Treatment's Not Always for Addicts

There are many issues that have been swept under the rug for the past few years, many issues that need to be addressed, many that I need to have completely control over before I leave for college. (And that day is creeping up on me soon!) I have all these great resources to get the help I need here, and I should be taking advantage of those, right? After my hospitalization for a suicide scare in late 2012, I was thrown right back into the hectic world of stress and commitments that made up my junior year of high school. I stopped treatment for an eating disorder out of financial concern; when in reality, I still needed help. Part of me believes I need more help now than I did back then. So, for months, I have been debating whether to finish my senior year strong, or to take some time off and really work on getting better. 

Image source: www.gotceleb.com

When Selena Gomez, 21, recently released news that she spent time at Meadows, a rehab center in Arizona, I was quick to assume her story involved a hidden eating disorder, a dark depression, or an unmanageable addiction of some sort. When in reality, Selena just needed time to herself. Her brave acceptance of that, and even braver decision to seek help, is inspiring. In her own kind words, "It has become clear to me and those close to me that after many years of putting my work first, I need to spend some time on myself in order to be the best person I can be." Selena simply recognized she was struggling and needed to get away. And that's admiring. Especially when she returned from treatment and uploaded an Instagram photo with the caption, "I'm the happiest I've been in a while. So blessed and thankful for the future." Because it sparks hope. 


So here I am, beyond recognition that I, too, have issues to work on and tackle. Should I follow in the footsteps of Selena and make sure I'm okay before I take a huge step in my life and leave for college this summer? Or, do I continue putting school and work first, believing that one day it'll all just go away and I'll be able to live my life freely? Of course, there are both pros and cons to each option, and I'm just not sure which cons are worth enduring. But learning that Selena checked herself into treatment--for issues that others could easily overlook--has really pushed me to think hard about this and make a final decision soon. 

Troian Tackles Taboos: Her Brave Confession

Troian Bellisario, a 28 year-old thriving actress, has been one of my inspirations since 2010, when she landed her breakout role as Spencer Hastings in ABC Family’s, Pretty Little Liars. Since the pilot, I have found I both related to Spencer’s perfectionistic and panicky outbreaks, as well as looked up to her perseverance and resilient skills. In fact, the reason I achieved all A’s my sophomore year was because I was trying to be a real life Spencer. I saw all of this fictional character’s strengths and believed it was possible to bring her to life. What I failed to see is that Spencer is a combination of wardrobe designers, makeup artists, scriptwriters, directors, and Troian herself. So, instead, I began to look up to Troian not for being Spencer, but for being who she really is. 

It’s funny, as I learned more about the real Troian, I realized she’s actually got quite a lot in common with her role as Spencer: “I grew up in a very wealthy family around a very wealthy group of people. My high school was a private school where you went to an Ivy League. So I grew up never being okay with a ‘B’ because a ‘B’ wasn’t good enough…and, I think Spencer is kind of in that. She’s in this beautiful, golden cage where everybody just says ‘you have everything so you have no excuse to trip up.’” This pressure put on her as an adolescent is fairly common, and going to a similar private school with similar expectations, I can easily understand how she might have felt; and why Troian chose now to finally speak up about the underlying struggles that also occurred during her own high school years.

Troian at Seventeen's cover unveil in Barnes and Noble, NY. Image source: http://justfabzz.com/

In Seventeen’s most recent issue, Troian revealed what she was like when she was 17 in her raw and personal interview. For the first time, Troian opened up about her past, more specifically, her self-destruction: “I became imprisoned.” The pressure to be perfect led to both self-harm and an eating disorder. Troian admits to Seventeen, “I started self-harming when I was a junior. I would withhold food or withhold going out with my friends, based on how well I did that day in school. It was about wanting to be perfect to everybody. I thought if I ever expressed [to my parents] any sadness or anger or anything that’s going on with me, they would disown me. I kept a lot of it bottled up inside, and it turned into self-destructive behavior.”

What I admire the most is her empowerment to speak up about what’s way too often considered a taboo topic, something swept under the rug along with other family secrets. And her honesty in sharing her story makes me love her even more. I know I’m not the only fan of hers that may be going through similar struggles, and her brave article helps us realize that we are not alone, that there is hope thanks to Troian’s openness and conquered confidence in her own skin; for she is an inspiration to all. We love you, T!

Rising Above Hollywood's Status Quo

Ever watched an interview of Jennifer Lawrence? Well, you should. They're full of raw and real humorous comments. Every interview I've watched, (and trust me, it's a very large number), she constantly has to throw in, "My publicist is going to kill me for saying that." Yet, she continues to be truthful and honest, which is so refreshing to see. I think that's one of the reasons why she is so highly loved by fans, because she is not like all the other branded actresses out there in the hectic life of Hollywood. 

The very talented Jennifer Lawrence made her big break two years ago, when she landed the main role in the movie, The Hunger Games. With a rapidly growing group of supporters and fans, primarily made up of young girls, Lawrence had successfully challenged society's status quo of what a typical Hollywood celebrity would need to eat, dress, say, believe, and overall, do. So many young individuals look up to her as a strong warrior because of her first big role as Katniss, who breaks through the stereotype that girls are weak and inferior to boys. Katniss is seen as a strong, smart, and independent woman, who ultimately survives more than just a game; she survives the struggles thrown at her. Followers of Lawrence see her portrayed as Katniss and come to believe they can achieve whatever dream they have; for if Katniss can do it, they certainly can as well. 

A major reason why I greatly respect miss Jennifer Lawrence is because she promises to never diet for an acting role. This issue broke out after the premiere of the first Hunger Games, for some believed she looked "too healthy" to play the part of Katniss. Lawrence worked on getting fit and strong for training and filming, rather than dropping a few pounds. Lawrence tells ELLE Magazine in a 2012 interview, "I don't want little girls to be like, 'Oh, I want to look like Katniss, so I'm going to skip dinner. That's something I was really conscious of during training." Unlike the majority of Hollywood, Lawrence maintains a healthy, womanly body figure; and hopefully young girls, who may be struggling with fitting into their own role in life, will admire and aim to be like her--rather than an actress say like, Natalie Portman, who (as wonderful as she is) dropped 20 pounds to fit her role in The Black Swan. In Hollywood, Lawrence is considered a fat actress. I guess since you can't see her ribs sticking out when she's on the beach, she's overweight. WHAT? That's normal. Hollywood carries such a hypocritical attitude, where celebrities are called out for looking too fat, so they lose weight. But then they are proceeded to be called too skinny, and rumors of celebrities suffering from eating disorders arise. It's a body-image mindset cycle of Hollywood that seems impossible to escape, at least for many actresses constantly scrutinized in tabloids. But at the same time, Hollywood is making fun of people for looking normal, for looking like us, their fans. Lawrence does a nice job at addressing this issue, and I hope many other fans of hers acknowledge her values and fresh perspective in our skewed society.