Some years ago I nearly lost one of my writing students over the word “glutton.” Jay had submitted a short story with a female character described as large and middle […]
Tag: Eating Disorders
The 24-Hour Treatment for Anorexia
For years now, eating disorders patients and their families been watching and waiting for clinical trials to verify what treatment experts have been observing in practice: that the family-based Maudsley […]
Concluding Thoughts on Love Your Body Week
Today marks the last day of “Love Your Body Week,” and the blogosphere has been actively posting useful tips on how to love one’s own body even if it does […]
(Self)Love is a Battlefield
My body is a battleground. I have spent most of my life waging a war on it. I have vivid girlhood memories of my worth being measured by my waist size […]
Today’s the Day to Love Your Body
There are things we say to ourselves that we would never say to the people we love. Can you imagine telling your best friend her butt is too big or her breasts […]
All Walks Beyond the Catwalk
At the National Eating Disorders Association conference last Saturday in New York, I had the delight of attending Susan Ringwood’s presentation [PDF] on “All Walks Beyond the Catwalk.” Susan is […]
Dear Salon.com: Veganism Isn’t an Eating Disorder
While reading an article on Salon.com, I became distracted by a sidebar entitled, “Glee‘s mysteriously shrinking Rachel.” I enjoy reading criticisms of how awful Glee is as much as the […]
Thinness is No Panacea
Whether the overvalued ideal is a “perfect” size, diet, faith, or political belief, the undercurrent that drives us toward that ideal is our own inchoate and multifaceted distress. Feeling overwhelmed and helpless makes us more inclined to elevate simplistic ideals in ways that can end up doing us harm.
Selling Old-School Motherhood With the Groceries
I actually might appreciate the Mom-on-the-go tips in the supermarket booklet, except I can’t get past the messages about dieting and motherhood.
Climb Every Mountain–A Metaphor for Eating Disorders?
I’m just back from the annual Academy for Eating Disorders conference, this year in beautiful Salzburg in the Austrian Alps. Perhaps that location helps to explain why keynote speaker Kelly […]