But one thing that has always stood out for me is that one friend who never ate. Not during recess, nor when snacks were secretly passed around during Mathematics class – not even during a birthday celebration.
Maybe you were that student, or maybe you’ve never noticed anyone do such a thing.
To nine-year-old me, it seemed downright preposterous that you wouldn’t scarf down your second breakfast of the day and proceed to line up for more snacks with your leftover pocket money.
Not everyone is privileged enough to go through life without experiencing trouble with body image.
Eating disorders do not discriminate; no matter your gender, race, age or socio-economic status, they have the power to pull you in.
The unrelenting societal pressure to fit into certain beauty standards also plays a significant role in our eating habits.
You wouldn’t believe how many of my friends have struggled with their body image. Though there were a few in primary school, that number grew as we moved to secondary school.
I have vivid memories of my friends and me opting to sit outside our classes instead of in the canteen, in order to skip having a meal.
Some even went so far as to stay back after school to skip another meal without anyone knowing.
This went on until we graduated and here’s the real kicker: when we got home, we almost always ended up binge eating for what felt like hours on end.
It was a vicious cycle and thus expectedly, our bodies couldn’t function as they were supposed to.
Various health issues started showing up and our studies were affected as a result.
I’m not sharing these stories for you to follow suit; instead, I want to shed light on just how common these issues are, and how many of us who never sought help, even when we were bawling our eyes out in front of our mirrors.
As cliche as it may sound, there really were so many moments where I realised I could have been having the time of my life, but I was just too focused on the calories.
Your teen years are when you should be living a carefree life, and yet so many miss out on theirs because their minds are constantly plagued with the fear of gaining weight.
But do keep in mind that there are many with eating disorders who starve themselves for reasons other than to achieve an “ideal” weight.
Realise that there’s no such thing as being “sick enough to get help”, and that there is always someone out there who is willing to help you.
It could be your parents or friends, or you could sign up for a visit to the psychiatrist or psychologist. Fortunately, there are affordable options such as community centres that host support groups.
Surrounding yourself with the right group of people can do wonders for you too.
Distance yourself from those who make you shrink into yourself, and scoot closer to those that make you grin so hard your cheeks ache.
Everyone is worthy of a good life, free from the horror that is calorie-counting.
Imagine your loved one going through life like you do, eating a mint every few hours to stay conscious, black spots darkening their vision every time they stand up.
If someone you know has been struggling, here are some questions you can ask yourself: Does it seem like they have lost control over their eating habits such as overeating obsessively in one sitting, or avoiding everything except certain foods?
Do they struggle with eating with others?
If the answer is yes, it wouldn’t hurt to gently approach them.
Admitting that you struggle with eating disorder and body image is a huge step, so tread with caution.
A quick online search can show you other common signs of an eating disorder, as it affects different people in different ways.
If you still think we do it for attention, ask yourself: Exactly how many people do you actually know with eating disorders?
Many choose to struggle in silence due to the relentless stereotypes in society.
There have been so many times a complete stranger has triggered us just with their mindless words, so let’s all work towards being more empathetic to each other.
- Nur Ayesha Imani is a participant of the BRATs Young Journalist Programme run by The Star’s Newspaper-in-Education (Star-NiE) team. Throughout the year-long programme, participants aged between 14 and 22 from all across the country experience life as journalists, contributing ideas, conducting interviews, and completing writing assignments. They get to earn bylines, attend workshops, and extend their social networks. To join Star-NiE’s online youth community, go to facebook.com/niebrats.
1. People come in all shapes and sizes. Take a look through today’s copy of the Sunday Star newspaper. Can you find five photographs of people that exemplify this fact? Cut them out and paste them in your Star-NiE scrapbook. Now, look for positive adjectives to describe their appearances. Paste these adjectives around the cut-out figures.
2. In Nur Ayesha Imani’s article, she wrote: “Imagine your loved one going through life like you do, eating a mint every few hours to stay conscious, black spots darkening their vision every time they stand up.” If your family member or friend is struggling with body image or eating disorder, what would you say to him or her? Write a message to the person expressing your concern and offering help.
Since 1997, The Star’s Newspaper-in-Education (Star-NiE) programme has supported English language teaching and learning in primary and secondary schools nationwide. Through Star-NiE’s teacher and student workshops, annual contests and monthly English language resources for classroom use, participants of the programme reportedly showed marked interest in the language and progress in their proficiency. Now in its 25th year, Star-NiE is continuing its role of promoting the use of English language through a weekly activity page in StarEdu. These activities are suitable for use individually and in groups, at home and in the classroom, across varied proficiency levels. Parents and teachers are encouraged to work on the activities with their children and students. In addition, Star-NiE’s BRATs Young Journalist Programme will continue to be a platform for participants to hone and showcase their English language skills, as well as develop their journalistic interests and instincts. Follow our updates at facebook.com/niebrats. For Star-NiE enquiries, email starnie@thestar.com.my.
#BRATs and #Star-NiE
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