Two young south west London women are fighting back against today’s diet culture of number crunching by smashing their scales this Eating Disorders Awareness Week.
Lily Wakefield, 21, and Alice Forward, 20, who are both receiving treatment for anorexia nervosa in south west London, have launched a ‘smash the scales’ campaign in order to raise money and awareness for B-eat.
The pair created a fundraising page for their campaign, aiming to raise £300 – a target they have smashed having raised more than £1000 already.
Lily, from Kingston, said: “The actual scale smash itself doesn’t have to be done by someone who has an eating disorder, even though we’re raising money for an eating disorder charity
“The whole obsession with numbers; weighing yourself and counting calories is not limited to people with eating disorders, it’s so common.
“I think it’s really important that more people take a stand against it, not just people who are clinically ill.”
The duo hope their campaign will emphasise that eating disorders are psychiatric conditions, so numbers and weight are not indicators of how well or ill a sufferer is.
Alice, from Wandsworth, said: “People tend to think it’s a young girls illness and to do with vanity, and just wanting to be skinny but it’s not to do with that whatsoever, it can strike anyone at any time for whatever reason.
“I was put into treatment long before I thought I needed help, but as a result of being in a place where I’m being listened to and having to speak about the things that hurt me , I realised that I needed help and needed some support with it.”
Image courtesy of Sophia Charlotte, with thanks
