This article was originally published on EverydayFeminism.com and is republished with permission. (Content Note: Eating disorders, including descriptions of restriction practices.) There’s only one time in my life I ever remember seeing my dad cry. It wasn’t at his mother’s funeral or his father’s, though I knew he was sad then. It was on a couch in a therapist’s office at … [Read more...]
3 Confessions of a Male Emotional Eater
A Growing Boy I was eight years-old the first time I ate so much that I threw up. The meal was spaghetti with ketchup and Parmesan cheese, a classic of my childhood served at least once every week or two when my parents were just too tired to make anything more complicated. It was normal for me to have second helpings on these evenings, but for some reason that night, … [Read more...]
Every Time I Judge Myself I Reveal And Unhealed Part of Myself: 7 Things I Shamed Myself About (And Maybe You Do Too)
It didn’t take too many visits to my therapist to learn that my biggest psychological hurdles were my narrow-minded perspectives on who I was supposed to be, where I was supposed to be in life, and what the people in my life thought or expected of me. I was carrying the weight of a million “what-ifs” with me everyday, everywhere I went, and into every relationship. I constantly … [Read more...]
My Journey to Eating Disorder Treatment as Neither a Man or Woman
For the past many years, I have struggled with an eating disorder. Searching for a therapist, I have called several locations. Each time, they assumed, because of my voice that I was a man and would want to be a part of their men’s services. When I corrected and explained that I am not a man, they assumed I was a woman and would want treatment with other women. My options … [Read more...]
How Gentrification Shrank My Self Confidence
Gentrification happened to me in steps. At first I was confused. Were the non-POC in this predominantly Black/Brown neighborhood lost? Did they miss their stop on this Queens-bound train? Are they simply taking a tour of the best Caribbean spots in Brooklyn? When I let it sink in that they were here to stay, noticeable implants to a previously self-contained … [Read more...]
How I Convinced Myself I Didn’t Have an Eating Disorder
It began with a love of tattoos; the permanence of art on an impermanent body, the buzz of the machine, the stinging and bleeding and the healing. And by “it” I mean how I taught myself to call my eating disorder “inspiration” and, thusly, non-existent. I’d spend hours upon hours on Tumblr, looking at tattoos on women. At first, I was mesmerized by colors, … [Read more...]
More Complicated Than You Think: Eating Disorders and Trans Identities
In honor of National Eating Disorders Awareness Week, TBINAA will feature stories that explore eating disorders at the intersections of our identities, sharing stories about ED from the groups that are often absent from the discussion. We believe that there must be space to tell the story of EVERY body and we are grateful to those who have shared their stories with us, so that … [Read more...]
Healing the Disconnect and Starting a Revolution: Eating Disorders and Disability
In honor of National Eating Disorders Awareness Week, TBINAA will feature stories that explore eating disorders at the intersections of our identities, sharing stories about ED from the groups that are often absent from the discussion. We believe that there must be space to tell the story of EVERY body and we are grateful to those who have shared their stories with us, so that … [Read more...]
Radical Worldview Wednesday: #NEDAwareness, Domestic Violence Shelter for Men, #SayHerName: Maya and Veronica
In honor of National Eating Disorders Awareness Week, TBINAA will feature stories that explore eating disorders at the intersections of our identities, sharing stories about ED from the groups that are often absent from the discussion. We believe that there must be space to tell the story of EVERY body and we are grateful to those who have shared their stories with … [Read more...]
“Starting Today I End My Fear”: Nourishing Myself Through Anorexia
In honor of National Eating Disorders Awareness Week, TBINAA will feature stories that explore eating disorders at the intersections of our identities, sharing stories about ED from the groups that are often absent from the discussion. We believe that there must be space to tell the story of EVERY body and we are grateful to those who have shared their stories with us, so that … [Read more...]
