"I'm selfish, impatient and a little insecure. I make mistakes, I am out of control and at times hard to handle. But if you can't handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don't deserve me at my best." - Marilyn Monroe
Okay, so I know that this is (usually) an all-girl zone. But today we are going to talk about boys. Just for a bit. Because you know what? They might be a bit more like us than I thought.
Whenever people talk about eating disorders, they talk about girls. And it's certainly true that the majority of people with known eating disorders are girls. But you know, as I learned today, boys deal with body drama too. Just... in a different way. Of course, boys don't get pressure to be stick-thin the way girls do. But more and more, guys feel like they have to be muscular, built, lean-mean-fighting-machines. They may not count calories or run for miles like a girl - instead, they might center their days around protein-packed meals and countless hours weight-lifting at the gym. Either way, it can become an unhealthy obsession. The other difference is that they might not get chances to talk about these struggles the way girls do, or even really understand what their struggles are. What boy wants to admit to having a "girl" disease? That sounds worse than cooties.
The reason I thought this was important was because it made me realize this: girl or boy, eating disorder or no, we are all people. We are all unique, but in some ways we can be so similar. And recognizing that can make it easier for everyone to get the support they need.
