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" February 26th- March 3rd is National Eating Disorders Awareness Week. This week&amp;#039;s guest bloggers are from Proud2Bme, the National Eating Disorders Association&amp;#039;s new website for teens. Today we&amp;#039;re sharing stories from bloggers who know that eating disorders can affect anyone. These illnesses don&amp;#039;t discriminate.  Eating disorders come in all shapes and sizes &amp;quot;I didn&amp;#039;t &amp;#039;look&amp;#039; like I had an eating disorder during most of my struggle, so, sadly, people didn&amp;#039;t reach out to help me. I was a normal weight, and I wore a smile to cover up the pain. The truth is that people with eating disorders don&amp;#039;t look a certain way.&amp;quot; --Jenni Schaefer, singer/songwriter and author of Life Without Ed  Eating disorders affect all ethnicities  &amp;quot;In many ethnic communities it is not acceptable to have &amp;#039;issues&amp;#039; with food. This translates into fewer people coming forward and being counted and included in eating disorder studies. When I initially sought help for my eating disorder, I felt invisible. The experts were unwilling to take my disease seriously because of the color of my skin.&amp;quot; --Stephanie Covington Armstrong, author of Not All Black Girls Know How to Eat Eating disorders aren&amp;#039;t just a girl thing &amp;quot;As a male with an eating disorder, my personal struggle has been difficult, but I believe there&amp;#039;s power in saying, &amp;#039;I finally shared my secret.&amp;#039; I realized it was no longer mine to keep.&amp;quot; Troy&amp;#039;s advice for girls and guys? &amp;quot;Show the courage to create yourself, embrace yourself and find people who accept your individuality. It isn&amp;#039;t always easy, but it can be done.&amp;quot; --Troy Roness, eating disorder awareness advocate If you or someone you know is struggling, call the National Eating Disorders Association&amp;#039;s toll-free helpline: (800) 931-2237. You can also visit Proud2Bme for information, support, and stories of hope. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.seventeen.com/health/q-and-a/a17556/eating-disorder-awareness-day-5/>