Expert: Joanne - 12/2/2008

Question
So my boyfriend caught me making myself throw up and freak out. Now he keeps asking me if I have a eating disorder. I mean can make myself throw up without having one?

Plus I have a modeling contact and the agency that I'm with says I to be need 90 pounds so I fit into they clothes (Im about 100, 5'10 I'm 18). My boyfriend is threading to tell my parents if I don't start to gain weight and he don't buy me diet pills (which I cant afford on my paymet plan). Is he overreacting?

Answer
Megan

Read what you have asked me again, and then think about whether or not he is over-reacting?!

It is not normal for a young woman to throw-up meals in order to reach a certain weight.  100lbs is extremely low for your height.  A BMI of less than 18.5 classes you as underweight, but your BMI is only 14.35.  Although BMI calculators aren't accurate for those under 20, I have tried this again with one that can be used to take your age into consideration, and your weight is below the 5th percentile, making you underweight for your age as well as height.  I do not condone the use of extremely low weight models, but even an average model is about 5'9 and weighs 110lbs, giving them a BMI of 16 ( far too low), but you are even lower than that!

Diet pills - they are never the answer.  Many don't actually do anything, and others can do things, but as they are not as strictly tested as medical pills, they can cause a large number of problems.

I think that you need to talk to your parents about what you are doing before your boyfriend does and I think that you need to ask for their help.  It sounds as though you are developing an eating disorder and that needs to be addressed now!

If your agency is demanding that you become such an unhealthy weight (and you probably will feel and look unhealthy by then!), then I recommend that you find a new agency or refuse the contract.  No modelling job is worth risking death for!  If you want to be taken seriously modelling, then you would be better focussing on being healthy and toned up through exercise.  Many countries are now banning models that have a BMI below 18, so although you may have this contract now, in the future you risk not working at all as public demand grows higher and higher to try to move the fashion industry away from using thin models.  Did you ever read about the 22 year-old model that died of heart failure after stepping off the runway in a fashion week in South America?  Heart failure is quite a common cause of death in eating disorders.

Please think about talking to your parents or talking to your doctor.  It sounds as though your boyfriend is very concerned and will most likely stick by you, and help you beat this disease.  By continuing with your behaviours, you risk pushing him away!

Joanne