I have been in ballet for I dunno how long but I started having distorted body image as well. I was bulemic and anhorexic. I wouldn't eat much and whatever I would eat, I would throw it up. I wasn't even over weight. I was 5'4 at 125 which is like average for my age. I am very muscular, but pretty lean, so my muscle weighs more. But all I saw was the skinny 15 year olds in my company that were like 80 lbs and all I wanted was to be like them. It hadn't occured to me that I was like 4 years older, and had breasts and hormones, ect. I was like that for over 6 months before my best friend caught on and made me stop. I was good at conceiling it. I think while media has a big part in this mess, WE make the choices we make. We have to own up to our choices. Eating too much or not eating enough is a choice. We all have to make responsible choices for ourselves. It's definetely easier said than done but 4 years later, I've owned up to my own choice. Yes I wanted to be like the girls on tv and magazines, but no one put a gun to my head. I think it's easy to use a scapegoat, at least for me it was. Now I realize that if I'm not eating enough during the day (which is always the case) I need to eat more. On the days that I feel very much like eating everything in site, I make a conscious decision not to overeat because I'm depressed or stressed out. Now at 24, I'm finally happy at 5'4'' and 118 lbs. But I think people are beautiful the way they are, just as long as they are healthy. |