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eating disorder

Pop Culture

Loretta Lynn's granddaughter wows 'American Idol' judges with raw original song

Emmy Russell's original song "Skinny," featuring lyrics about body image and eating disorders, nearly brought everyone to tears.

America Idol/Youtube, Promotional image of Loretta Lynn/Wikipedia

Emmy Russell (left) and her grandmother Loretta Lynn (right)

Emmy Russell, granddaughter of country music icon Loretta Lynn, proved that she was an artist in her own right during a recent episode of “American Idol.”

The 24-year-old singer-songwriter from Nashville auditioned in front of judges Lionel Richie, Katy Perry and Luke Bryan during the show's Feb. 25 episode, during which she opened up about wanting to not live in her grandmother’s shadow.

"She's one of the biggest country music singers of all time, but to me she's just Grandma," she said, adding "I think I am a little timid, and I think it is because I want to own my voice. That's why I want to challenge myself and come out here."

Russell then went to the piano and sang an origin song titled “Skinny,” featuring raw lyrics about living with an eating disorder. All three judges were floored by her storytelling and soft, but powerful voice.

"You're an A+ songwriter. So was your grandma. You got the gift. I don't think you need to compare yourself to what Grandma was. You're totally different. You shouldn't give yourself all that pressure,” Perry said just before Russell was given the unanimous approval to go through to the show's next round.

Viewers online seconded the sentiment. One person wrote, “apples don't fall far from the tree. Her Grandma passed on the gift of songwriting, and now Emmy needs to take that gift and add her own special gifts to it. It's your time to shine - enjoy the ride.”

Another added, “She definitely has a talent, and can tell a story in a song. With the right mentoring, and encouragement from people outside the family, she should fulfill the promise she shows, and step out of the Lynn shadow.”

Watch the full performance below:

Besides being a captivating performer, Loretta Lynn was known for writing deeply personal and honest lyrics. Russell does well by her role model, in a way that’s uniquely her own.

From Your Site Articles

music

This artist's unusual paintings are helping people love their bodies.

Cinta Tort Cartró, known as Zinteta online, has always loved creating art, but she recently started using humans as her main canvas.

The 21-year-old artist, who hails from a small town in Spain, says this experiment with form started a few months ago.

In a short amount of time, it's made her internet-famous in the best way.

All photos by Zinteta, used with permission

One of her first subjects? Herself. One day while sitting in her apartment, she decided to take a brush and some paint to her stretch marks.

The result was a glorious rainbow explosion, and it had a profound impact on the way Zinteta saw her own body.

For the first time, she no longer saw her stretch marks as flaws.

It got her thinking about the pressures society puts on women and their bodies.

She decided to paint stretch marks on other women, hoping to spread her message of self-acceptance far and wide.

As an elementary school teacher, Zinteta has a front-row seat for the effect of messages girls get during their formative years — and how we might be better able to empower them.

Her work is speaking to women of all ages, all backgrounds, all sizes, and all ethnicities.

Oh — and moms! Moms are absolutely loving Zinteta's gorgeous creations.

It's no secret that pregnancy and childbirth frequently leave behind "battle scars." They can become a source of embarrassment for many moms, but Zinteta hopes she can convince women to see them differently.

"These stretch marks speak about something that is precious: bringing someone to the world," she says in an email.

Stretch marks don't only come from major changes in weight or pregnancy. They're a normal part of growing and living life.

Oh, and by the way, guys can get them too.

If anything, stretch marks are simply a sign that you're a living, breathing human.

"I think it's important to accept all of you," Zinteta told the BBC.

It's a lesson that's taken her a while to learn. She admitted in an interview with Metro that she suffered from anorexia as a teenager and never felt like her body was good enough.

Her art has helped her heal, and she's hoping it can do the same for others.

So far, it has.

"People send me lovely messages and photos about their stretch marks," she says.

Some of her fans are even painting their bodies at home as part of their journey to love themselves fully.

Zinteta is happy to be a part of what she calls, a "revolution."

Accepting ourselves for exactly who we are? That's a revolution that's far, far overdue.

Family

Read a Penn State football player's powerful open letter about his binge-eating.

Penn State kicker Joey Julius is a bad dude.

Photo by Abby Drey/Centre Daily Times, via AP.

He's a rare breed of kicker who can nail 40-yard field goals and deliver crushing blows like a linebacker.

Yes, that's the kicker making the tackle. GIF via Big 10 Network.

But at 5' 10" and around 270 pounds, Julius is sometimes, unfortunately, better known for his weight than what he can do on the football field.

Photo by Icon Sportswire via AP Images.

You know what? There's nothing wrong with his body. It's obviously not holding him back from pummeling would-be kick returners or booming long field goals.

Still, Julius hasn't always been at peace with the way he looks. Behind the scenes, he's been fighting an internal battle for years.

In a recent Facebook post, Julius talked openly about suffering from a binge-eating disorder.

He wrote:

"After a long consideration of not only myself, my family, and my team I have decided to go public about my absence from the team during spring ball of 2016 and thru out this summer. I was admitted into the McCallum place on may 9th for eating disorders. Due to my increase in not only weight but also depression and anxiety my team physicians started to notice not only a change in my overall happiness but also my performance as a normal human being. Throughout this whole process I learned a lot about myself. I learned that for the last 11 years of my life I have suffered through a disorder known as binge eating disorder."

According to the Mayo Clinic, binge-eating disorder is marked by "excessive overeating that feels out of control and becomes a regular occurrence." Julius also wrote that he's suffered from periods of severe purging, as well.

The comments below his post were flooded with well-wishes from friends, family, and fans, all applauding his honesty and bravery for sharing his story.

"You are not only courageous Joey but a HUGE inspiration to so many of us that you cannot imagine," one man wrote.

"You probably can't even imagine the number of people you helped with this post. Especially males who struggle with eating disorders and often go undiagnosed because we think this is a 'female' problem," another commenter added.

It's rare to hear men — and high-level athletes, no less — discuss eating disorders. But Julius is definitely not alone.

Photo by Abby Drey/Centre Daily Times via AP.

The NCAA itself writes that athletes and student-athletes can be at high risk for developing eating disorders, especially in high-pressure environments (like, say, being the kicker for a top college football program) or in sports where there's pressure to adhere to a "normal" or "ideal" body type. (For reference, one scouting guide lists the ideal kicker at about 180 pounds.)

That's why it's so important to hear Julius talk openly about what he's going through: so others know that it's safe to come forward or ask for help, and that they'll likely be greeted with more love and support than they can imagine.

In the meantime, Julius is eager to lend a helping hand to anyone facing a similar struggle:

"If anyone and I mean anyone guy or girl is struggling with the the same or anything similar please message me as I will be in immediate contact to help in any way i can to provide information or insight on my struggles and I would love to help."

Read his whole post here, and the next time you tune in to watch Penn State football, you'll have one more reason to root for the badass wearing number 99.

Family

To all who struggle with an eating disorder: an open letter about recovery.

Recovery is a process, and it's messy.

Recovery is not just about the food.

OK, it is a little bit.

Image via iStock.

It’s about the late-night pizza runs with your partner, the bonding over pancakes and omelets, and recounting the night before with your friends.

It’s about sharing a spoon and a pint of Ben & Jerry’s over a movie, or buying chocolate at the gas station just because you feel like it. It’s about trying something new when you’re out to dinner because you feel adventurous and you aren’t worried about the fat or calories.

Recovery is about donuts and chips and all the things you used to cringe about in your disorder.

Image via iStock.

It’s about noticing that your body is hungry, and even though you’re feeling tired, busy, or emotional, you grab something quick and easy so you don’t feel hunger pains like you used to. It’s nourishing your body not because you need to, but because you want to. It’s about loving food again.

But really, it’s also not just about the food.

Recovery is about being free from the bondage of rules and numbers and rituals. It’s letting go of things that aren’t just right. It’s taking a nap on the couch when the dishes aren’t done and the house isn’t clean and you haven’t gone to the gym yet because a nap is what you need. It’s actually resting when you are sick. It’s shedding your old beliefs about yourself and creating a new future.

It’s standing up for yourself.

Recovery is safety and control. Not the safety of dormancy and controlling of numbers like you used to.

It’s safety in knowing that no matter what happens in life, you will be OK. It’s safety in knowing who you are and being proud of it.

It’s not the illusion of control that you had when you were counting calories or losing weight. It’s knowing that without those behaviors, you are the one in the driver’s seat. The disorder doesn’t control you anymore.

It’s making choices that are healthy for you because for once, you are actually in control.

Recovery is taking risks and making mistakes. It’s vulnerability. It’s laughing too loud at a joke that wasn’t that funny to begin with. It’s honesty. It’s crying in front of your partner and getting a hug instead of running to the other room and burying your face in a pillow.

Recovery is experiencing life.

Image via iStock.

It’s going to more places than just work or home. It’s making coffee plans with someone you never really knew before. It’s taking your dog on a different route for her walk because sometimes routine is boring. It’s traveling, even though you’re usually a homebody. It’s riding a rollercoaster so fast that you lose your breath. It’s finding a new hobby because now you have the time to.

It’s finally “leaving the nest.”

Recovery is standing on your own and being OK with it.

It’s looking back at your time in treatment and being grateful for all the people you met and things you learned. It’s knowing that for now, that part of your life is over. It’s learning how to be there for yourself. It’s the fear and anxiety that comes when you become more independent and stray away from your outpatient team, but the pride that comes with feeling like you don’t need to see them as much as you used to.

Recovery is welcoming all emotions and committing to growth. It’s honoring the human experience and vowing to live in the present moment. It’s experiencing all of your emotions, even if they are uncomfortable. It’s being rational.

Recovery is a process, and it’s messy.

It’s waking up every day with a commitment to do the best you can, and letting go of expectations. It’s being patient and trusting that wherever you are in this moment is exactly where you are meant to be. It’s seeing recovery as a journey and not a nuisance. It’s not wishing you were further along or somewhere else — it’s meeting yourself where you are.

It’s looking back at the past and being able to say, “Wow, I may not be where I want to be yet, but I sure have grown.”

Image via iStock.

Sometimes, it’s also relapse and slips and intermittent hospital stays for “tune-ups.” It is not contingent on where you are financially or physically. It’s not one event, but rather a series of happenings over time. It’s admitting that you are one human being — one of many human beings — who are just living their lives the best they can.

Recovery can be book deals and song-writing and motivational speaking to massive crowds, or it can be a quiet confidence that you carry with you every day. You can tell people you are in recovery and be proud of it, or you can move on as if the disorder never existed.

That’s the amazing thing about recovery: There are no rules.

Recovery is choosing to no longer be a victim, saying enough is enough, and doing the work, over and over and over, until it feels natural. Recovery is not unattainable, but don’t be confused: Recovery is not something given to us. It’s not passive in the least. It is brave. It is hard. It is worth it.

To all who struggle with an eating disorder, there is a whole other world out there waiting for you. Please, come visit.

eating disorder

Loretta Lynn's granddaughter wows 'American Idol' judges with raw original song

Emmy Russell's original song "Skinny," featuring lyrics about body image and eating disorders, nearly brought everyone to tears.

This artist's unusual paintings are helping people love their bodies.

Cinta Tort Cartró, known as Zinteta online, has always loved creating art, but she recently started using humans as her main canvas.

One of her first subjects? Herself. One day while sitting in her apartment, she decided to take a brush and some paint to her stretch marks.

It got her thinking about the pressures society puts on women and their bodies.

Her work is speaking to women of all ages, all backgrounds, all sizes, and all ethnicities.

Oh — and moms! Moms are absolutely loving Zinteta's gorgeous creations.

Stretch marks don't only come from major changes in weight or pregnancy. They're a normal part of growing and living life.

"I think it's important to accept all of you," Zinteta told the BBC.

"People send me lovely messages and photos about their stretch marks," she says.

Read a Penn State football player's powerful open letter about his binge-eating.

Penn State kicker Joey Julius is a bad dude.

He's a rare breed of kicker who can nail 40-yard field goals and deliver crushing blows like a linebacker.

But at 5' 10" and around 270 pounds, Julius is sometimes, unfortunately, better known for his weight than what he can do on the football field.

In a recent Facebook post, Julius talked openly about suffering from a binge-eating disorder.

It's rare to hear men — and high-level athletes, no less — discuss eating disorders. But Julius is definitely not alone.

To all who struggle with an eating disorder: an open letter about recovery.

Recovery is a process, and it's messy.

Recovery is not just about the food.

Recovery is about donuts and chips and all the things you used to cringe about in your disorder.

But really, it’s also not just about the food.

It’s standing up for yourself.

It’s making choices that are healthy for you because for once, you are actually in control.

Recovery is experiencing life.

It’s finally “leaving the nest.”

Recovery is a process, and it’s messy.

That’s the amazing thing about recovery: There are no rules.

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