Community: Real Life

My body gossip story

Two years ago, Ruth, 28, found herself on the brink of an eating disorder. She tells TheSite.org how her experience inspired her to set up Body Gossip and why celebrities are getting involved to help spread the word.

Listen to Ruth's story

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Ruth Rogers

I was studying acting at the New York Film academy in Manhattan when I first contemplated dieting severely. On many occasions while I was there I was told that because I was an actress I needed to shed some pounds. I lost a lot of weight and felt like I was on the brink of an eating disorder.

I eat well and I exercise; I'm not obsessive about it but I know I'm a healthy person. I've actually been the size I am since I was 16 or 17 years-old. I realised that if I lost any more weight I would be unhealthy, but that was what I was being told to do.

I got very angry about it and came back to England feeling determined to do something. I had this idea that I might try and express the stories of people's bodies. I tried out lots of different approaches, but in the end I posted competitions on writing websites asking people to write about their body. I was amazed by the results and since then I've been dedicated to getting the message across about positive body image, whatever size or shape you are.

The sofa you can scribble on

Body Gossip is more than just a writing competition; it's a way for people to express themselves about their body. I have a sofa which has travelled around the country with me and I invite people to write one sentence about their body on it. In fact, I now have six sofas covered in people's thoughts. There's also the website, where people can start discussions and share stories.

The research I did revealed that when people don't talk about their bodies they generally feel that they are the only person that has the problem, and that's not true. I've realised that every person I speak to has something they don't like about their body. Body Gossip is about seeing that you're not alone and trying not to hide your feelings about your body. It's about understanding that everyone has problems with their body and no one is perfect.

"I've realised that every person I speak to has something they don't like about their body."

Celebrity support

I've chosen 15 stories out of the hundreds that have been sent to me to be performed at the first-ever Body Gossip event this year. The sofas will be the set of the play and will be auctioned off to raise money for Beat, the eating disorders charity that the event is supporting.

They are each going to be performed by well-known actresses, models and presenters. It's my ambition to hold this event all over the country and for at least two more nights this year.

From big feet to anorexia

The stories I've been receiving are really varied and it was difficult to choose just 15. I've tried to get a variety - for example, I've got a very funny story written by a woman with big feet. I've also got a few stories written about young women struggling with anorexia. Nineteen year-old Laura Nation has written a poem called 'This one is for you', where she's bidding a bitter farewell to her eating disorder; in 'This is me', Sarah Wallace talks about how she strove for perfection. I think that's actually a very common story, where people who want perfection in their lives feel they can't have it in any other way than by controlling their weight. They look at glossy magazines and see all these images of perfection and they try to emulate that. But what they're trying to do is unattainable because the pictures are airbrushed and you can't airbrush your own body.

Some of the stories are pretty bleak, showing how people continue to be affected by an eating disorder or low self-esteem, but that's deliberate. I don't think that Body Gossip would have any power if it was full of stories of people saying that they are all absolutely fine now. It's important for people to realise that a lot of people are suffering from eating disorders and more needs to be done.

Body Gossip is about celebrating realistic beauty, but also to show the reality of what people in the UK really think about their bodies - at the moment, unfortunately, a lot of these thoughts are negative.  Maybe, once Body Gossip's message has grown, the stories will start being a lot more positive.

Interviewed by Julia Pearlman


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