A Letter To Meghan Trainor

A response to Meghan Trainor's recent comments about eating disorders

Dear Meghan,

After reading your statement about eating disorders, it took me a while to wrap my head around what you were saying and how I should respond. I could have not said anything. I was going to stay quiet but after much deliberation, I have decided to break my silence.

You stated that you “tried” to be anorexic but didn’t have the “strength” to “maintain” an eating disorder. I have heard many insensitive things regarding ed’s, but this is goes on the top of the list. As someone who has struggled with anorexia for a good amount of time, I must say that the role you assigned strength is inaccurate and shows little understanding and compassion.

Strength doesn’t come from starving yourself, overworking your body, taking diet pills, or making yourself throw up. The strength comes from FIGHTING to stop these actions and to get healthy. When I was killing myself, I was the weakest I had ever been. I was physically weak, but I was also mentally weak because I (unknowingly) was giving into my disordered urges and thoughts. It eventually took no effort to eat a handful of berries and half a yogurt a day. No effort at all because my body was so malnourished and sickly, it started to give in. Please tell me where in these actions and the result, could I possibly have strength.

Strength, when it comes to eating disorders, is in your recovery. It comes from not only facing the disorder itself, but from facing your fears and the demons that lay beneath. Personally, I had to face a magnitude of mental and emotional struggles before I could even BEGIN to address my anorexia. No weak person can do that. It wasn’t until I was in the hospital and being told over and over again how sick I was, that I worked my butt off to build the courage and strength to overcome all obstacles. So in that sense, yes, my eating disorder gave me strength.

I am very sorry that you were bullied for your weight. That isn’t fair and should never be something a person should have to endure. But wouldn’t you say that YOUR strength comes from overcoming that experience? An eating disorder is the same thing. It’s a bully. It has nothing to do with willpower to engage in disordered behaviors. That’s just ridiculous. Only through recovery will you develop the willpower and strength to survive.

In conclusion, I ask that you are more sensitive towards mental illness. I could give a rat’s ass how famous you are or how “funny” you think you are. You have insulted more than half of the world’s population. Think about that for a second. Your comments don’t only offend survivors/fighters of eating disorders, they insult the large demographic of people who struggle with mental illness on all ends of the spectrum. A mental illness is NEVER something to joke about or take lightly. By downplaying eating disorders, you are setting us thousands of steps back from our goal, which is to make mental illness a more respected and understood part of communities worldwide. Try using your fame to fight against something you were a victim of (such as bullying). Don’t BE a bully. That’s not good for you or for me.

Thank you and good luck with your endeavors.

Sincerely,

A frustrated activist