Podbit · On Purpose with Jay Shetty
At her lowest point, not eating from depression with no appetite, Camila received more body compliments than ever. Those compliments wired her brain to associate being unwell with looking 'best.' It's exactly the feedback loop that keeps eating disorders alive.
Where this was said
At 48:15 · chapter starts 48:07
Jay asks what advice Camila would give young women struggling with eating disorders or body image, and she starts with the blunt answer: see a therapist. Not because it's generic advice, but because the people in your everyday life — however well-meaning — will accidentally send you back into the loop. Case in point: during her most depressed period, when she genuinely had no appetite and was not eating, she received more body compliments than at any other time in her life. [1] — Camila Mendes "At her lowest point, not eating from depression with no appetite, Camila received more body compliments than ever. Those compliments wired …" 48:15 'You look incredible, what are you doing, Pilates?' And she was doing nothing — she was miserable and not taking care of herself. Those compliments trained her brain to associate being unwell with looking her best. When the compliments stopped, she felt like she'd gained weight. It's a vicious cycle that professionals are specifically trained to interrupt. People who love you don't have those tools. She also notes that she was fortunate to have close Riverdale castmates — Lily Reinhart and Madeleine Petsch — who she could be open with, though she was always careful about what she shared, knowing certain conversations could trigger relapses.
When Camila was at her most depressed — not eating due to genuine loss of appetite — she received the most compliments about her body, which she says reinforces dangerous thinking.
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