Dear Readers,

This semester, while I’m working toward my English degree, my grandmother will be working toward hers too.

Humiliating. That would be the one word I’d use to describe my first time lip-syncing to a TikTok sound in late 2019. With my 20th birthday creeping up, the embarrassment of watching my Dua Lipa impersonation was enough for me to set the app aside for over a year. As far as I knew, it was just a place for middle schoolers to do the Shoot dance and film slime videos. Mouthing words to an audience of no one felt too much like being 13 for me to enjoy it...

Content warning: This article deals with topics of eating disorders, disordered eating, and issues with body image.