The important work we all need to be doing

A couple of recent articles have created quite a stir in the eating disorder/Health at Every Size/Intuitive Eating communities.  One is from a May 16, 2009 article written by Hortense at Jezebel in response to the April/May issue of Girl’s Life Magazine and the other is a May 24, 2009 Interview with MeMe Roth by Gaby Wood printed in the Guardian.

The first article addresses the potential to do harm when mass media focuses primarily on making money, the other illustrates the potential to do harm when an individual wages an anti-obesity campaign based more on personal beliefs than a desire to objectively discuss the issues.

The articles require no further comment from me as they do a fine job of speaking for themselves. Hortense makes some valid and important points and Wood allows us to experience empathy for her interviewee who has been reviled by many.

I was actually prompted to share these articles with you because of a response to an email request I received yesterday from Sharon Peterson, LCSW and Founding Director of the Eating Disorder Network in MD. Sharon’s email went to a number of ED authors asking that we comment on the Wood/Roth article for a piece she’d like to write for an upcoming newsletter.

Laura Collins, author of Eating with Your Anorexic responded beautifully. Her sage advice:

Roth’s public statements sadden me. But I feel sadder still at how easily she gains the public’s ear. Imagine the good that could be done if ten percent of her airtime was given to some reasonable examination of these issues. I feel sorry for her pain, and the pain she causes, but I say ignore her. Speak our own messages clearly and repeatedly – not as a reaction to press like this but because her celebrity itself is a sign of the important work we all need to be doing.

Amen.  Thank you, Laura! 

Blessings until next time, 

Doris

Comments

[Crystal (Eating Recovery Center)]

With more than 11 million men and women in the United States struggling with an eating disorder, raising awareness and understanding of these devastating diseases is important. Eating Recovery Center, a behavioral hospital focused on comprehensive treatment and sustainable recovery for eating disorders based in Denver, has developed this Blogger’s Guide to Eating Disorders (http://www.docstoc.com/docs/19664129/Bloggers-Guide-to-Eating-Disorders). This guide offers information and resources to support your stories about America’s deadliest mental illness.

Crystal (Eating Recovery Center)