Supporting Athletes in Eating Disorder Recovery Through Change
To an athlete, an injury or illness, change in coach, or retirement from sport may feel like a traumatic event. These are three factors in which the athlete has the potential to go off the grid from their usual support systems: teammates, coaches, athletic trainers, or strength coaches. As a result of this stressful time, […]
How Purity Culture Made Me Ashamed of My Body
In the grocery store checkout line in suburban Orange County, Calif., my mom looked at me and said, “watermelon.” It was our code word for “stand up straight.” I was a preteen, taller than all my friends, and was constantly slouching. The reminder was so constant my mom decided a code word would make it […]
What You Need to Know About Eating Disorders in Muslim Communities
When I first started writing this post, my intention was to highlight how eating disorders affect the Muslim community in ways that differ from people of other faiths (or no faith). However, the more I looked into it and the more I thought about what I’ve been through, I realized that I would be doing […]
“Neon Light” Song Honors National Eating Disorders Awareness Week
Hello, my NEDA friends! My name is Jada Michael and I’m a 19-year-old singer/songwriter from Miami, Florida. I am honored to be able to participate in National Eating Disorders Awareness Week (NEDAwareness) and be a part of an amazing organization that is changing lives and addressing weight stigma, a toxic influence that perpetuates eating disorders […]
Sexual Assault, Yoga, and My Body
The #MeToo movement—originally started by social activist Tarana Burke in the 1990s—was the story of 2017. Fueled by a moment in which women were coming forward to tell their stories of assault and abuse by men in power—and seeing those same men lose decades-long careers as a result—a door opened, seemingly overnight, for people to […]
Centering the Voices of People of Color in the Fight Against Eating Disorders
Gloria Lucas is a self-described “chubby warrior, DIY punx educator, and eating disorder survivor” dedicated to increasing the representation within the body positive and eating disorder community. After struggling with her own eating disorder, Gloria felt the impact of cultural differences with the difficulty she felt about speaking out. Now, she hopes to fulfill her […]
United States Senate Recognizes National Eating Disorders Awareness Week for the First Time!
In countrywide recognition of the need for research, prevention programs, and treatment options for the 30 million Americans who will experience an eating disorder, the United States Senate has passed Senate Resolution 419, officially designating Feb. 26 – March 4 National Eating Disorders Awareness Week (NEDAwareness Week) for the first time. Themed Let’s Get Real […]
The Importance of Diverse Media Representation
We are shaped by our experiences and our perceptions. Our views of the world are defined by what we see and what we hear and the media has always played a role in that. Throughout history, the media and arguably, our immediate environment, has controlled our self-image, and in the age of technology, we are […]
No One Believed I Could Have an Eating Disorder in a Fat Body
When I started @iamdaniadriana five years ago, I never thought that I would amass nearly 100,000 followers on Instagram. My dream when I started @iamdaniadriana was to give a voice to those who have felt marginalized from the eating disorder community, people who have felt let down or ignored in the past as they didn’t […]
