Dounya, a Muslim girl living in Las Vegas, Nevada, shares her very
personal story of battling eating disorders when she was a teenager, in
order to help other young people suffering from this affliction.
Imperfect: A Story of Body Image is the fourth in a series of graphic
novels written by young adults for their peers.
Dounya Awada is a 24-year-old, devout Muslim, happy, healthy, and very
much alive. But just a few years before, she nearly starved to death.
Her struggle began when she was six years old.
Little Dounya wanted nothing less than to be perfect, like her mother.
She pushed herself hard every day, excelling in schoolwork and at home.
She had to be the cutest, prettiest, smartest girl in the room. The
slightest hint of imperfection led to meltdowns and uncontrollable
tantrums. Her parents loved her fiercely but were unable to understand
what was happening to their little girl.
Being perfect all the time was exhausting. In Dounya's culture, food is
nearly synonymous with love. Food is nourishment, nourishment is love,
love is life. Dounya began to eat to fill the growing need within her.
She grew in size, eventually hitting over 200 pounds at just age 15.
Food became her only friend. Her peers mocked her. She felt utterly
alone.
As is the case for someone with dysmorphia, Dounya's obsession with food
did a turnabout, and she began rigorous exercising and dieting. But even
a substantial weight loss didn't satisfy her. She looked in the mirror
and still saw the fat girl she used to be. She began the ugly cycle of
bingeing and purging, eventually hitting a low weight of just 73 pounds.
Dounya's horrific struggle with eating disorders has led her to advocate
for boys and girls facing the same hurdles with which she struggled. She
is now studying clinical psychology, and hopes to open an eating and
dysmorphia disorder facility in Las Vegas for boys and girls with her
disorder. If her story helps just one person to recognize the beauty of
their imperfection, then her pain will have been worthwhile.
Zuiker Press is proud to publish stories about important current topics
for kids and adolescents, written by their peers, that will help them
cope with the challenges they face in today's troubled world.
