Tonight’s episode of The City was actually sorta entertaining. I am even willing to look past the fact that Erin lives in a ridiculous apartment in NYC and affords it by having spent the past year and a half “soul searching,” and the fact that she just wanted a job…and got one.

Why was it so good? Why, because Kelly Cutrone and her big mouth were there to throw a little spice into an extremely bland series.

So, Kell has a birthday party and Whitney decides to invite jobless Erin and skinny Allie. Whitney, of course, warns the ladies that Kelly speaks her mind (read: is a bitch), so they better watch out. Allie is so excited! She loves people who speak their mind!!

Unless that someone has something bad to say about her. Like how they hate her leggings. Or that she’s too skinny and looks like she hasn’t eaten a sandwich in 6 years. Read More »

The mission of National Eating Disorder Awareness Week is to facilitate open, honest preventive communication about the attitudes, perceptions, and pressures that shape eating disorders and body image issues. An eating disorder is not a choice, it is a life-threatening illness. In light of the fact that 91% of women on college campuses have attempted to control their weight through dieting and that 1 in 3 of those dieters develop compulsive eating and/or exercising behaviors, it is crucial that those of us who have overcome the frightening, destructive grasp of an eating disorder open up and share our story of hope.

My personal fight with an eating disorder started innocently as a goal to get fit and healthy as a freshman in college. I was never overweight, but I suddenly became very self-conscious in a dorm room filled with girls who were prettier and thinner. I began joining in on the nightly runs and workouts with the other girls – not only were helping me lose weight and get in shape, but I was making new friends as well. It was very difficult for me to be in a new place with no one I knew. I had grown up in a small Christian high school where everyone knew my name, where it was easy to be popular and liked, and where I identified my worth with the achievements, awards, and titles that I held. Now, as I began to compare myself with my new friends, I suddenly felt insecure and as if I had lost my worth. With the praise that I began to receive about how great I looked, I started to believe that being skinny would be what could make me happy and feel self-worth. Read More »

Everyone is busy talking about the Super Bowl this morning, but we’d like to take a moment to discuss a topic much more serious and important to our demographic.

February may be known for Groundhog’s Day, Black History Month and Valentine’s Day, but it is also the month of Eating Disorder Awareness Week. This week is a time to educate, inform, and talk about a serious issue that effects 8 million people (7 million of which are women ) nationwide.

This week, we will be talking about eating disorders and the effects they can have on you and the people around you.

We have brought in experts, survivors and others who have been touched by this awful mental illness to open a dialogue and, hopefully, help the people we care about get the help they need.

[Photo courtesy of PostSecret.com]

I was 14. My parents were getting a divorce. My father was also simultaneously dating a new woman. I was fighting with my brother all the time. So what did I do instead of properly dealing with my feelings? I internalized it and took it out on myself.

I was never a heavy person, but at 14, I was 5’8’’ and 160 lbs. Sounds big, I know, but I was a competitive swimmer and full of muscle. I used to eat whatever I wanted; I swam seven days a week so I had a good balance…I wasn’t heavy, but not stick thin, and I was happy with the way I looked. But when I abruptly quit swimming as a rebellion against my father, I realized that my eating of whatever I wanted had to come to a hault. I couldn’t snack on McDonalds Chicken Nuggets if I wasn’t spending two hours a day in a pool.

It started gradually…not sitting with my parents at the dinner table because I was upset, throwing lunches out that my mom made me at school, and making subtle attempts at lessening my food intake. Eventually, I narrowed it down to eating one single Pop-Tart or small sandwich a day…any single item with enough nutrients to get me through.

I also started stationary biking every day as a way to add exercise to my already starved body. I biked around 8 miles a day and did 400 crunches, so any food intake I did have was quickly wasted away by burning these calories. If I needed a boost to keep myself going, I’d pop a few sugar candies. Read More »

All I want today is a doughnut. A big, sticky, sugary, flaky doughnut.

And I’m f*&cking incensed over it.

All I want to do today is be elbow deep in butter cream frosting and rub it all over my face like war paint, while making Indian battle cries over my victory of gluttony.

And I’m so irate over it, that I cursed my salad for tasting like a f*&cking salad, instead of a cupcake.

No, I’m not about to start my period. I’m just being reminded that my eating has to be conscious in order to not fall back into a period of my life that was unhealthy and dark. A period where I let my mind, stress, and brutal standards for myself take over.

I used to have an eating disorder.

Back then, I would never acknowledge that’s what it was, the words too difficult to even think in my head. I never CALLED what I had a disorder. Instead I used words like hardcore dieting, choosing healthy options, and on the bad days I was having a “Free day“- though most people’s free days didn’t include 4 stops to 4 different fast food chains, followed by 2 boxes of cereal, followed by candy bars, followed by liquor, followed by pastries, followed by immobility. And often followed by vomiting. Read More »

“I want to be skinny.”

That thought probably floats through my head a few hundred times a day. And the truth is I’m not overweight. Not even close really. But I just want to be thinner than I am, like 10 pounds thinner.

Do I need to lose weight for health reasons? No.

Am I totally out of shape? Nope.

So what gives? Why do I insist on being so un-accepting of my body?

Probably because I have this innate desire to be perfect, to strive for that unattainable “perfect,” hot celebrity body, that is the result of a) a super intense trainer and nutrition coach, which I will never be able to afford or b) a combination of drugs (no thanks) + an eating disorder.

Now I’ve never had an eating disorder, but I must admit I’ve treaded quite close to the edge with some serious calorie counting, not to mention borderline obsessive exercising. But most recently, since I’m perusing the web a lot (who isn’t?), I’ve stumbled upon the term “thinspiration.”

I’m sure many of you have heard of this. But since I hadn’t yet, I did some more digging, which led me to a TON of anorexia blogs, pro-anorexia websites, insane dieting tactics to avoid eating at all costs, YouTube videos that flash images of reallllly skinny girls so that they’ll “thinspire” you… the list goes on.

At first I was totally shocked and horrified by how mental the girls who create this sh*t are. But then, I became intrigued. Read More »

Bulimia and Anorexia are old news. Isn’t it about time for a new type of disorder to grace the covers of our magazines? Well, thanks to a professor at the University of Iowa, girls all over the country now have another potential eating disorder to worry about: Purging Disorder.

Wait, I thought bulimia consisted of purging after eating large amounts of food? So, what’s the difference?

According to news reports, “The disorder is similar to bulimia nervosa in that both syndromes involve eating, then trying to compensate for the calories. What sets the disorders apart is the amount of food consumed and the way people compensate for what they eat. Women with purging disorder eat normal or even small amounts of food and then purge, often by vomiting. Women with bulimia have large, out-of-control binge eating episodes followed by purging, fasting or excessive exercise.”

Still confused? I was too.

Read More »

Nicole Richie is whacked!!! Someone needs to throw her into an unmarked van and force her to live in a psychiatric ward until she can start acting like a normal human.

Not only did Nicole throw a barbeque on Memorial Day that almost killed Mischa Barton, but the invitation to that barbeque is so stupid I have a headache (any and all punctuation attempted by yours truly):

“My fellow Americans, its that time of year! To celebrate our country by drinking massive amounts of beer. Let’s stand together as one, live the American dream, take shots, pass out, & wake up with our pants ripped open at the seems. Let’s glorify this day in your sluttiest tops and your tightest pair of tsubi jeans. Even though we have no fucking clue what Memorial Day really means!!”

Richie ends her email with: Read More »

My god. So this girl on myspace is officially starving herself until resident American Idol earsore Sanjaya is voted off the competition.

Um, is this really necessary? People are actually starving to death out there. Must we really self-impose hunger strikes on items as inconsequential as Sanjaya’s American Idol livelihood?

Y’know what? I applaud his success, even if it is propelled by American Idol saboteur Vote For The Worst. ‘Cause honestly, with the possible exception of Blake Lewis, none of the other contestants are even mildly entertaining. At least Sanjaya will keep us entertained with his wacky perm. And earrings. Dangly, dangly earrings.

But I digress. Does this girl think that American Idol is a legitimate singing contest? It’s a television show. It’s entertainment. It’s obvs unfair and that is what makes the show so awes! It’s pretty blatant that this girl is just itching for attention or, perhaps a guise for an eating disorder. Kudos, maestro! No one sees through your scheme!