Suzannah Weiss

When speaking with eating disorder victims, what not to say is as important as what to say.

Talking about sex may make you uncomfortable, but so would having children who grow up in ignorance and fear.

“Don’t make yourself feel good by calling us survivors.”

“Some of the smartest thinkers . . . are university professors, but most of them just don’t matter in today’s great debates”—or do they?

I was six the first time I remember sucking in my stomach.

So, sex position articles, please stop imposing your useless advice on me. I already know about more positions than I’ll ever have the chance to try!

When people picture an eating disorder, they often imagine shocking behaviors that deviate wildly from normal eating. But our society’s definition of “normal,” especially for women, can look so similar to an eating disorder that it’s hard to tell when you’ve crossed the line between healthy and disordered eating. That's why, by following popular health advice, I became anorexic without even knowing it.

Best of all? She's just getting started.

On the interview room’s cozy couch, Ellie (AKA Elliphant) sounded off on the absurdity of American gender roles, how humans are like giraffes, and her past life as a dude resembling Mowgli from The Jungle Book. No, really.

I’ve never been able to embrace the life of no regrets. Regrets are stubborn seeds that plant themselves in my mind, refusing to leave until something grows from them. I water them by reliving my past until I figure out what I would do differently if I could go back. Eventually, I do go back, even if the situation is slightly different.