A Who’s Who of Disordered Eating: Paula Abdul

 

Back in the 1980s, powerhouse, Paula Abdul took the pop music world by storm. 

Initially on the entertainment scene as a dancer and choreographer, Paula became a radio and video staple with the release of her album, “Forever Your Girl.” And, for over thirty years, she has been in the public eye, singing, dancing, choreographing, and, most recently, acting as a judge on talent shows like “American Idol.”

She exudes energy, joy, and happiness.

But she has also contended with the darkness of disordered eating and body image.

Becoming more vocal about her struggles within recent years, Abdul shares her long battle, as a person in the entertainment industry, she has been susceptible to perfectionism, pressure, and narrow definitions of beauty ideals:

“Battling bulimia has been like war on my body. Me and my body have been on two separate sides. We’ve never, until recently, been on the same side.”

“I learned at a very early age I didn't fit in physically. I learned through years of rejections from auditions…. I would ask myself, “Why can’t I be tall and skinny like the other dancers?”

 

“I thought `God I’m not perfect. I’m going to disappoint people. That’s what I thought.” 

 

The Paula Abdul Bulimia Story - This Brave Womans Battle (your-bulimia-recovery.com)Again, Paula “looked” like someone who had it all together: fame, money, physical attractiveness, success. But her struggle has revealed it is just not that simple.

Another one of “the beautiful” people has struggled with disordered eating.

The Paula Abdul Bulimia Story - This Brave Womans Battle (your-bulimia-recovery.com), Shaye Boddington