It isn’t every day that I get a request to participate in an eating disorder documentary — especially over Instagram from two high school students in Markham, Ontario looking to highlight EDs in young people.
I responded almost immediately with an enthusiastic “YES!”. This was the start of an exciting collaboration.
Since our initial Zoom conversation back in early spring, the project has evolved into an incredible blend of awareness, education and advocacy. The final video product, aptly titled Starving for Awareness, clocks in at under 25 minutes. Creators Sarah Huen and Sharon Tai wove together media clips with snippets from interviews they conducted to piece together what eating disorders look like during the pandemic.
To complement the video, they launched a website with more information and resources. I love that their site pulls together quotes from the documentary participants, alongside data from their own research. Be sure to also check out the “About Us” and “Advice” tabs at the top with personal insights from the creators and interviewees. It’s really impressive!
Participating in this project taught me a few things:
- It’s still scary to talk about my eating disorder story. There were moments where I almost choked up thinking about the pain I had been in and the havoc my ED has caused on my life. That’s one of the biggest reasons I talk about it now — so no one else has to feel as alone as my teenage self.
- There are people who care about EDs outside of the recovery community. I was surprised to learn that neither Sharon or Sarah had been directly impacted by an eating disorder. However, as we chatted, I learned that the pandemic had given them insight into what it’s like to focus more on your body. They said that increased time on social media had made them more conscious of exercising and their physical appearances.
- There isn’t one way to recover. I applaud the diversity of interviewees Sharon and Sarah chose. They featured a teenage boy from the Philippines, a direct client support worker at NEDIC, a body image expert, an occupational therapist, and other mental health advocates from different walks of life. All of us had such unique perspectives to the questions posed, though we all adamantly disliked the “What I Eat In A Day” video challenges.
How you can support Sharon and Sarah’s documentary:
- Watch it on YouTube! About the length of a 22-minute long Netflix episode, it’s a worthwhile way to spend time learning about a new subject.
- Share their website/video with anyone you think may find value in their work. That could include students, health care providers, family, friends or colleagues.
- Offer some feedback. Drop a comment on YouTube if you found their documentary helpful — I’m sure they would appreciate the insight.
I’m so, so honoured to have participated in this documentary, alongside many other inspirational people. It’s projects like these that make me hopeful about the future of eating disorder awareness and advocacy. Thank you, Sharon and Sarah, for helping amplify our voices. ❤️
Very well done!!
Thank you, I appreciate it! It was a great project to be part of.
I just love that the younger generation has so much empathy and they’re using it to help others!! I also applaud you for participating in this documentary even though parts of it were challenging, you’re doing amazing work out here keep it up! I’ll definitely find some time to watch this doc ?
Maria, thank you for your lovely feedback! I was truly honoured to be part of this doc and give all the credit to Sarah and Sharon for spearheading this idea from start to finish. Would love to hear your thoughts once you take a look! ?