“Sancho!” I yelled, smiling so tightly that my cheeks hurt as I threw open my front door. “Charlotte! You’re even more beautiful in person!” He didn’t miss a beat, despite the fact that I’d just called him by his last name as if we were old college buddies. His name is actually Miguel Sancho, producer …
I hate eating in public. And I say this fully realizing that many of you who read this have had occasion to eat with me. If I invite you over, to my home, things are not so hard for me. I have control over the menu, the ingredients, and the portions. I can even control …
The first thing you notice about The Anna Westin House in rural Minnesota, named for one of the saddest stories in eating disorder lore, is that you don’t notice it at all. Two light brick townhouses joined at the kitchen, it blends seamlessly in with the surrounding upper middle class neighborhood. From the green and …
“You’re not living up to your potential.” Those are probably the scariest words anyone has ever spoken to me. I’ve spent my entire life running as fast and as far as I can, trying to grasp that elusive goal. It seems like I should be able to do it – after all it is my …
“You’re prettier but she’s way sexier.” Thus started one of the worst back-handed compliments I’ve ever received. “She just knows how to use what she’s got. You’re… kinda spastic.” The speaker was Shane, my rakishly handsome neighbor my freshman year of college. My roommates and I all had massive crushes on him which he both …
We should institute a paper-bag mask and trench coat uniform for all would-be pervs. Make them so much easier to spot! Photo Credit. It started with running away. The BackstoryAt nineteen I was sexually assaulted by a boy whom I was dating, hereafter referred to as Very Bad Boyfriend. The physical toll it took on …
Has nothing to do with her looks. And yet we insist on greeting each other with the passive aggressive “Hi! You look great!! Have you lost weight?!?” This phenomenon has been documented by writers of greater insight and humor than myself, so we will acknowledge the lameness of this anti-compliment and move right on to …
Photo Credit: Flippin’ Sweet Gear In my life I’ve had many occasions to hear how different women and girls talk about their weight and body image. Not because I’m special but because we all talk about this kind of thing a lot. We’ve all witnessed the post-ice-cream meltdowns of a normal girl who considers herself …
Second Son (4 years old): Whatdahet?? (his favorite nonsensical eptithet – heaven help me when he learns real cuss words) I am SO FAT! Just look at me! First Son (5 years old): Yeah, well I’m super skinny. Look at my bones everywhere! I’m just a little boy wasting away! (Oh the drama.) My blood …
Blame it on their friends! (Don’t we always?) But wait, it’s not that simple. In all of my writing about my struggles with anorexia, orthorexia and general bad-self-image-exia, I have come to notice something interesting. Particularly something interesting about you. Every time I write about eating disorders or the pressure to be thin, the majority …
