Have you ever lived with an eating disorder and yet, felt invisible in discussions about ED? Would you like to see your unique truth be part of the conversation about disordered eating? If so, February 21 – 27, 2016 marks  National Eating Disorder Awareness week and The Body is Not An Apology would like to hear from you.

We are unapologetic in our desire to tell, learn and grow from the many intersections of our lives and our world including those related to eating disorders. That’s why we need you!

What do we mean by the intersections? Who should submit?

• Eating disorders in queer/trans/gender non-conforming identity and community.
• Eating disorders in Asian & Pacific Islander identity and community .
• Eating disorders and racial justice.
• Eating disorders in the Black community.
• Eating disorders in the Latino community and Arab community.
• Eating disorders and aging.
• Eating disorders and disability/neurodivergence (mental illness)/chronic illness.
• Eating disorders and fatness.
• Eating disorders and masculinity.

We think you get our drift! We want to expand the conversation about ED beyond cis/white/youth focused dialogue.  We want voices that reflect the ways eating disorders live in our intersecting identities and our unique communities.  We want to know how you may still struggle or how you have found space to recover if that is where you are on your journey. Mostly, we want you to have space to tell your story.

We believe that we need an extreme form of self-love to counter the constant barrage of shame, discrimination, and body terrorism that is enacted against us every single day. Sometimes telling our stories can be the first radical act of loving ourselves.

So, what are we asking for? 

Please submit 500 words on your experience with eating disorders and your identity. How did your identity impact your journey? In what ways do you feel eating disorders affect your community in ways that are different than the mainstream narrative? How are you learning to love yourself more radically? Thanks for being radical with us!

Please email submissions to [email protected] by February 11, 2016.

Are you suffering from an eating disorder and ready to create space and love for your body on new terms. National Eating Disorder Awareness Week hotline can provide you with resources and counselors at 1-800-931-2237.

[Feature Image: Fair skinned person sits at table holding chopsticks out in front of them. Their hair is pulled back into a ponytail, hanging over their shoulder. They are wearing an off-white blouse with blue details and have a sad expression on their face. ]