10th December Language

This week’s topic is around language. Language used can be a big thing and passing comments may mean well but can potentially be difficult for somebody with an eating disorder.

When somebody says the word “healthy” it can have a very different interpretation for somebody struggling. To them it can can feel like you’re saying they are recovered or don’t need to weight restore any longer. This can be damaging as eating disorders don’t have a look, and somebody’s “healthy” may not be what you perceive. I personally think it’s better to compliment everyone on things that don’t relate to their body. Some examples could be: their smile, tattoos, or clothes.

Another thing that can be difficult is saying “you’re looking so well” which is a tricky one because most people say this and you never know if somebody is struggling with food and/or body image. It’s not really a term I use but a general rule of thumb that it hopefully upsets less people is, if you know somebody struggles with an eating disorder try not to say it. It can have the same connotations as the word “healthy” for some.

Other terms like “you don’t look like you have an eating disorder” “please eat for me” or “you just need to eat” are a big no go, I’d say. As eating disorders don’t have a look and people struggling don’t need any added guilt.

I think it’s important to remember that you should never comment on somebody’s body or what they’re eating (there are some exceptions, like if somebody is getting support around food, and there needs to be conversations about it), because how people look and what they eat is their business (:

Asking somebody supporting if you’d like you to eat with them or help them plan meals may really help.

Please remember to be kind to everyone, regardless of if they have an eating disorder or not. Everybody deserves kindness!

I hope you enjoyed this week’s topic and it can help in some small way (: please comment any topics you’d like to see!

​By Leah Brown
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