Some years back, before I began my journey healing my relationship with my body and self-image, I confided in a friend that I think I might be suffering from an eating disorder. The binge-restrict cycles had me dealing with severe acid reflux, gallbladder stones, and a sense of perpetual guilt and fear around whatever food wasn’t raw cabbage – all of which are potential side effects of disordered eating. I’ll never forget the look on his face and the scepticism bordering on disgust in his voice as he measured my size 6 body up and down and proclaimed: You are *not* anorexic. I hadn’t said the word ‘anorexic’ mind you. I had just expressed concern around my broken relationship with food. Needless to say, that conversation delayed my recovery process.

All this to say: As someone with a serious dose of thin privilege, I can never, ever claim to even begin to know what you must be going through with the BS you’re constantly flooded with from healthcare providers and (my personal favourite) random people on the internet. But if a size 6 body could receive that kind of backlash in the face of legitimate concern around disordered eating, I can only imagine just how much toxic misinformation and hurtful stupidity you’ve had to fight through in order to receive the help you deserve.

We need to do better as a society. We need to learn to show real empathy, respect, and compassion towards people’s individual journeys. I have a lot of appreciation for the work you do raising awareness. Fuck the haters and self-proclaimed internet experts. Your journey is valid. Your pain is valid. Your truth is valid. And I know that, in sharing your story, you’ve helped a lot of people heal.