City of Powell River has officially proclaimed February 1 to 7 Eating Disorder Awareness Week. To shine a light and raise awareness about eating disorders, city hall and the city works yard are lit in purple this week.
The issue of eating disorders hits close to home for one city councillor.
“I had an eating disorder that I got sick from when I was a teenager,” said councillor CaroleAnn Leishman. “I come from a figure skating and dance background; there were a lot of eating disorders.”
Because of the competitive nature of figure skating, always training and competing, Leishman said she had a hard time with food as a teenager and developed a fear of eating around others.
“I had a really awkward time dealing with food,” she said, “so, as an adult, I realize how important it is to educate teens, women and men about focusing on healthy bodies, about eating healthy and not on how your body looks.”
A member of Pow! Town Roller Derby, Leishman said she hopes to create a supportive environment with the sports team where people of all body types can participate and feel comfortable discussing issues around food and body image.
“There’s a lot of support in roller derby that tries to be aware of issues people are struggling with,” she said.
Leishman said given the impact of eating disorders on today’s youth, the issue might be one for City of Powell River Youth Council, to be formed next month and made up of youth aged 13 to 23.
The city’s awareness week is part of BC’s Provincial Eating Disorders Awareness Campaign (PEDAW) to promote prevention and early intervention of eating disorders.
“A lot of people don’t realize how much photoshopping goes on in all advertising,” said Leishman. “This is not real.”
Members of the public are invited to take pictures of themselves with the lit up landmarks and post them on Twitter or Facebook with the hashtag #Purple4PEDAW.
For more information about eating disorder awareness and prevention, contact North Shore Youth Eating Disorders Program, which also serves Sunshine Coast youth, at 604.982.4814.
