Eating disorders in the age of GLP-1s
Confession: I was triggered when I contacted Emily Hemendinger, MPH, LCSW, for the article (linked below) about the rise of “skinny” culture.
Maybe the triggering is unique to my friend group. But many of us were raised by moms who loved Twiggy and believed coffee and cigarettes to be a full meal. Many of us compared our own bodies to Kate Moss during the "heroin chic” era in the 90s. And none of us will forget entering our third decade of life and seeing Jessica Simpson shamed for showing up on stage as a size 4.
The audacity.
I won’t speak for everyone. But in recent years, I had made peace with my body. I learned to nourish it with healthy food and movement based on love and not punishment.
Then, I turned 49. And suddenly the body I’d learned to love responded differently to pretty much everything.
I watched Wicked with my teenage daughter. Though I do my best not to comment on other people’s bodies, I mentioned the stars’ pronounced collarbones. My daughter’s response? Mom, she looks great.
My inner teenager panicked, for her and for me.
Then, December came about. And it seemed like every conversation I had was about weight. It felt like every person I encountered was talking about GLP-1s, at work, at happy hour, on the socials. Some of the people were showing up skinny themselves. Some of them admitted to losing a lot of weight by microdosing them.
The eating disorder noise that filled my brain in my teens and early 20s came back – with a vengeance. The mindfulness geek in me watched the chaos swirl and twirl. But the middleager in me – the one who still (despite best efforts) connects my worth to my outer appearance – felt defeated. Unhealed. Crazy. Sad. Scared. Desperate.
So, it was of great comfort to have this conversation with Emily Hemendinger. And to share with my bestie what was happening in my brain and find more confidence in knowing that while my body has changed with age, I’m still nourishing my body. I’m moving more now than ever. I can literally brag about how much I can bench press. I’ve never been so strong.
I found hope in this quote of Emily’s and share it in case it resonates with you, too.
“I wish women and men could consider worth beyond appearance and bodies. As much as I wish women would take hormones and body functioning into consideration regarding body size changes across the life span, ultimately allowing for a more compassionate stance toward their bodies, what I wish for more is a societal shift. Society’s view on women’s bodies and aging women is negative, objectifying and youth-obsessed. Until there is a societal change, there’s only so much an individual can do.” — Emily Hemendinger, MPH, LCSW
Read the full article here: https://news.cuanschutz.edu/news-stories/why-skinny-culture-is-back-and-what-it-means-for-body-image-and-mental-health
