'Its grip was wrapped around my core identity': Former Disney star Alyson Stoner details struggling with an eating disorder when she was young
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Alyson Stoner opened up about the eating difficulties she endured in her life.
The former Disney Channel star, who uses they/them pronouns, last week detailed their struggle on an episode of the podcast 'Dear Hollywood: Becoming a Product: Eating Disorders and Body Image.'
The 30-year-old started the episode by giving an insight into their childhood in Ohio until the age of six, noting that their early concept of self was “pretty positive.”
However, things rapidly changed when the actor came to the limelight at the tender age of nine.
Stoner, appearing as the pig-tailed dancing child in Missy Elliot's 'Work It' music video alongside 'Cheaper by the Dozen,' 'Step Up' and the Disney Channel original 'Camp Rock,' was considered a showbiz veteran by their early teens.
What did Alyson Stoner say?
“I was acutely aware that my body had become a topic of discussion….my body was celebrated by some, scorned by others. Gorgeous to some, atrocious to others,” Stoner explained, according to People.
Stoner went on to detail how puberty affected their body image.
Stoner underwent laser hair removal, braces, and layering bras to mimic the appearance of breasts, just as some of the measures to “increase their chances of being desirable and hirable.”
The six-year-old who was at ease in their skin was eclipsed by a pre-teen who was already in a chokehold of perfectionism.
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Even though Stoner witnessed immense success in their career, things were not much fruitful at their home.
Stoner's stepfather was “grossly abusive” and their mother had a severe drinking problem. They were forced to turn to their faith to deal with the issues at home.
And, when that didn't go according to the plan, they resorted to “extremely obsessive behaviors” around food and exercise.
Alyson Stoner speaks about their eating disorder
Stoner explained that what initially began as orthorexia, an obsession with healthy eating, it later evolved into severe restriction, exercise bulimia, and binge eating.
They went on to discuss how these behaviors were partially in response to industry pressures, but also a product of feeling out of control of their chaotic home life.
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Stoner was calculating every morsel of food they ate at the age of 13 and compulsively recorded what they consumed up to 12 times a day. It didn't take much time before severe health effects caught up with them.
Stoner started losing clumps of hair and instead was growing lanugo, fine hair follicles that indicate malnourishment and a lack of body fat.
Other symptoms included low bone density, anemia, lack of sexual desire, body acne, eye circles, and the loss of their menstrual cycle.
They also noted that they couldn’t sit or lie down without getting bruises where bones were protruding.
“I was already estranged from normal kids my age but these health issues exacerbated my sense of isolation," Stoner said.
They started visiting online recovery forums after admitting that they had a problem. However, seeking help from dieticians, creating meal plans, and challenging body dysmorphia wasn’t enough to help them recover.
“Its grip was wrapped around my core identity. My sense of purpose and belonging. It was my strategy for survival", she said.
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How did Alyson Stoner recover?
Stoner felt a lack of self-control even though they began to increase portion sizes and incorporate “bad foods” back into their diet.
So, they shifted to the other side of the spectrum and started binge eating. Stoner explained that once they were old enough to drive, they would drive to the store and buy cakes, ice cream, sandwiches, and chips and eat until they felt “full or numb.”
Stoner would steal food from the set, binge eat on the set of 'Camp Rock,' and then go to the gym at 2 am to work off the calories.
In 2011, Stoner, who was 17 at the time, was hospitalized and admitted to rehab for further treatment of their eating disorders.
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The treatment focused on mental health alongside their disordered eating. Stoner now says, they have recovered from the experience.
They have transitioned to a plant-based diet following five years of balanced eating. They don't own a scale and they are focused now on individualized wellness from the inside out.