Living With a Healthy Body and Mind- Eating Disorder Awareness
A Support Group
It is essential for today’s society to learn more about eating disorders. It is a type of silent killer and many are not aware of the rising problem it has become. As a dance teacher, I work in a business where eating disorders are very common among those I work and associate with. I guess what really made me passionate about raising awareness for eating disorders is when my mother told me that she had been a victim of one, and at her young age she had two friends who had lost their lives to it.
My mother lived what many girls only dream of. She was a young and talented dancer and auditioned to become a part of the Osmond’s Variety Show, on prime time entertainment television. At this time in her life she explained to me that there was a lot of pressure put on her about how much she weighed. She was told that she had to remain thin or she would basically lose her job. The other dancers ate whatever they wanted and still remained thin. She soon found out that their secret was binging and purging. She quickly caught on to this trend and practiced it for quite some time. Luckily, my mother was able to quit when the doctor told her it could be detrimental to her health. Being able to stop like my mother did is unlike most victims of eating disorders.
People are so unaware of the dangers of eating disorders that they consider it being nothing too serious. But the truth be told, eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of any mental illness. Because of my mother’s experience with eating disorders I was able to avoid them for myself. If I am able to raise awareness among others, they will be able to avoid them as well.
I also plan to improve self-esteem among boys and girls so that they won’t have to fall back on something as terrible as an eating disorder. Placing emphasis on living with a healthy body and mind will also make them feel better about themselves.
Being a dance teacher, I am committed to making my students healthy and aware of the dangers that surround them. With the title of Miss Idaho, it would only make it possible for me to make more of an impact. With the help of my local pageant winners, I hope to promote my platform and show how vital it is to today’s society.
-Whitney Jo Smith
Whitney Is going to The Miss Idaho Pageant June 6-10th. The support group will plan on having their first meeting Mid June. For more information please send an email to smitwhi2@isu.edu.