Today we’d like to introduce you to Kaila Uli.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Kaila. So, let’s start at the beginning, and we can move on from there.
My journey with food issues started at a young age. I knew I didn’t look like girls in the media. I wanted so desperately to fit into that mold that I was dieting and bulimic by high school. There was a point where I grabbed my inner thigh fat disgustedly and looked at myself thinking “Jessica Simpson would never be this fat”. I later tried to chop the fat off with a butcher knife. Thankfully, I didn’t make it too far since the knife was too dull to do any real damage. My bulimia was “manageable” for many years, until it suddenly wasn’t. I got married at 20 and unfortunately, my husband died when we were both 21. I threw myself into EMT school and modeling to distract myself. The combination of the loss, long hours at school and the, pressure of the modeling industry sent me into a self-destructive cycle and I ultimately lost control of my eating disorders. I lost tons of weight. I hid from people who knew me because I was afraid of being judged.
I eventually started doing runways, shows, and campaigns. I was living a supposed dream, but my eating disorder had spiraled into full-blown anorexia with a binge-purge subtype. That means restricting for as long as possible, then binging on anything in sight then vomiting it all up. By the time I started recovery I was underweight and hadn’t had a period in two years. I’d caused myself a slight arrhythmia. Recovery was so hard and took years, but I came out stronger and determined to stop making people feel like they have to fit into a certain size box to feel valued. I don’t want anyone else to have to live through an eating disorder.
My message is that everyone deserves a good life, regardless of weight. Your worth more than your body’s measurement of fat. If you or someone you know is struggling with negative body image or an eating disorder, there is help! Reach out to NEDA or find a local counselor for gentle guidance.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Most of the obstacles were due to weight gain. I used to get sent home all the time, which made recovery hard. I had to stop modeling completely for a long time until I knew I could handle my food issues.
I eventually made the choice to switch to plus-size modeling, and it was the best decision I’ve made for my mental and physical health
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
Recovering from my eating disorder, being able to share my story and encouraging people to love their bodies.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: Kailauli
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