Most people are aware that being a teenage girl in this generation can be difficult. It can be rough for boys as well, but girls seem to be targeted more often by corporations in their advertisements. Society and media can cause a distortion in the image of an "acceptable" body. This illness leads young girls to believe that perfection for females is to be 5'8" and a size zero, causing an intense fear of gaining weight.

Sadly, this mental distortion of the way a body should look touched me personally at the age of 15. This eating disorder is named anorexia nervosa. I was a freshman in high school and wanted to look like the supermodels shown in all of the television advertisements and storefronts. I began by simply cutting out fast food, but it eventually got to the point where my dinner would be an apple, oatmeal, and a slice of peanut butter toast every single night. I had to measure out everything I ate to be the exact serving suggestion. I exercised after every meal and gum was considered a snack to me. As I would run my brush through my brittle hair, chunks of it would fall out. My teeth began to feel weak. I weighed 95 pounds, which is very unhealthy for my height of 5'5".

However, I would look in the mirror and truly believe that I was overweight.

This illness ended up affecting my social life because I would not want to go out to eat anywhere with friends. I noticed the concern in the eyes of my family and friends. I did not like the thought of the people I want to make the proudest feeling sorry for me. I noticed my relatives at Thanksgiving asking my mother if I was okay. The thought of family members pitying me made me snap out of this problem. The night after Thanksgiving dinner, I ate a bowl of Cheerios and a chocolate bar as a late-night snack to show my parents I was back to normal. That may not sound like much, but before that I had in my head that I could not eat after 8:00 p.m. I started out doing weight-bearing squats and drank nutrition shakes twice a day.

Now I weigh a healthy 115 pounds and continue lifting weights every day. Cue "Survivor" by Destiny's Child. I consider myself lucky to have bounced back on my own because most victims of this illness need psychiatric care. However, it was not an easy or fast recovery. Small things can still trigger me to this day. If you or someone you know has this illness, please seek professional help.