If you’re on tiktok you might have come across this trend of women struggling and openly speaking about their digestive issues under the hashtag “hot girls have IBS”.
While this might seem innocuous and even a great way for individuals to speak openly about their pain, discomfort and the stigma associated with uncomfortable symptoms like bloating, constipation and diarrhoea, there’s also an insidious side that I want to discuss today which is the fact that eating disorders and disordered eating often go hand in hand with digestive concerns.
Namely, is this trend harmful in normalising disordered eating behaviours, such as cutting out or demonising food groups? Additionally, if someone is struggling with digestive issues, how do they navigate those symptoms and get the help they need without falling down a diet culture rabbit hole.
In this episode I discuss:
- How common digestive disorders are in those struggling with eating disorders
- Why digestive concerns occur in those with eating disorders, disordered eating and/or HA
- The bi-directional relationship between IBS symptoms/digestive disorders and disordered eating
- The pros and cons “hot girls have IBS” trend in terms of management strategies
- Why cutting out food groups may not be the answer
- What to do if you’re experiencing IBS or digestive disorders in recovery
- My own personal experience of how digestive concerns fuelled my eating disorder and what my symptom journey looked like during recovery
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