Eventually, I sought help from an eating disorder therapist <\/a>and was diagnosed with anorexia.<\/a> (I later suffered other eating disorder symptoms as well.) <\/p>\n Developing an eating disorder was honestly a huge surprise to me. I hardly knew anything about eating disorders at the time, and never imagined that I would seriously struggle with one. Growing up, I had a normal relationship with food. <\/p>\n For me and others struggling with eating disorders, a \u201cperfect storm\u201d of factors came together to change that. Mine included a close family member who\u2019d had anorexia, which gave me the genetic component, my struggles with perfectionism, past trauma and anxiety \u2014 and the broader cultural climate I grew up in, which of course included \u201cAmerica\u2019s Next Top Model.\u201d<\/p>\n In the \u201cANTM\u201d documentary, contestant Keenyah Hill shares that she has since heard from viewers that the way her body was discussed on the show actually kick-started their eating disorders, a sobering reminder of how televised body shaming doesn\u2019t stay on the screen. While media alone isn\u2019t responsible for causing eating disorders, it may trigger those with a genetic predisposition or other factors to develop one.<\/p>\n After years of work with an eating disorder therapist, recovery coach<\/a> and eating disorder dietitian, I was able to recover from my eating disorder.<\/p>\n Sitting here today, viewing the \u201cANTM\u201d documentary on a gray velvet couch, I am an eating disorder therapist, founder of The Eating Disorder Center<\/a> and a married mom of two little kids.<\/p>\n My perspective while watching the show has very much shifted from that of the 16-year-old girl who was viewing \u201cANTM\u201d from my parents\u2019 house. Twenty years later, many of us can now see just how toxic that show and the general culture of the 2000s were when it came to the dieting and anti-fat bias in the media. <\/p>\n Unfortunately, it is my belief that 20 years from now, we will be looking back on the present day with similar discomfort. I wish we could look back and talk about how much has improved, but there is still so far to go. <\/p>\n Extreme thinness is being promoted in the media, and weight loss (now often aided by GLP-1s like Ozempic) continues to be praised. Today, the \u201cMake America Healthy Again\u201d movement is touting harmful rhetoric demonizing processed foods and promoting a very black-and-white mentality.<\/p>\n I truly hope for the sake of my children and others that the \u201cANTM\u201d documentary serves as a wake-up call. Just because something is normalized in society doesn\u2019t mean it is mentally or physically healthy. We truly need to look with a critical eye at how our society continues to promote anti-fat bias and diet culture. The next generation needs us to do better. <\/p>\n Jennifer Rollin, MSW, LCSW-C,<\/a> is a therapist and the founder of The Eating Disorder Center<\/a>. She specializes in therapy for teens<\/a> and adults<\/a> with anorexia<\/a>, bulimia<\/a>, binge eating disorder<\/a>, OSFED and body image concerns. <\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/6998a52f150000193c01950d.png\")
The author poses with her family today.<\/p>\n