Eating disorders do not care who you are: they can affect anyone.
There is a misconception that if you look ‘normal’ then you’re not struggling, and if you look anything other than ‘normal’ you are either starving yourself or over eating.
We want to put a stop to that idea right now.
Firstly, passing judgement on someone’s eating behaviours based upon their physical weight or appearance isn’t helpful and is often inaccurate.
Eating difficulties and body image perception difficulties of all forms impact a wide range of people, regardless of how they look.
For example, you could be overweight based on BMI (we believe BMI is often an unhelpful tool in measuring health anyway) and heavily restricting or you could be underweight and struggling with binge eating. How someone looks does not change the struggle and although the suffering each individual experiences is different, the themes and pain are equivalent.
Body perception issues also impact individuals without prejudice: any gender, age, sexual preference, size.
This all means that it is very important to be aware of what we say to, or about, others and that we try not to make assumptions about another’s struggles. If you are worried about someone, then take a look at their behaviours rather than appearance. Although not a fail safe, it is much easier to make an informed assessment of a loved one’s wellness based on behaviours.
Further to this, if you think you may be having issues with food or body image then consider your behaviour, how you feel and how it may be impacting your life before you deem yourself without issue based on appearance.
If you, or a loved one, needs a judgement free, safe space then please don’t hesitate to get in contact with NEDRC