I just wanted to share my story in the hopes that it can help other people struggling with the same issue. A few years ago I struggled with an eating disorder, triggered by an extreme obsession with Ariana Grande’s “honestly perfect” body image. For months, I obsessed over every picture of her on social media and tried to emulate what I was seeing - but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t quite make it happen.
While my diet and exercise were becoming more and more restrictive, my health began to rapidly decline. My hair started falling out in clumps, and my skin became increasingly dry and pale. Not only was I losing weight dangerously fast, but I had also begun experiencing a range of physical symptoms including exhaustion and chronic headaches. Despite this, my bizarre thought-patterns kept me trapped in a relentless cycle of restriction and self-punishment for failing to look like Ms Grande.
Eventually, after months of feeling completely helpless and unable to break free from this pattern of unhealthy behaviour, I sought professional help. With time, counsel and sheer determination - combined with the support of compassionate loved ones - I slowly learnt to challenge the unrealistic beauty standards we are inundated with daily through social media.
So if you’re going through something similar (or know someone who is), there is hope! Understanding that looking “perfect” isn’t the be-all end-all will go a long way towards helping you overcome any issues around food or body image!