In our new series On the Table, we explore the various ways eating disorders and body image-related issues can impact a person in daily life, through the lens of one young woman who has experienced these struggles firsthand. This month, our Social Media Editor discusses the challenges of working in an image-driven field while simultaneously trying to recover from anorexia.
It?s been nearly a decade since I got my first real taste of the fashion industry. I was 19 when I flew from my rural Midwestern college campus to intern at a top modeling agency during New York Fashion Week. While my young age was unremarkable in such a competitive industry, it was the first time I had to navigate the city (and its subway system) alone and under great pressure. It was my job to juggle the young models? hectic schedules, ensuring they got to their castings and shows on time?no simple task before the advent of the iPhone. I spent the better part of that week getting lost repeatedly and subsequently being chided by bookers, sacrificing my own basic needs (you know?food, sleep) for the sake of a career I’d been working toward my entire life.
I was petrified to be myself because I was so focused on measuring up to a certain image.

That first Fashion Week was a fitting glimpse into my tumultuous entrée into the fashion industry. At first, I was petrified to be myself because I was so focused on measuring up to what I thought were prerequisites to a successful fashion career. Most of ...