“I’m a dancer.” “Well today, in rehearsal…” “Sorry, I can’t, I have dance.”

In any short conversation with me, you’re bound to hear at least one of those phrases. I’ve been dancing since I was three years old, and I’m still pursuing the dream I had as a little girl to dance professionally. I’m a modern dancer, which is why I was excited to hear that on this season of MADE, MTV will be making Laura Crow into a modern dancer! This is how MTV describes the episode:

Laura Crow is a hardworking perfectionist struggling with body issues as well as her relationship with her father. Now she’s ready to move past her problems and express how she really feels by being MADE into a Modern Dancer.

Uh oh. There we go: body issues. Eating disorders seem to have become an integral part of our culture’s idea of what it means to be a dancer. In just about every Hollywood movie about dancers, at least one of them has an eating disorder. The most recent example of this is Black Swan, in which Natalie Portman’s character is bulimic. Not to mention the fact that both Portman and Mila Kunis ran around for months talking about how skinny they got for their roles. Read More »

Although the 2011 VMAs that took place this past Sunday were somewhat boring and uneventful, there was a lot of buzz about Demi Lovato’s new look. The “Skyscraper” singer walked the red carpet wearing a tight, body-hugging silver mini-dress with a plunging neckline. She accessorized with some metallic bangles and a pair of Louboutin pumps, and even though 99% of us would never be able to pull off a look like that if we tried, Lovato was subject to a lot of criticism that night.

So what was everyone upset over? Her body.

Before entering a treatment center in October of 2010, Demi was a completely different person. The stress of constantly being in the public eye had really taken a toll on her, forcing her to develop an eating disorder in the process. She had a very, VERY slim frame and almost looked a little unhealthy. After entering the rehabilitation clinic, Lovato was able to recover from her disorder and also recovered from a lot of mental problems. That being said, she obviously gained a little weight.

The weight-gain and her new curvier figure caused the star so much Twitter hate, that she eventually had to tweet out the following:

• @ddlovato: I’ve gained weight. Get over it. That’s what happens when you get out of treatment for an EATING DISORDER.

• @ddlovato: Guess what, I’m healthy and happy, and if you’re hating on my weight, you obviously aren’t. #UNBROKEN

Thing is, I’m a little confused. Sure, Demi definitely gained weight (as you can tell by comparing before and after photos), but who in their right mind would classify her as “fat?” I’d kill to have that body, and I know I’m not alone.

…Or am I? Even though Hollywood has been trying to embrace more full-figured women in the past few years by promoting healthy lifestyles and promoting plus-size stars, I can’t help but feel like people are still constantly pressured to be a size 2. After some of the most beautiful bigger women in the industry shed all their weight (Jennifer Hudson, Raven Symone, Jordin Sparks, etc…), it makes me wonder if that really is the key to success. It’s no secret that Demi has an amazing voice, but will her new body boost or shrink her fan base?

Aside from the Hollywood aspect of it, what does it mean for female body image as a whole? If some people look at Demi’s body and think “fat,” what hope is there for girls who are her size or larger? Should we be embracing healthy bodies instead of just skinny ones? I think as a society, we should embrace and encourage more women to go for the healthy look and not the impossibly tiny look. Maybe if there were more women who looked like Demi proudly flaunting their stuff, we could save a lot of young women from the stress of negative body image.

What do you think about Demi’s new look? Do you think women should aspire to be healthy or just to look their absolute skinniest? 

There’s a new buzzword in town: Liarexic. Apparently the dozens of other “exic” expressions just weren’t getting it done, so someone decided to throw this one into the mix. Because what’s an eating disorder without a proper classification?

This “new” disorder is meant to address people who lie about their food intake. Whether they front a healthy diet to friends and secretly deprive themselves in private or pose extreme diets to friends and then proceed to scarf down some oreos when no is around.

Liarexic is just another way of addressing one of the multitudes of eating issues women tend to suffer from. I think lying about food is a very common occurrence among women in college. When girls feel pressure to lose weight but can’t stick to their crazy detox diets, hiding calories can seem easier. I’m just not convinced their phenomena needs it’s own classification.

Don’t get me wrong, I do think this is an issue. I’m just over the phrases. When we start lumping all these terms together—tanorexic, drunkorexic and mommyrexic (had no idea this one even existed until today) it just gets a to be a bit much. Issues, like girls being incredibly shady about their eating habits get lumped together with girls who hit up the tanning beds too much. Dare I say the terms have even gotten a bit cutesy? And anorexia is not something that should be taken lightly.

Also, it seems people are way too quick to call something a disorder or to claim they have discovered a new issue. Girls lie about their food intake sometimes, this isn’t new. It’s sad and true, but we don’t need another fancy-shmancy word to highlight the issue, and at the same time downplay the importance of all of them with this over used cliche.

The best thing about Glee is that despite the spontaneous song-and-dance routines, the unbelievable quirkiness of some of its characters (Brittany S. Pierce, you’re just weird), and the fact that trips to the dentist result in scene-for-scene recreations of pop music videos, it feels authentic.  Ryan Murphy stays committed to this ideal: despite the fact that the characters are all attractive (albeit in a way that is relatable) they struggle with the same things as actual teenagers do: financial woes.  Unrequited love.  Body issues.

It is for this reason that the biggest conflict of the latest episode (a tribute to the iconic Rocky Horror Picture Show) wasn’t Will and Emma’s will they/won’t they relationship, or Sue’s attempt at backstabbing, or even Finn Hudson’s principal visit: it was something far more simple and undeniably universal: one of the character’s body image issues.

Cory Monteith (YUM) expressed concern when he heard that one of the male cast members would be donning an extremely revealing costume that the episode demanded; he put himself on a crash diet immediately, without even knowing if he would be the man to step into these….um, panties.   If I know Ryan Murphy at all (and I think I do; we’ve chatted about our shared love of boundary-pushing show tunes many times in my imagination), I believe that he wrote this storyline into the script because he knew it would speak to today’s youth.  Because issues with body image and the inevitable slew of problems that come with isn’t just an issue that affects women.

But I have to wonder: why is it considered cute when a male star like Cory Monteith changes his dietary habits and attempts to drop a few sizes?  When his tiny costar Lea Michele lost weight, critics were quick to point fingers.   What people need to realize is that men are susceptible to the unhealthy consequences of body image issues too.

Read More »

The average woman sees 400-600 advertisements per day. By the time she is 17 years old, she has seen over 250,000 commercials. With the constant message of beauty and perfection reminding women every day of their flaws, many girls are self-conscious about their appearance, especially their weight. Unfortunately for some, that concern can grow into an obsession, and turn into an eating disorder.

In the U.S. one or two out of every 100 students will have an eating disorder. The most common of these are anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. Sadly, we usually aren’t aware that someone we know has one until it is too late. My friend Tina (not her real name, obviously) suffered alternatively from anorexia and bulimia for years and she agreed to share her story.

Her anorexia began when she was around eleven years old, and continued on and off. When she began to suffer from bulimia, she was fifteen. She used to throw up after every meal, no matter how small it was. On average, that was about three to five times a day. All of this was so that she would reach her ideal weight of eighty to eighty-five pounds, which is the weight she was in 7^th and 8^th grade.

Tina said that before eating a meal, regardless of how hungry she was, she would feel guilty for eating. She would tell herself to go ahead and consume the food, as long as she threw it up afterward. While eating she would feel “disgusted and bloated,” and regret eating at all as soon as she finished. Because of this Tina says, “sometimes I had to force myself to eat.” Read More »

Here at CollegeCandy, we’ve discussed and confronted body issues many-a-times. Whether its about the downfall of too-skinny models, or the recent obsession of using plus-sized models for “contrast”, these articles always incite heated debate. Even posts unrelated to the subject get pulled into the fire!

While we all might not see eye-to-eye in the quest to define the un-definable “perfect body,” we can all agree that college women have some very strong opinions on the subject. Girls our age are the most affected, and most targeted, by a society that thinks Jessica Simpson is fat, so it’s not surprising that the number of girls with eating disorders has been on the rise. New studies have shown that up to 19% of female college students are bulimic and up to 15% of those without eating disorders display patterns of disordered eating.

I’ve had my own battles with anorexia for four years, and have confronted a few friends with their own eating habits (or lack thereof). I’ve been on both sides of the situation and can tell you than it’s not easy confronting a friend from either point of view. So here are a few do’s and don’ts that will help you when you suspect a friend might be in need. Read More »

February is International Boost Self-Esteem Month, and I think it comes at a perfect time.  We could all benefit from a little (or big) boost of self-lovin’ when the holidays are long gone, the weather is cold, and school is starting to get stressful again.

Self-esteem is a major issue in our perfection-driven and celeb-obsessed society, and college-aged women are especially vulnerable.  There’s so much pressure to get straight A’s, pad your resume with extracurriculars, be a social butterfly and a dating expert, and look like a model while doing it all.  It’s so easy for our self-esteem to plummet when expectations for us are sky-high, but letting this happen can actually be dangerous!

Low self-worth puts you at a high risk for eating disorders (experts say that at least 1/5 of college girls suffer from one), and drug use, and can eventually lead to unhealthy relationships and problems in the workplace.  So this month, let’s stop with the self-deprecating and learn to love ourselves!

Need a little help? No problem. We turned to some experts to give us tried-and-true tips to boost our self-esteem. No cheesy mantras here – just real things you can do to make yourself feel better about…yourself. Read More »

Health guidelines and facts are constantly changing as we learn more about the human body and what we need to stay strong. To maintain optimal health, you need to keep up to date with the newest in fitness, nutrition and medical research.

Check out the latest headlines about that unique body of yours:

- My morning cup (or 7) of Joe has been my favorite workout buddy for a long time. Not only does it give me energy, but new research proves that it lessens the pain that comes after an intense workout! Caffeine blocks the brain and spinal cord from processing the biochemical adenosine, preventing pain during and after your spin on the stationary bike. You don’t need to drink as much caffeine as I do (shoot…I shouldn’t be drinking as much caffeine as I do!) to feel the benefits. A modest 2 cup serving of java will do the trick. Just don’t go overboard; if you’re heart rate is too high, working out may be more difficult than necessary. Read More »

Spring Break is notorious for putting pressure on coeds to slim down just in time for binge drinking and bikinis. While we all want to stay slim or get fit, it’s important to be aware of what is and is not healthy. And comparing your body to those of celebrities is definitely not healthy.

In recent years, various celebrities like Jennifer Love Hewitt, Tyra Banks and, more recently, Jessica Simpson, have been criticized for their curves. This can send the wrong message to girls regarding what is attractive, realistic and normal.

Did you know that 99.9% of images you see in the magazines have been altered in one way or another? Whether it’s the erasing of a blemish or the whittling down of the waist, most pictures are not published in their original state. If we are never exposed to the imperfections of celebrities, how can they possibly serve as healthy, responsible role models? Read More »

Dear Mean Bloggers/News Outlets of the Americas,

Are you kidding me? Like, seriously; are you freaking kidding me?

You’re calling Jessica Simpson fat? FAT?! Maybe she put on a few pounds this winter (just like the rest of the population), or maybe she is the victim of a terrible, TERRIBLE, wardrobe malfunction (hello, mom jeans), but the girl is by no means fat.

I won’t even comment on how ridiculous our society is that this is one of the top headlines today. (Ok, yes I will. There are much bigger things happening in this world right now – things that matter – and all I can find online is a picture after picture of Jessica Simpson’s “severe weight gain”?) And who are we that we have the right to call anyone fat? Unless you have a medical degree or some kind of nutrition background, SHUT UP; it’s not your place to comment.

These days it is so easy to bring someone down thanks to the privacy we have behind our computer screens, but that doesn’t mean we should. Especially when the entire purpose of the comments people make is to be mean and hurtful. These comments are not concerned about her health – and she sure doesn’t seem to be at risk for obesity – so why are we even commenting on her figure at all? Does it feel good to see someone else with flaws? Does it make us feel better to be catty, mean bitches?

If anything I think it makes us look even more insecure about our bodies and ourselves. Read More »