FAT By Adriane Dorr
F-A-T. With a sharp, glistening razor blade, my friend carved that word into the flesh of her bony thigh, leaving scars that will last forever. In an effort to deal with both anorexia and bulimia, she mutilated herself with a razor blade to try to relieve her problems, abusing herself in a vain effort to find acceptance and self-worth.
H I G H E R T H I N G S __ 18
Pushing her body to the limit, she ate massive amounts of food and then purged her body of all that she ate. She exercised constantly, lifting weights and running for miles. Her search for acceptance and love has resulted in years of pain, discomfort, and agony. Obviously, her eating disorder took a hard toll on her body. Even as my friend has begun to heal from her disorder, her stomach is still extremely sensitive. She also loses chunks of hair and is constantly cold. My friend, along with eight million other people in the United States, suffers from an eating disorder. At first glance, food seems her most obvious problem. Yet she struggles immensely in her heart and mind. For her, as in most cases, bulimia was not centered on the desire to look trim and feel fit. A poor relationship with her parents, a troubled childhood, and a poor self-image contributed to her problems. During the time she lived with me, I realized that the only way she knew how to relieve the emotional pain was to physically take it out on her body. Essentially, her quest for perfection
