Trends Come and Go; an Eating Disorder is Forever

Written By: Sierra Adams Hashimee

Flashback to the year 2007. The year of the first iPhone, Tumblr has just launched, and the skinny epidemic floods Hollywood. Jessica Alba, Victoria Beckham, and "pre-thic" Rihanna were the body types we as a society reached to achieve. Pro-Ana or pro-anorexia support is easily accessible on Tumblr, celebrities flaunt their quick weight shed and in turn teenage girls and boys equate hunger to happiness. The National Eating Disorder Association states that 9% of the population is affected by an Eating Disorder. With most of these symptoms being active from ages 12-25, it is no wonder that Eating Disorders seem to be a typical part of growing up in the United States.

Now we're back in the year 2022. Thick thighs and big butts were only the "hot trend" for a decade before the skinny era began to reemerge. Low rise jeans make a comeback, the Kardashian's shed their BBL's for petite physiques, and pro Ana has made a reappearance online in the form of cutesy diet challenges on tick tock. As we speed backwards in time towards the trend of collar bones and thigh gaps, I watch around me as everything feels all too familiar, like I have been down this dark road before.

In idolizing celebrities like Bella Hadid for existing while thin, are we creating a new generation of individuals who struggle with their appearance because for some reason it isn't enough to just be how you were made? Squats or a procedure to get a large butt one year then starving yourself and chain-smoking cigarettes for a gaunt figure the next year; when will we stop letting trends decide our worth?

Eating Disorders come in all shapes and sizes. Symptoms may begin at age 13, but can stay with you for a lifetime. Failure to eat and provide the body with vitamins while it develops is detrimental. Growth, the digestive and nervous system, and the menstrual cycle are all severely affected when not nurtured.

What started as a community on Tumblr that posted aesthetically pleasing photos of thin girls, turned into shared tips on how to lose weight, turned into a lifetime mending a broken relationship with food. Simple acts like packing myself lunch or eating in a group were things I had to relearn properly in adulthood. Food does not and may not ever come naturally to me, and this is mostly due to my less than savory relationship with it during those formative years.

Our bodies are not a trend, it is the one and only vessel to get us through this lifetime, therefore we need to treat it with respect and thank it for everything it achieves. After all, if we are constantly trying to change ourselves to fit the tabloids, how can we be who we are truly meant to be?

We have seen this road before and some of us have wandered down it. Join me this time in lighting the other paths of self love and acceptance to show our youth that these are options.

If you or someone you know is struggling with an eating disorder, you are not alone. Call or text (800) 931-2237 for support, resource, and treatment options.

Lookout for signs when you undervalue yourself because that is the one thing you can’t afford to do. Don’t let your insecurities overrule your strengths, and watchout for tendencies to fall in the trap of not feeling good enough.

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RECOGNIZE YOUR WORTH

...People who amaze you, who see your worth, too. They who encourage and support you.

WHEN YOU SEE YOUR WORTH, YOU WILL FIND IT HARDER TO STAY AROUND PEOPLE WHO DON’T. INSTEAD, KEEP SURROUNDING YOURSELF WITH PEOPLE WHO AMAZE YOU, WHO SEE YOUR WORTH, TOO. THEY WILL FORCE YOU TO LEVEL UP, TO KEEP GROWING YOUR WORTH. ~~ ALAN IAN ATKINSONWriter, Author, Storyteller

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If we influence you to do anything let it be to: Know the value of your word. Be promise keepers Work diligently Be independent Be UNINFLUENCED by the world —————————-/ Your name and your image, it’s so special. It carries the weight of your word and your reputation. This is why with simply a signature and a photo ID you can do business. From day 1, August 1,2020, of our instagram account we have purposefully set ourselves apart by not selling our endorsements. Has it cost us opportunities and money? Absolutely. But more importantly it has preserved the worth of our word. Has that at times been hard? You bet it has. It isn’t always easy to decline the flashiness and fanciness of new things. Why does it matter? Because we value our reputation and our name. Your name & your image- is exclusively yours and not one other person or organization can use without your express permission. This is why we lend it to no one in exchange for money or objects. On a social media platform I filled with influencers, we dare to be different and that isn’t always popular. . .. . . . . #deinfluencing #influencers #yourname #yourword #yourimage #yourquote #yourvalue #yourworth #worth #knowyourworth #yournameedits #yourwords #yourwordsmatter #reputation #generationalwealth #generationalwisdom #ancestralwisdom (at In The Garden) https://www.instagram.com/p/CqF6p5TuN2J/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

You can control how you react to others and make your actions reflect about yourself highly! #life #selfcontrol #kmktalks #selfgrowth #selfgrowthjourney #yourworth #selfcare https://www.instagram.com/p/Co_AxkXO1EQ/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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your worth

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#yourworth

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There are a lot of things that can make us jealous. A lot of successes we don't know how others achieve. A lot of beauty we don't know the expense of. A lot of temporariness that seem so nice. A lot of lies that are hidden. Sometimes, it can make you question your worth, your purpose, your beauty, your path. Don't focus on these things. A lot of it are not real. Instead, focus on making your place a better place. Focus on making your people including yourself-happier. — Jerico Silvers #jealousy #yourWorth #yourPurpose #yourPath #happiness #jericoSilvers https://www.instagram.com/p/CWYdF27LrU1/?utm_medium=tumblr

“Go with your own Flow May your heart rise to bloom from the depths of your desire, your thoughts radiate your truth & your voice declare your worth.“

art ‘Go with your own flow’, by Artist Linda Fabry

 https://www.lindafabry.com/about-the-artist

🔥Subscribe to my YouTube channel and podcast, "Uplift Past Crossroads"🔥 Befriend me on Facebook/LinkedIn = Sean Christopher Jenkins 🔥Follow👉🏾@troubledontlast 👈🏾IG/Twitter/Snap for more🔥 Turn on Post Notification - Like - Comment - Share - Save ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ . . Follow my other Instagram accounts: Subscribe to YouTube(in bio)👉🏾@my_daily_bible👈🏾 Subscribe to podcast(in bio)👉🏾@upliftpastcrossroads👈🏾 YouTube👉🏾@upliftwithdrj👈🏾 Fashion👉🏾@glamourmeetsgq👈🏾 . . 👤 Tag a friend who would like this page ⬇️ ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ #access #noteveryonedeservesyou #knowyourworth #knowyourvalue #knowyourvalueknowyourworth #knowyourvalueandworth #yourvalue #yourworth #worth #selfworthquotes #selfworth #selfworthjourney #selfworthiseverything #selfvalue #selfcare #selfcarefirst #loveyourself #loveyourselffirst #dontgiveeveryoneaccess #dontgivethemaccess #setboundaries #setboundariesforyourself #knowyourlimits #theydontdeserveyou #noteveryoneisyourfriend #valueyourtime #valueyourself #valueyourwellness #valueyourselfworth #valueyourownselfworth (at Nashville, Tennessee) https://www.instagram.com/p/CIdvdgRF5ka/?igshid=1rkaywguw6bcp

You’re UGLY!!

Facebook had graciously brought back a memory from 2017 on my timeline, it is a set of my selfie, which I honestly felt cute and beautiful back then, cause I have picked the cutest stickers and filter to enhance my look in it. 

Looking at that photos now, reminded me of this unpleasant sense of insecurity I had when I took them. I took the photos with poses that I see from my ex’s flings and “friends” that I stalked on Instagram or Facebook. The poses is not me. The way I pout my lips, the way I tilt my head, is the exact same way of how his past flings would be in their own photos. I took selfies with stickers and filters that enhances my look so that other girls who might want to get to know him will probably not advance when they see it.

“There is nothing wrong with that, it is only natural for a girl to want to look cute in photos”

Definitely. No girl would want to look bad in a photo. But the issue was the reasons behind the photos.  I’ll pout my lips this way like that girl he talked to last week.

I’ll look at the camera this way like his ex whom he still talks to.

I’ll pose this way like this girl he has been messaging with from work.

I’ll wink in a cute way for him so that he’ll know I can be cute like that girl too.

Nothing about the photo was for the safekeeping of a memory. The only memory I had of the photo was how insecure I was about myself in our 9 years relationship. These photos of me had me screaming “ YOU’RE UGLY!! UNWORTHY!! UNLOVABLE!! ” behind that smile in the name of ‘memory’.

Unknowingly, I had placed my worth, my beauty and my confidence, in a man who is also in search of answers in his own life. My beauty is available when I am in a relationship. My beauty is seen when I ‘belong’ to someone.

His pursuit for a long list of female friends convinced me that I needed to be cheeky, flirty and cute to get him to not look away from me. I was convinced that if I act a certain way, moved a certain way, speak a certain way, according to his preferences, he will not look elsewhere. Yet, despite all that work I put in myself, he will still look elsewhere, and I will become someone else that had gotten his attention, and I lose myself in the process. The more photos I took for him, the more I lose myself.

My definition of beauty, is to look like someone else, while letting my own personality go for the sake of gaining someone’s love and affection.

After many years of being in a relationship, I have finally come to a place of singleness. It was intentional, as I ended things with him early this year, with the help and conviction of the Holy Spirit and witht friends to support my emotional breakdown.

Entering the sixth month of singleness, I finally understood the value of being alone. It is a hidden gem, being single, and I regret not learning about singlehood when I had the chance as a teenager.  Being single or alone does not mean you are ugly like the world dictates. Being single is a gift from God, for you to learn and gain the ability to make decisions ( and mistakes) by yourself WITH God, without anyone else (besides family members and close friends), to affect the big decisions in your life. You can fully be devoted to learn the things of God. Being in a relationship will need you to pay attention to your partner’s needs and sometimes it will affect your walk with God, like mine did. 

1 Corinthians 7:34, NLT: ".... In the same way, a woman who is no longer married or has never been married can be devoted to the Lord and holy in body and in spirit. But a married woman has to think about her earthly responsibilities and how to please her husband."

Until the day God sends someone who will call you beautiful, pursue God’s kingdom with all you are. He is the One who will complete us and show us our worth through His eyes. I pray that my stories will help those who read it to realise much sooner than I did, that being single is not a scary thing! In Jesus name, Amen.

#knowit #foryourself #people #know #yourworth #hope #youdont #readitagain #knowyourworth #youknow #youwillknow #yourworth #worth #worthit #peopleknow #worthourhealth https://www.instagram.com/p/CB-qc1zD3Bf/?igshid=u9qam9gb2uv3

In this world full of superficiality, be reminded that how you perceive others is how you perceive yourself.

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This view from my window 🤟🏻 - Idk, but ever since traveling to California, I’ve felt the destined need to go back there. I’m not meant to finish the rest of my soul journey being bound by the hills of Appalachia. God placed me here so I could learn and grow and become who I’m meant to be through the experiences I’ve gained during my time spent in the mountains of West Virginia, but I feel in my soul I’m at a point of spiritual transition now, a crossroads, leading me to the personal truth of my entire life...my destiny — a period of boundless love and light and sharing the journey with God and with you 🙏😇💯 - Be well. Know your God worth! - #slay #slaytheday #slayfaith #slaying #slayallday #slayeveryday #slayforlife #slaylife #thisiswhatslayinglookslike #faith #ittakesfaith #movingmountains #mountainmovers #truelove #Godworth #yourworth #morethangold #trinity #truth #life #love #goingplaces #trinitylove #trinitytruth #truthshallsetusfree #truelovesetsusfree #lovesetsusfree #Godsetsusfree #followChrist #followingChrist - @slaytonjd @deafgirlsmusic @glowbuggallery - ✨🤟🏻✨🤟🏻✨ (at USA) https://www.instagram.com/p/Ce87WbrOUam/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=