Quote From: cmcgaugh I was at the taping of the Season Four premiere and I left troubled by the content of the show.
It seems as though the image of anorexics is always shown by the media as a skeletal woman on the verge of death. While my heart aches for these women, there are many others who suffer from anorexia who look nothing like a walking cadaver.
Personally, I've experienced friends and family members who think I look "healthy" compared to the images they see in magazines and on TV, therefore they dismiss my illness as "not serious" or "all in my head."
The truth is, at 5'4" and 97 lbs., I suffer greatly. My life is consumed by my disease. I worry that friends and family of other anorexics will take the same attitude of denial until their loved ones are truly dying and beyond help.
Even among other anorexics, the competition to be the thinnest is perpetuatued by these disturbing images. "If I'm not as thin as she is, I'm not being a good anorexic. I need to lose more weight."
When I was hospitalized for this disease, this attitude of competition existed among all of the patients there.
I'm troubled that Dr. Phil's use of these shocking images (as tragic and sad as they are), merely supports the misconceptions of eating disorders and its victims.
Keep fighting. :)
You are YOU sized. Please don't be imprisioned by your pants. Do you still see your therapist? Have you looked into Something-fishy.org?
Have you thought about smashing your scale to bits, or hiding it with a friend so you don't use it so often?
You are much much more valuable than what a "simple machine"(physics geek) like a scale or caliper, clothes, tape measures or even the mirror can "tell" you. They are incapable of determining your true worth.
OH, read SARK. :) The Play Journal and Succullent Wild Woman are excellent starting places if you haven't found her already.
NO offense Dr. Phil. :) You are neat too...but SARK is amazing and you should have her on your show.
