My United Nations Speech for World Eating Disorders Action Day

No one even had to cover the tuba, so that was great!

Today, June 2nd, is World Eating Disorders Action Day, and a date close to my heart as both an eating disorder survivor and long-time advocate. On Friday, I had the honor to speak on behalf of The Chain, the non-profit organization I co-founded in 2017, at the United Nations.

For those who may not know, The Chain provides peer support to individuals working in fashion, media, and entertainment–image-driven roles–while coping with an eating disorder. Last summer, we began partnering with the National Alliance for Eating Disorders, an extraordinary non-profit organization that organized this event at the UN, to offer free, monthly, therapist-moderated, virtual support groups to our members across the country and around the world. This partnership has allowed us to reach hundreds of individuals in need of peer support, and is something of which I’m most proud.

There is much to be said about eating disorders–both on a personal level, and regarding the vast amount of work that needs to be done to improve access to care, federal funding, insurance parity, the public’s understanding that these diseases affect individuals of all weights, genders, races, socio-economic statuses, and, contrary to popular belief, are usually invisible.

I’ve chosen to support those with eating disorders in fashion as my personal mission as it’s an industry in which these illnesses continue to be a taboo topic. I was so thrilled (and very nervous) to touch on this work on Friday, and my speech, for those who wish to read it, is below. Thank you again to the Alliance for your tireless work and for inviting me to speak–it’s an experience I’ll never forget!

It's such a tremendous honor to be here for a second year–and I vividly remember the inexplicable feeling I had in this room last June. It's not often we get to be among so many changemakers who care so deeply about this cause, and that's an extremely powerful and comforting thing. I am so grateful to the Alliance for leading these vital and impactful conversations, in service of a unified vision for mental health and eating disorders, and which will, undoubtedly, continue to save lives. 

My name is Christina Grasso and I'm a writer, fashion creator, survivor, and co-founder of The Chain, on behalf of which my co-founder Ruthie Friedlander and I, are thrilled to be here today.

In 2011, I was a college student in South Bend, Indiana, profoundly struggling with an eating disorder. At the time, I defiantly held it tightly to my chest–only my family and a small handful of friends knew, and I was adamant to keep it that way. I convinced myself it was best to try and heal in silence and isolation, which are the very things that allowed my illness to fester in the first place.

Until one day, I happened upon an old, grainy video of Princess Diana in the 90s giving a public address about eating disorders. If it felt like an impossible topic in 2011, and even sometimes still, I couldn't imagine what it was like in the 90s, especially given the scale of her platform and the depth of her personal experience with the disorder. But I found such comfort in her candor and fortitude, and a little less alone–so much so that it became the catalyst for me to begin speaking publicly, albeit apprehensively, about my own experience, starting right there on my college campus.

After college, I moved to New York City to pursue a career in fashion, fresh out of a lengthy inpatient treatment stay for my eating disorder. Some might find this reckless or downright foolish—some may very well be correct. And yet, I was determined that I wouldn’t have to sacrifice my lifelong dream for an illness I never chose.

It should come as no surprise that fashion is no stranger to eating disorders: it's an industry in which thinness is often currency and disordered eating is normalized, if not glamorized. But it remains a trivialized and under-recognized topic, globally and especially in the industry–and the more I stayed silent, the more I struggled. 

So I spent the better part of my twenties bouncing in and out of treatment centers and hospitals, all the while trying to maintain and build my career, and knowing that if I wanted to continue down my professional path, I would need to do something differently.  

During one such treatment stay, I had something of an epiphany after reading a book about Stevie Nicks (I promise I’m going somewhere with this), her struggles with substance addiction and recovery: if she can do that and stay in music, why can’t I stay in fashion while working on recovery? I'm no rockstar, but as Tom Petty said, I won't back down from a challenge.

So when fellow fashion veteran and my now co-founder, Ruthie, and I met in 2017, after I read about her navigation through fashion while in recovery from her own ED, it took us less than five minutes to decide we wanted to do something to help our colleagues, community, and industry. And so, The Chain was born. 

Over the past seven years, we’ve served as a resource to individuals in image-driven roles in our trigger-laden field who cope with an eating disorder, offering peer support, advocacy, education, and a seemingly endless supply of dark humor. We’ve partnered with brands, consulted with publications to provide guidelines for responsible media coverage, guided our members through the quagmire that is recovery, and work behind the scenes every day to help those who strive to do better, do better.

It feels very much like trying to swim against a strong current, and we’re lucky to be buoyed by our steadfast network of supporters.

Last summer, The Chain and The Alliance joined hands to begin offering a monthly free, virtual, and therapist-moderated support group for individuals coping with eating disorders specifically within the Fashion, Beauty, and Entertainment industries. Since then, we've welcomed hundreds of individuals to the group from across the country and around the world. It’s been a privilege to work with the Alliance, and an honor to play a small role in the healing processes of others while continuing to work at my own.

Sometimes ED advocacy feels like screaming into a void. Eating disorders are continually romanticized, normalized, rebranded, and excluded from the general mental health conversation. This disease, too, is a shapeshifter. I often ask myself: does anyone even hear this? Does anyone care? Does my little voice even matter?

But I promise you: voids and any cavernous chambers, by nature, echo. The people who need to hear your voice will. And you don't need to be the loudest in the room (or have a royal title) to reach someone and make a difference. 

My personal journey, tumultuous and humbling as it has been, is a testament to this fact: sometimes all it takes is one person to help to begin see the light. And yet, I feel overwhelming gratitude to be surrounded by so many of you who are, undoubtedly, someone’s “one person.”

There’s no lonelier place than an eating disorder–and I believe that it’s only through the strength we have within ourselves, and having the courage to share it with one another, that we begin to heal. And the way I think we’ll get there is by starting in our respective communities, as we have done so today. As they say, nothing worth having ever comes easily.

Thank you endlessly to the Alliance and Johanna Kandel for your tireless dedication and for bringing us all together today, thank you to the United Nations for hosting us, and thank you to everyone in this room for your advocacy. You are making a difference.

Thank you for reading!

Love,
Christina

If you or someone you know is experiencing an eating disorder, please reach out to the National Alliance for Eating Disorders for help, support, and resources that work for you The Alliance provides a free therapist-staffed helpline and interactive online referral database, as well as many free, weekly, therapist-led (virtual and in-person) support groups.

Call: 866.662.1235

Text: ALLIANCE to 741-741

Email: info @allianceforeatingdisorders.com

Visit: allianceforeatingdisorders.com

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