Getting more than 100 likes on your #eeeeeats Instagram of the pizza you just devoured might be a fun accomplishment to show off, but for people who are recovering from eating disorders, posting food pictures on Instagram is a part of something much bigger: recovery.
When you search for “recovery” on Instagram, you’ll find thousands of people, mostly young women, who are sharing their eating disorder recovery stories. You’ll find before-and-after mirror pictures, snapshots of their meals, and inspirational quotes, but above all, you’ll find a community of young women who support each other.
Twenty-year-old Allie Silverberg was diagnosed with anorexia at age 16. “I remember having anorexic thoughts and tendencies as early as fifth grade,” she told The Post.
The college sophomore has used Instagram to share her eating disorder recovery story for more than two years now, after seeing a friend turn her personal Instagram account into a chronicle of her struggle to overcome anorexia.
Silverberg underwent professional inpatient treatment, and she describes the center as a prison. “Our every move was watched,” she said. She recalls sitting at clear glass tables and using clear glass plates to make sure patients were eating all the food served to them. “We couldn’t hide anything.”
Online, users encourage and inspire one another, in stark contrast to the strict rules that therapy and formal treatment might offer.
Silverberg pointed out that while Instagram is an effective community for some, it might not be the same refuge for others. “Eating disorders are really complicated diseases that are grossly misunderstood,” she said. “Everyone has a different recovery process.”
Mental health professionals specializing in eating disorders have an interesting perspective on the Instagram community, especially because they have been assisting with recoveries long before social media became so prevalent.
For more than 30 years, Dr. Judith Brisman has been working with clients with eating disorders in Manhattan. She founded the first center dedicated to the treatment of bulimia, now known as the Eating Disorder Resource Center. While Brisman pointed out that “any way that these kids can connect and support themselves around eating is positive,” she emphasized the importance of understanding that eating disorders are part of a “bigger psychological problem,” not simply a desire to be thin.
Jordi Stephens, 19, uses Instagram to share her ongoing journey to recovery from anorexia and bulimia. Stephens has dealt with an eating disorder for about four years now, and while the first two years included more anorexic and restrictive tendencies, her eating disorder has since developed into bulimia.
“Living with an eating disorder is so much more than people realize,” she said. “It’s not just about refusing to eat or extreme dieting. Every moment of the day, you’re planning and calculating what is okay to eat and when. And in the end, you argue with yourself over what you decided.”
“When your mind is disordered, numbers mean everything,” Stephens said. The 19-year-old is 5 feet 8, and at her lowest point, her weight dropped to a scary 104 pounds. She was spending hours bingeing and purging every day. “I was always tired and dizzy,” she recalled. She was anemic and wasn’t even able to sit in chairs comfortably due to her bony frame.
“At first, my story on Instagram was not a recovery story,” she said. “But thankfully, I got to the point where I was able to make that transition and share my hope and positivity with other people struggling.”
Stephens said there’s a great sense of community among the eating disorder accounts on Instagram.‘At first, my story on Instagram was not a recovery story.’
- Jordi Stephens, 19
“There have been many times when going through a recovery account calmed me down or reaffirmed what I needed to hear,” Stephens said. “Seeing someone who has done what you’re trying to do and hearing them talk about self-love and happiness … that helps.”
“We all interact with each other,” she said. “To be able to scroll through my feed and actually watch me recover is really interesting to people, whether they have a disorder or not.”
Stephens said there are people she’s met through their recovery Instagrams who have become personal friends. “We’ve been watching each other’s recoveries, and we’ll even do ice cream pint parties sometimes,” she said.
Dr. Lara Pence, a licensed psychologist and certified eating disorder specialist at The Renfrew Center, said that sharing recovery stories on Instagram can be a mixed bag.
“While the platform can be helpful and motivational for these young girls, it can be harmful too,” she said. Pence said it’s crucial that those in recovery don’t rely solely on the validation and instant gratification that comes from liking and commenting on photos on Instagram. “Sometimes it’s just not authentic.”
Ashleigh Ponder, a 16-year-old in the United Kingdom, has been dealing with anorexia for about five years.
“Thoughts really started popping up right from the start of secondary school,” she said.
Ponder spent the last two and a half years focusing on her recovery, but before then, she felt “helplessly controlled” by her eating disorder. “It was a very lonely time,” she recalled.
Using Instagram to document her recovery has also helped Ponder form genuine friendships with others affected by eating disorders.
“We don’t just talk about recovery, but every aspect of life: school, family, hobbies, aspirations, and of course, our health.”
“Our eating disorders may have been the original thing that brought us together, but our personalities and conversations that came about through Instagram are what truly brought us together,” she said. Ponder said she feels she now has a duty to support others who are struggling like she once was.
“Some of these people were my online guardian angels at the start of my recovery,” she said.