Eating Disorder Recovery is for Performers too! A personal account from a Villanova PA Eating Disorder and Anxiety Therapist
- Leslie Ann Glossner, M.S.
- Feb 24
- 7 min read
Updated: Mar 16
By: Leslie Ann Glossner, M.S.
“She’s doing really great work in class! A wonderful young actress. But something to keep an eye on… she is getting bottom-heavy.”
The comment that changed the trajectory of my life. I was 14, a child actress, and my acting teacher, who I dearly loved, shared this information with my manager after one of our weekend improvisation and scene study workshops. Somehow, the news got to me, a freshman in high school. Maybe it was my manager, a tough, no-nonsense New York City talent manager just being frank with me? Or maybe she relayed it to my mom, who feared I had inherited the abundant thighs of my ancestors? Once she herself loathed on her own body. Who knows! Regardless, I was told my body was becoming less acceptable, and I began my descent into the madness of body dysmorphia, restriction, bingeing, and purging. All because gasp I grew into a size 4.
My story is not the only one like this. In the entertainment industry, women and men of all shapes and sizes have felt the pressure to fit into a narrow, unrealistic, unimaginative beauty ideal. “If I can’t be Mo’nique fat, I have to be Teri Hatcher thin!” quipped Jenna Maroney on an episode of Tina Fey’s 30 Rock in what was (hopefully) an all-too-realistic jab at the entertainment industry’s limiting body requirements. In this article, dozens of celebrities open up about their experience with eating disorders. From TikTok star Charli D’Amelio to Oscar-nominated actress Gabourey Sidibe, Olympic Swimming Medalist Tom Daley to pop queen Taylor Swift, even the famous and successful have felt the clawing and gnawing of an eating disorder.
While eating disorders are a biopsychosocial disorder that has countless etiologies (or causes), the entertainment industry has a certain special knack for dragging performers into the depths of mental health crises, be it eating disorders, depression, anxiety, etc. You know, the fun stuff!
So, WHY is this industry so uniquely poisonous to us and HOW can we fight back and overcome? Let’s talk about it!
The Why
Culture of Control
At the core of many eating disorders is a desire for control in environments where autonomy feels limited. And boy is the entertainment industry, bodies are constantly scrutinized by casting directors, choreographers, agents, costume departments, audiences, and even algorithms. Weight fluctuations- a totally normal thing that happens to our bodies- are monitored. Then commented on by the powers that be, behind closed doors and in front. Sometimes, weight is contractually regulated, too! Performers are praised for “discipline” when they shrink and criticized for “letting themselves go” when they don’t.
In this business, restrictive eating, compulsive exercise, and disordered behaviors can become (mal) adaptive strategies. They act as protective behaviors to maintain employability, approval, and perceived safety. When in reality, the “control” felt is not really control at all. The eating disorder is in control, and sufferers are left with little agency at all.
Thinness as Currency
In our world, thinness is conflated with desirability, health, happiness, and more! In the entertainment industry, thinness is marketability, professionalism, and of course, worth.
Dancers are told lighter bodies are easier to lift and more “aesthetically pleasing”.
Actors are warned that gaining weight will “limit their roles.” Sex sells! I was constantly asked, “are you in the best shape of your life right now?” as code for “make your body shrink to the thin ideal”.
Musicians—particularly women—are pressured to maintain a specific image to remain relevant. Half the time it's not even about the music, it’s about the “look”.
Models are expected to fit into sample sizes that are unattainable for most adult bodies. Similarly to dancers, models receive pressure to fit aesthetics. “The clothes need to look like they’re on a hanger to shine!” Well, then hang them on a hanger, not a human body. Goodness sakes!
These messages are not subtle. And when thinness is rewarded with roles, praise, visibility, and income, eating disorders can be mistakenly reinforced as success strategies rather than recognized as illnesses. In fact, it’s a feature of the system- not a bug.
Social Media
Modern entertainment is inseparable from social media, which magnifies these pressures. Algorithms reward appearance, comparison is constant, and performers are expected to be both artists and brands.
For individuals vulnerable to eating disorders, social media can intensify body surveillance, perfectionism, and fear of irrelevance. The line between professional visibility and personal worth becomes dangerously blurred. Get our FREE Guide Developing a Healthy Relationship with Social Media here.
Stigma and Lost Opportunities
Despite growing conversations about the importance of the preservation of mental health, eating disorders remain particularly stigmatized within entertainment spaces. Many performers fear that disclosure will lead to lost opportunities, labeling, or career stagnation. Not to mention, if “thin is in” and a performer’s body doesn’t fit into an ideal, there may be a real consequence of loss of work.
Additionally, treatment often requires rest, nourishment, and stepping back—choices that feel incompatible with an industry that values productivity and constant availability. As a result, many delay care until symptoms become severe.
The How
If you’re reading this blog, you’re already on the right track for discovering “the how” to overcome an eating disorder, body stigmatization, and a life of shrinking yourself to fit industry standards. The first step is always awareness: awareness that this is a big problem and a desire to learn about and do something different.
Seek Support
Linked is our Recovered and Restored resource page- a great place to start exploring dietitians and other professionals attuned to specific eating disorder mental health needs. Our blog, which you’re reading now, is also a great place to learn more and get educated on the insidious ins and outs of eating disorders.
Exercises to Try
Body Neutrality and Function Reorientation- Instead of focusing on what your body looks like, focus on what it can do and do well for you. Building a list of the amazing things you do bolsters yourself and promotes resilience against an industry that can often belittle your talents.
Social Media Detox- This may be super difficult, but considering what types of media you consume and the types of people you follow. Bodies are not one size fits all, and people can manipulate their appearances on these types of apps. By bowing out, blocking, or detoxing from social media, you can begin to stop buying into the game and can open yourself up to more things that enrich your time and your craft- may that be learning monologues, reading plays, mastering sight reading, or perfecting your pirouettes. Bonus points if you start to follow performers and creators in diverse bodies!
A Letter to Your Body (and Your Talent)- In a letter to yourself, reclaim your body as an ally rather than an object. Your body was never meant to be a “brand” or an object to be bought or sold. By writing a letter to your body and yourself, you can begin the process of healing and thinking differently of yourself as a partner- not an enemy.
Go your Own Way!
More and more, I see my incredibly gifted friends and artists create their own means of work. Write a play, choreograph your own show, create TikTok reels that showcase the breadth of your gifts. If the work isn’t there for you and your body, create it yourself. You never know who you might connect to, inspire, or open doors for. Regardless of the outcome, you’re doing what you love, and that’s good for your soul.
It isn’t easy existing in a world that wants to reduce you to an aesthetic, but the act of reclamation can be so freeing to yourself, your art form, and others! Shrinking yourself doesn’t work for so many people. So why not try something new? P.S. I’d LOVE to work with YOU! https://www.recoveredandrestoredtherapy.com/meet-leslie-ann-glossner
Other Mental Health Services Offered in PA, NJ, DE, SC, MD, CT, VT, and FL
We offer a wide variety of services related to eating disorder recovery including trauma therapy! We offer Weekly Support Groups, Nutrition Services, and Family and Parent Therapy as well as Coaching, all tailored to meet the specific needs of the individual. We offer our services for Anorexia, Bulimia, Binge Eating, and Orthorexia as well as Maternal Mental Health, and eating disorder therapy for athletes online in New Jersey, Delaware, South Carolina, Maryland, Florida, Vermont, and Connecticut! We are here to offer our support and understanding in a safe and non-judgmental environment.
We have immediate openings right now for eating disorder therapy in:
And recovery coaching worldwide.
Recovered and Restored is an eating disorder therapy center founded by Gabrielle Morreale, LPC. We specialize in helping teens and young women heal from eating disorders such as anorexia, bulimia, orthorexia, and binge eating disorder and treat disordered eating, anxiety, depression, and PTSD. We provide eating disorder therapy in PA in the towns of Horsham, Upper Gwynedd, Lower Gwynedd, North Wales, Lansdale, Hatfield, Blue Bell, Doylestown, and nearby towns with eating disorder therapy. Also providing virtual eating disorder therapy in New Jersey, Delaware, and Florida. Some towns served virtually include but are not limited to Pittsburgh, Lancaster, Harrisburg, Center City, Cherry Hill, Haddonfield, Mount Laurel, Cape May, Avalon, Brick, Dover, New Castle, Bethany Beach, Marydel, and Oceanview
Eating Disorder & Anxiety Therapist
Leslie Ann is passionate and very excited to be offering therapeutic services to the clients of Recovered and Restored. Leslie Ann is a graduate of Villanova University in Villanova, Pennsylvania. She received her master's in Counseling program specializing in Clinical Mental Health. She also received her bachelor's degree in psychology from Penn State University where her interest in treating clients with eating disorders began. Leslie Ann has extensive experience and is coming to us from a position working in a partial hospitalization facility. Leslie Ann blends cognitive behavioral techniques along with relational understanding and her signature warmth.
Leslie Ann believes that every single person has the strength within themselves to heal and grow! It is her goal to foster a safe, brave, open, and caring space where her clients can do just that. She is passionate about helping teens and women discover freedom from disordered eating, anxiety, and other mood disorders, and explore how to live their lives to the fullest.
In her spare time, Leslie Ann enjoys walking and hiking with her mini golden doodle, Nova. She also enjoys watching movies and television shows with family and friends, with her favorite genres being fantasy and adventure. She loves theater as well and hopes to try out for community productions in the future. Additionally, Leslie Ann is an avid collector of high-heeled shoes!
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