Model apartment memories

Model Apartment Memories

While everyone's experience with their eating disorder is unique, I do consider mine to be unusual compared to others I've heard.  Over the years I've described it as a "situational" eating disorder. According to the Alliance for Eating Disorders, I could say mine was derived from "social factors".

My whole life I've been a lanky beanpole. I'm 5'11'' and to this day I proudly identify with giraffes. I never felt like the "fat friend" and I never had any major complaints about my general appearance growing up (besides acne).  I starved myself so I could be a fashion model in New York City and walk the runways during Fashion Week. "Sleek-ifying" my body was my ticket to a non-conventional, glamorous life filled with fame, luxury, fashion and travel.

When I graduated high school I signed with a major New York City agency and moved into a modeling apartment in Union Square. I lived there with about 8 other girls. The model apartment was a hub for strange eating habits and rituals, and I want to document a few of them here. I do not know if these girls had eating disorders too or how intense their personal experiences were. Food was something we hardly talked about. I also share these memories to shed light on the uniqueness of everyone's experiences and raise awareness. I do not encourage taking on these habits whatsoever.  I lived with girls from all over the globe between the ages of 14-23 and here's what I remember-

The Swedish Girl (18 years old)- She would eat apples only. She's go into the kitchen and slowly dice her apple into small pieces and put them into a mug. Then, she would eat the apple pieces one-by-one using a fork. What is usually a quick 95 calorie snack turned into a 60 minute dining experience. She'd also have a cup of tea with her apple. When I was struggling with my disorder, I envied her endurance in a way. I envied the fact she would eat only one apple and nothing else.

The Polish Girl (15 years old)- She was a funny case. She was highly emotionally volatile and immature. The agency would give her $200.00 per week to spend on food because she did not have any income. Instead of buying food, she saved that money and bought an i-pod (it was 2009)! I remember she would eat one slice of white bread, one slice of cheese and a slice of tomato once a day. I also remember that she ate fruit occasionally. One time someone ate her apple and she was convinced it was the cleaning lady! She made it her vendetta to get the cleaning lady (who was also polish) fired.

The Midwestern Girl (16 years old)- She would conserve energy. She wouldn't work out or move around much. When she wasn't working she would just sit on the couch all day without eating or burning many calories. She eventually picked up smoking, which killed her appetite.

The Brazilian Girl (20 years old)- I could never figure out this girl's habits. She might have been totally healthy! She would come home with McDonalds and the rest of us would hover near her to catch a whiff of the french fries! Thinking back, she was also BY FAR the most successful and well-established model in the apartment. She's eat McDonalds and then go to a Victoria's Secret photoshoot. Go figure!

I am in the process of reaching out to a few old friends from the fashion world. If you've worked in the fashion industry and noticed some interested habits with food and eating, please feel free to comment or share them with me at meggasus@gmail.com. Thank you!

Have a wonderful day! 

xx

Meggasus