In the latter part of Grade Seven I had the chance to make a television commercial. I had been all excited and thought maybe I could become a model. I was always seeing the teenaged models in magazines and thought why not. I enjoyed the attention that was showered on me everytime the kids at school saw the commercial and the man who had gotten me the spot on the commercial said I would be able to do more. I remember reading somewhere that the camera adds ten pounds so I figured I would lose weight but I wasn't very good at sticking to diets so I just stopped eating, what was the sense of eating if I couldn’t eat the things I wanted. Of course supper posed a problem because I was forced to eat mean I couldn’t very well say I was never hungry. My mother might sus- pect that I was fasting. As it turns out I found out somewhere that you could eat your cake and not have it too, so to speak. If I ate just a little bit of supper complain I was full I would then be allowed to leave the kitchen without eating all my supper. I would then go to the bathroom and stick my finger in my throat to throw up the little supper that I did eat. I got really good at this and after a while I could throw up by just thinking about it, maybe I was too good at it.

In Grade Eight I was eating nothing and throwing up if late as muchas a potato chip. One night we had spaghetti for supper which incidently was my down- fall (and stillis). late everything on my plate, a friend was spending the night and she had no idea about my ‘* weight loss program’’ and as it turned out I didn’t get a chance to do my usual routine. The next morning very early I woke up getting sick to my stomach and I couldn’t stop. When it subsided briefly | asked my friend to get me a drink of juice which sent my stomach in another fit. I couldn’t hold any- thing in my stomach not even a glass of juice. I ended up in the hospital and was unconscious for most of my stay. I was there for a month and IJ almost died. I almost died to be thin. Ironically, just before I went into the hospital I had gotten my long hair cut short. The guy who got me the commercial said ‘*‘he didn’t like it, | looked like a boy.’’ I only got one modelling job after that.

I have never stopped eating or purged again although even up until my first year at UPEI. I worea lady’s size 3. Then I went to a size 5. I am now at size 7

~ where | intend to stay. It was a hard decision to make

UPEI X-P RESS

January 23, 1992

last fall when I had to buy new pants. I entertained the idea of going ona diet but decided against it. I’m | not fat so why should I diet. Besides diets scare me and I have a good reason to be scared.

Being thin is not important, it took me eight years to | learn that being satisfied with my ownbodyismore | important than someone else being satisfied by the look of my body. If they don’t like the way I look, they can look away.

Anonymous

‘“‘T’m just a person trapped inside a woman’s body.”

Elaine Boosler

Eating Disorders strike many

women by Elaine Bellio

‘*The statistics on who is affected by eating disorde and weight preoccupation are appalling,’’ says Ruth Pentinga, founder of the Women’s Body Images ~ Support Group at York. One of three percent in No) America have anorexia, 3 to 5 percent have bulimia) and another 10 to 20 percent engage in some of the symptoms on as occasional basis. Anorexia is char terised by a fear of weight gain and the relentless — et pursuit of thinness through restrictive dieting. Bulimia involves acycle of binge eating, followedt) purging to getrid if unwanted calories. Vomiting, | laxative abuse, fasting and excessive exercise are | common purging methods. Both anorexia and bulim i can have severe physical and emotional effects. In to 20 per cent of cases they can be fatal. ‘‘We ‘vel V

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