My name is Mattie McGarey. I am a senior at Fairview High School and have been in Girl Scouts since second grade. The issue of eating disorders is very important to me and one I feel like people should educate themselves more on. The first time I started to realize the severity and the prevalence of eating disorders was when I started dance. I love dance and have been taking class for several years but dance, especially ballet and pointe, often spur unhealthy body image and become a catalyst for eating disorders because of the specific "look" most professional dance companies desire. I started to hear the dancers around me complain more frequently about how their body looks and I saw girls who usually had snacks to keep their energy up in class suddenly ceasing to bring them in. When I paid closer attention to those around me, not just in dance but in school, I saw a disturbing trend among teens at my age.
When I was presented with the opportunity to do this project, I saw it as an way to further explore this issue as well as educate the people around me and help those who are suffering from eating disorders or body image problems. Through sharing my knowledge and experiences on Love Every Inch, I hope to help others to develop a healthy and positive relationship with food and their bodies.