Body Image and the Professional
By Danielle Lullo, MS
I have been recovered from bulimia for over 20 years and consider it an honor to walk alongside patients in a professional capacity. Upon entering my forties, as with many women, I have been challenged with the physiological changes that accompany this decade. Subsequently, I am overweight.
I recall my own prejudice against overweight people when actively engaged in my eating disorder. If you were a treatment provider and overweight, there could be nothing of substance you could've said to me because in my mind, whatever you had to say to me was obviously not working for you! I am acutely aware that this prejudice was not unique to me nor is it unique to my patients and the culture at large.
I was having dinner with a colleague of mine who made a comment regarding the poor example the overweight professionals were who presented at a conference we just attended. In amazement, I looked at her and said, "Uh...hello...overweight sitting across from ya'". "You're not overweight" she said. In an attempt to cover her tracks I'm sure.
However, this comes up frequently in my interactions with patients also. What a wonderful opportunity to challenge some of the mistaken beliefs about overweight people. Such as:
If I am overweight...
"People won't accept me...I won't have friends"
"I can't be successful in what I want to accomplish in life"
"I'll never be loved"
"I won't have any confidence to do anything"
And the list goes on...
Isn't it interesting how my excess weight issues become solvent due to the connection that was established with my colleague. In body image groups when I illuminate my own weight gain to challenge misperceptions, many patients state "But you're different!" Why? Similarly to my colleague, they have a relationship with me, a connection that is able to transcend their own biases. I let them know that while I would prefer to be a smaller size, my life is not limited by my weight as it was several years ago. I am not immune to the cultural biases inherent in our society. There are times when stressed that if I had a choice between a pint of Ben and Jerry's and salad fixins' to consume...I might go for the Ben and Jerry's! The difference is that I don't have the whole pint for a meal and purge it out! A few bites is satisfying.
Years ago I facilitated an ANAD group. In an attempt to help the group grasp some understanding of this thing we call "normal" in relations to body image obsessions, I invited a panel of my friends which consisted of both male and females. The group asked them questions about the pressures related to appearance, "dieting" habits, etc...My friends answers reflected the impact our culture has on all of us. The goal was to "normalize" body image "obsessions" and illuminate the impasse that their thoughts and behaviors became disordered.
I teach my patients that body appreciation is the goal in the early stages of treatment. It is palatable for many and the springboard from which they can more fully integrate. I am not immune to the cultural bias, even amongst eating disorder professionals. I have allowed my weight to limit me from facilitating workshops which I love to do because of comments similar to one made by my colleague. Eating disorder specialists are not immune to biases within our own professional culture regardless of our mutual goal which is to promote body acceptance.
Ultimately, at whatever weight, my goal is physical, emotional and spiritual health. My plan is to transcend this hurdle in the forthcoming year.
The staff at Montecatini is multicultural in both ethnicity and body size. Patients and clients have the opportunity to observe how staff interact with their "body selves" and utilize their own experiences and insights in a therapeutic context to facilitate dialogue with patients regarding their own unrealistic standards for appearance and weight.
