“I wonder if my lineage is one of women shrinking, making space for the entrance of men into their lives not knowing how to fill it back up once they leave” – Lily Myers’ Shrinking Women

Lily Myers performing for Wesleyan University at the 2013 College Unions Poetry Slam Invitational. This poem was awarded Best Love Poem at the tournament.

However I recommend unless you feel like being disgusted with a huge portion of humanity who has access to YouTube, do NOT read the comments below.

People constantly ask “why does feminism matter” or “when have you experienced sexism?” So many people are unaware of these seemingly minimal ways that society around us constructs views where men are empowered and women are persistently subdued. Myers is addressing a constant struggle that myself and many others I’ve talked with have faced.

It is about the enforced mindset that women cannot take up the same amount of room as men. This oppression is not usually a conscious decision on someone’s part where they actually think “hey I deserve more/less space than that woman/man”, but it is something that individuals should make a conscious decision to change.

It is also important to be aware about eating disorders so below is some more information.

Statistics:
• Up to 24 million people of all ages and genders suffer from an eating disorder (anorexia, bulimia and binge eating disorder) in the U.S.
• Eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of any mental illness.
• 91% of women surveyed on a college campus had attempted to control their weight through dieting. 22% dieted “often” or “always.”
• An estimated 10-15% of people with anorexia or bulimia are male.
• Men are less likely to seek treatment for eating disorders because of the perception that they are “woman’s diseases.”

National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders

Boston University Eating Disorders Program
Call: (617) 353-9610
Email: bonnieb@bu.edu
Address: 648 Beacon St., 6^th Floor Boston MA 02215

Additional Comment:
Within the past few days I’ve been talking to a friend a lot about this video and she brought to my attention that this video seems to imply that anorexia is a problem only women face when this is far from true. This is a problem that applies to both genders. It’s referred to as a “woman’s disease” which is why men frequently won’t admit to dealing with it. THIS SHOULD NOT BE THE CASE. ANYONE facing anorexia or other eating disorders should get help.