose their lives, mental peace due to such irrational judgements. Yes, being fit matters, eating healthy matters but the body shape? Nah, not at all!
This is the story of Christie Begnell. She battled with eating disorders for four years and finally found a way of emerging victorious through her art. In her book, ‘Me and My ED‘ she has compiled together her powerful illustrations.
When Christie turned 20 she broke up with her long-term boyfriend and this increased her anxiety and depression.
She had this urge to inflict self-harm and she started gaining weight. When everything else was out of control, she decided to gain control over her weight by dieting. But the dieting soon turned into anorexia (refers to self-starvation and lack of appetite).
“In a world where I felt like I was spinning out of control, I gained control in the numbers and my weight.”
When Christie realised her problem is severe, she tried to admit herself into a hospital the but the doctors deemed her BMI as “too healthy.”
She also tried getting admitted for her suicidal thoughts but she did not have a positive experience.
“What I needed at that time was a hospital admission where I could be kept safe and have the support to work on my eating disorder recovery.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/BO6a_rKjB3G/?taken-by=meandmyed.art
“What I received was a lot of dismissal from nursing and medical staff, stating that I was basically not sick enough to warrant help for my eating disorder.”
She has been trying to stress that an eating disorder does not necessarily mean a low BMI. It is a mental condition. You are restless all the time, anxious, the self-image isn’t good at all!
To recover, Christie began to write a journal and to show her internal struggle she began to draw. This gave birth to ‘Ana’, a purple skeleton like girl who personifies anorexia!
“Personifying an eating disorder is something that is quite common with the illness, explaining that many refer to bulimia as “Mia” and eating disorders as “Ed.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/BOlyOyDDStF/?taken-by=meandmyed.art
She felt Ana talking to her in her head, she says,
In August 2016, Christies’s mother took her to a private clinic where she finally began to recover. The staff in the clinic encouraged her to draw and share her illustrations. Soon she found that many women related to the drawings. Christie is still in recovery but says,
“I’m the best I’ve been in years. I still have days where Ana is loud, but I’m lucky to have a great support network around me who can recognize Ana’s voice and help me challenge her.”
She says that she even trolls Ans sometimes.
“I post a lot of photos exposing my belly rolls and back fat now simply because Ana doesn’t want me to.”
Christie talks about tackling problems by sharing them with your close ones.
“The more we talk about our problems and seek help and advice, the more that stigma of eating disorders is broken down.”
Well, the form of expression would differ for everyone but make sure you don’t keep all of it bottled up!
Christie has done a very admirable job with all her illustrations. I am sure it will help people undergoing eating disorders and remind them that body shape is not your identity!
News Source: The Huffington Post