Meghan Trainor, whose song “All About That Bass,” champions the bodies of girls of all shapes and sizes is under fire for some careless words about eating disorders.
In an Entertainment Tonight interview Meghan recalled an incident where she was rejected by a boy because of her weight. “I wasn’t strong enough to have an eating disorder,” she said about that time. “I tried to go anorexic for a good three hours. I ate ice and celery, but that’s not even anorexic. And I quit. I was like, ‘Ma, can you make me a sandwich?’ Like, immediately.”
When Demi Lovato, who has been very vocal about her struggle with eating disorders, heard about Meghan’s comments, she took to Twitter to give her thoughts.
Having an eating disorder doesn’t show “strength.” Strength is when are able to overcome your demons after being sick and tired for so long. There’s a wide misconception that anorexia and/or bulimia is a choice and you often hear people say things like ‘why doesn’t she just start eating?’ Or even ‘just stop throwing up.’ It’s the ignorance and lack of education on mental illnesses that continues to but mental health care on the back burner to congress even though this is an epidemic that is sweeping our nation, and causing more and more tragedy every day. Starving is not a ‘diet’ and throwing up isn’t something that only extremely thin men or women do. Eating disorders do not discriminate..Neither does any other mental illness. These are deadly diseases that are taking lives daily. So please, let’s be cautious of the words we use when discussing ED’s and other mental illnesses. <3
