This painting stems from my lived experience of recovering from anorexia nervosa. My eating disorder made me think my body was disgusting and shameful. I was slowly destroying it because I felt like that’s what it deserved, but it affected every aspect of my life.

My painting represents the saddening realisation that I had to respect my body in order to get my life back. The cockatoo, my favourite animal, is lifting up a white hospital blanket in an act of surrender to its body.

At first, respecting my body through giving it rest and nutrition felt horrifying. Eventually, I started to side with these acts of respect. I actively sought advice and input from my body - what does my body need right now? Years on from that moment of surrender, I have fully recovered from my eating disorder.

I am lucky to have learned this lesson of respect as it has opened my eyes to societal messages of body disrespect. Unfortunately in our culture, being able to ignore your body’s needs and push them through fasts, diets, and extreme exercise has become applauded. But I know that when I give respect to my body, it respects me right back in the form of better mood, empathy, concentration, clarity, warmth, energy, and a fuller life.