Incredible post. I feel sad for her because I see her strict diet and constant detoxes as a symptom perhaps of obsessive compulsive. She may live in constant anxiety about what goes into her body or feeling unclean or unhealthy. We don’t know. I know I feel that way a lot.
I’m trying to rid myself of the shame of gaining 15 pounds post-op from surgical menopause and every time I need to buy a new bathing suit and I have to select large or even XL instead of medium I panic. I would love to shrug it off, like my husband unhelpfully suggests (with the best intentions), but it was ingrained in the teen years and I feel like I can’t afford to lose the social currency of thinness.
I have mixed feelings about this. Whilst I absolutely agree that we should have compassion for those who suffered with disordered eating, I cannot accept her tacit encouragement of others to engage in disordered eating in the way she does by publicising her food intake and exercise regime like this.
I developed anorexia in 2013, the era of Supersize vs Superskinny, Fat Families etc. Information about restrictive diets was everywhere and encouraged. It would be far too simplistic to say that this caused my eating disorder. However, it would be reasonable to say that a combination of my genetic predisposition, the impact of my dad having affair on my 'safe' home life and the promotion of restrictive diets everywhere were contributing factors.
At the age of 33 (following various hospital admissions and bouts of therapy) I am now in recovery and a healthy weight, yet I must be vigilant every day to eat enough and ignore the compulsions to restrict my intake otherwise I risk falling back into the anorexic operating mode. Recovery is life long and despite being a healthy weight now I am still suffering the physical effects of years of starvation - osteoporosis, infertility etc. I lost my teenage years and twenties to anorexia and I say this to emphasise that eating disorders are serious and can be life long conditions.
What I can't get my head around is why, if Gwyneth knows the abject hell of disordered eating - the utter misery, isolation and loneliness - she would mention her own on this podcast. As a global celebrity, she must know she has a wide range of fans/followers and that many, many, people would be listening to her podcast. Why would she share this information? Does she have no consideration for the people listening who may be susceptible to anorexia or other EDs who may follow her example and develop a full blown eating disorder? It would be slightly different if she was advising against her lifestyle, but she wasn't. Ultimately I think it was irresponsible of her to share this and, like you, I am glad to see the backlash it got.
You were spot on about the conundrum women faced, and still face today about feeling the need to be this. We must be thin without dieting. We should be slim but we're shamed if we overindulge. We shouldn't be fat but we're boring if we cut back on certain foods and drinks. It's impossible to win.
I've seen eating disordered, had one myself for a while and can recognise somebody with an unhealthy relationship with food. In my opinion it's got absolutely nothing to do with food, but food is a useful tool for people who's life is not going well. It gives an illusion of control and it becomes addictive. Friends who reward themselves with a tiny teeny square of dark chocolate which they perceive as 'naughty'. Long long periods between meals, over exercising, coffee always without sugar or milk. Tiny portions fit for a 5 year old.
Incredible post. I feel sad for her because I see her strict diet and constant detoxes as a symptom perhaps of obsessive compulsive. She may live in constant anxiety about what goes into her body or feeling unclean or unhealthy. We don’t know. I know I feel that way a lot.
I’m trying to rid myself of the shame of gaining 15 pounds post-op from surgical menopause and every time I need to buy a new bathing suit and I have to select large or even XL instead of medium I panic. I would love to shrug it off, like my husband unhelpfully suggests (with the best intentions), but it was ingrained in the teen years and I feel like I can’t afford to lose the social currency of thinness.
And yet this is my only life, so. There it is.
I have mixed feelings about this. Whilst I absolutely agree that we should have compassion for those who suffered with disordered eating, I cannot accept her tacit encouragement of others to engage in disordered eating in the way she does by publicising her food intake and exercise regime like this.
I developed anorexia in 2013, the era of Supersize vs Superskinny, Fat Families etc. Information about restrictive diets was everywhere and encouraged. It would be far too simplistic to say that this caused my eating disorder. However, it would be reasonable to say that a combination of my genetic predisposition, the impact of my dad having affair on my 'safe' home life and the promotion of restrictive diets everywhere were contributing factors.
At the age of 33 (following various hospital admissions and bouts of therapy) I am now in recovery and a healthy weight, yet I must be vigilant every day to eat enough and ignore the compulsions to restrict my intake otherwise I risk falling back into the anorexic operating mode. Recovery is life long and despite being a healthy weight now I am still suffering the physical effects of years of starvation - osteoporosis, infertility etc. I lost my teenage years and twenties to anorexia and I say this to emphasise that eating disorders are serious and can be life long conditions.
What I can't get my head around is why, if Gwyneth knows the abject hell of disordered eating - the utter misery, isolation and loneliness - she would mention her own on this podcast. As a global celebrity, she must know she has a wide range of fans/followers and that many, many, people would be listening to her podcast. Why would she share this information? Does she have no consideration for the people listening who may be susceptible to anorexia or other EDs who may follow her example and develop a full blown eating disorder? It would be slightly different if she was advising against her lifestyle, but she wasn't. Ultimately I think it was irresponsible of her to share this and, like you, I am glad to see the backlash it got.
You were spot on about the conundrum women faced, and still face today about feeling the need to be this. We must be thin without dieting. We should be slim but we're shamed if we overindulge. We shouldn't be fat but we're boring if we cut back on certain foods and drinks. It's impossible to win.
I've seen eating disordered, had one myself for a while and can recognise somebody with an unhealthy relationship with food. In my opinion it's got absolutely nothing to do with food, but food is a useful tool for people who's life is not going well. It gives an illusion of control and it becomes addictive. Friends who reward themselves with a tiny teeny square of dark chocolate which they perceive as 'naughty'. Long long periods between meals, over exercising, coffee always without sugar or milk. Tiny portions fit for a 5 year old.