Image: Anne Marie Sengillo in 2014 ( via Imgur ).
When Anne Marie Sengillo posted photos of her ongoing recovery from anorexia on a Reddit thread, she hoped to share her progress with the thousands of other people who use the website and offer hope to anyone else suffering from body image issues.
When website The Chive found the photos and reposted them a few times later, they were seen by thousands more — only this time, Sengillo’s important message was lost through a huge lack of judgement.
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The Chive staff writer Mac Faulkner included the images in an article titled, “These weight loss transformations are amazing (28 Photos)”. Unbelievably, despite the fact Sengillo had clearly captioned the photos to explain which stage of her recovery they depicted, a photo from the depths of her anorexia (below, right) was used as the aspirational ‘after’ shot.
Sengillo before her illness (left) and in the depths of anorexia (right)
When the photo was taken, Sengillo had lost a significant amount of body weight over the period of 12 months, and was exercising for several hours a day on a calorie restricted diet.
As you'd expect, Sengillo was appalled when she discovered her photos on The Chive.
"For them to put my disordered weight as 'ideal' was a punch to the stomach for me. I do not want to be seen as inspiration for a disorder that nearly killed me. Anorexia took the best years of my life," she told the Daily Mail.
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In the original photo gallery she posted, Sengillo explained how her eating disorder had developed in the wake of her father's death in 2007, and eventually led to her being $50,000 deep in medical debt.
"My dad died and other crap snowballed my weight loss into some monster of a thing. It started out innocently enough, but became a five hour a day workout and 500 calories a day," she writes.
Sengillo in 2008, 2009 and 2013 (via Imgur)
Though Sengillo began to "get a bit better" when she returned to school the following year, she relapsed in 2009 when school and work pressures started to mount; exercise became a way to calm her "OCD and PTDS thoughts". In 2013, Sengillo made an attempt on her life and was subsequently sent to a treatment centre; she relapsed in 2014 after being discharged.
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"My transformation from 150lbs to 70 and then 90lbs is NOT something I want anyone to see and think 'Wow! I want to look like her!" Sengillo said in an interview with Jezebel.
We love these celeb quotes on body image
Rebel Wilson
The actress said on Twitter; "I'm not trying to be hot. I'm just trying to be a good actress and entertain people." Image via @rebelwilson
Lady Gaga
After the media focused on her alleged weight gain in September 2012, Gaga hit back at critics by baring her body in photographs, sharing her struggles with an eating disorder, and inviting her fans to join her in a "body revolution"/ Image via @ladygaga
Ashley Judd
After the March 2012 frenzy around Judd's "puffy face" the actress fought back in 'The Daily Beast', calling the media out for making women's bodies "a source of speculation, ridicule, and invalidation, as if they belong to others". Image via @ashley_judd
Christina Aguilera
"I am always in support of someone who is willing and comfortable in their own skin enough to embrace it," the singer said in a recent interview. Image via @xtina
Lena Dunham
At the 2012 New Yorker Festival, the magazine's TV critic, Emily Nussbaum, asked Lena Dunham, producer, creator and star of the hit HBO show 'Girls' why Dunham is naked in so many scenes. Dunham responded; "I realised that what was missing in movies for me was the presence of bodies I understood." She said she plans to live until she is 105 and show her thighs every day. Image via @lenadunham
Alexa Chung
Chung responded to critics who suggested that her slight frame made her a bad role model for young women, saying: "Just because I exist in this shape doesn't mean that I'm, like, advocating it." Image via Twitter @alexa_chung
Beth Ditto
This five-foot-tall, 200-pound singer spoke openly about her weight to 'The Advocate' saying, "I feel sorry ... for people who've had skinny privilege and then have it taken away from them. I have had a lifetime to adjust to seeing how people treat women who aren't their idea of beautiful and therefore aren't their idea of useful, and I had to find ways to become useful to myself." Image via @marybethditto
To The Chive's credit, they've since removed Sengillo's images from the post and owned up to their error, offering a sincere apology in a separate post called 'An apology to one strong woman'.
"We had previously discovered the photo somewhere out there in the internet echo chamber which contained no frame of reference whatsoever," the team writes.
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"We obviously had no idea Anne Marie had anorexia but that doesn’t excuse the action at all. It was a mistake, completely unintentional, and the photo was removed the second we found out about it."
The article also clarifies the true story behind Sengillo's images and redirects readers to her original gallery on Imgur.
Although it was an accident, we hope this incident doesn't discourage other eating disorder survivors from sharing their experiences online; these stories can provide an important source of support for other women and men who are overcoming their own illnesses.
Reddit user Kara shared her own anorexia recovery photos in February
Just last month, a Reddit user called Kara received thousands of messages of support when she shared photos of her recovery from anorexia in a 'body transformations' subreddit.
"If you feel like you are suffering because of an unhealthy relationship with food and your body, seek help! Don’t deny yourself help because you don’t think your case is serious enough or because you are afraid of change,” Kara said in a subsequent interview.
Related: This mother’s bikini photo has gone viral, and the reason why will make you cheer.
Anne Marie Sengillo has accepted The Chive's apology, even posting it on her Facebook page. We wish her all the best with her ongoing recovery.
For free help and support for eating disorders, contact the Butterfly Foundation‘s National Support line and online service on 1800 ED HOPE (1800 33 4673) or at support@thebutterflyfoundation.org.au
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