forum discussion: understanding anorexia (day 6)
hello! i hope everyone's been having a good day and that all of you are doing well. i'm here with a continuation of the forum discussion we've been having about anorexia! this topic is sensitive and can be triggering to some audiences, if in any case you feel triggered, please feel free to leave this forum discussion and connect to a listener. please remember to be respectful and supportive toward every participant. if you are in need of more personalized support then please reach out to one of our wonderful listeners here: 7cups.com/BrowseListeners/ you can check out the post emily made yesterday here where we discussed about factors that may influence the probability of someone developing anorexia!
this is today's question: can you think of any myths or misconceptions the society/media might have regarding anorexia? if so, what are those myths/misconceptions?
i think this question is very, very interesting and i'm excited to see all of your replies & thoughts! once again, thank you to those who have been consistently responding to these posts! emily and i appreciate it very much and we really hope these are of help (: if you have any suggestions or comments, feel free to pm me or fill out this form!
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I think one misconception would be how drastic anorexia's affects on our bodies can be. I never imagined how extremely exhausted i would be and how limited i am in doing activities. I think media portrays people with anorexia as still doing day to day tasks without much struggle, when in reality going up the stairs is like climbing a mountain. Since being extremely thin is desirable in our culture the true physical challenges are not accurately depicted in order to promote eating disorder behaviours. In the eyes of the media and society in general eating disorders, especially anorexia, are not seen as unhealthy things but an effective method of dieting.
@Sammie1997
thank you so much for your reply! i fully agree with your statement, i think it's unfortunate how much of an influence the media has on most of our lives and how wrongly it can portray some things. it sounds like you've been struggling, and if you are i'm so sorry to hear that. i know some days it feels like you don't even have the strength to climb up some stairs but deep down i know you have the strength to overcome this (: the road to recovery may be tough but you're brave enough to get through it! you are more amazing than you know and i'm rooting for you (:
@viictoriia
thanks, that means a lot
@Sammie1997
Society and media can definitely be a challenge, unfortunately 
With the cultural obsession of being thin, it can be hard to escape the stigma of eating disorders such as anorexia, and thus recovery being more difficult to achieve because of the glorification and glamorization of eating disorders. However, I know that whenver stigma is present, stigma fighters are also present to prove the stigma wrong and fight it off. You're definitely doing a splendid job at being a stigma fighter, always keep it up! As you continue, your recovery will be easier to reach and achieve 
