How do you see beauty? In today’s world of camera phones, social media, and ever so vocalized opinions, there’s a pressure to look a certain way in order to ‘conform’ to certain beauty standards, especially for young people.
So, what if we looked at beauty as something other than how we look? What if beauty wasn’t just physical. What if we could go beyond and look at beauty as how we think and feel inside? We’ve all heard the phrase “beautiful inside and out”, which in itself is, well, beautiful.
At NuLiv Science, we believe we can go further than that. We think healthy is beautiful. In our minds, a healthful state, where we’re not only healthy physically, but also emotionally, is the most beautiful state.
This is supported by model and former Miss California, Nadia Mejia. Nadia has taken the time to speak to us about her journey through modeling, experience with disordered eating, and how she was able to find the other side.
Nadia is open and honest about her struggles around diet and body image as she was scouted by a model agency as a 16-year-old. She soon moved into a model’s apartment and was signed to Next Model Management, one of the most well-known modeling agencies in the world.
It was here that Nadia’s relationship with food began to change. She felt her only control was to control her body’s size and shape. As she watched her body shrink, she felt more in control. But as she grew addicted to calorie control and logging everything she was consuming, things started to get out of hand.
She recognizes that although not actually suicidal, looking back, she was “slowly killing herself and had no idea”. It wasn’t until she went home for Christmas, revealing her new shrunken appearance to her family that she broke down and started getting the help she needed.
Visibly emotional, brave Nadia told us that she is sad for her younger self but now she’s stronger, she wants young women, and young men, to be aware of who they are and speaks openly about her experience to help others. It can be a daily challenge but when helping others she knows she can fully grow.
When Nadia is authentically herself, she knows she’s at her strongest.
Looking after our mental health and emotional strength is just as important as caring for ourselves physically. In fact, the two work synergistically – if we’re physically fit and well, we’re more likely to feel mentally strong. If our mental health is in a good place, we’re more inclined to make healthy lifestyle decisions that will help ensure our physical wellness.
So, is health, beautiful? We certainly think so. Thank you, Nadia, for sharing your story.