Not All Black Girls Know How to Eat: A Story of Bulimia

With a childhood defined by poverty, hunger, foster care, and sexual abuse, Stephanie Covington Armstrong does not fit the stereotype of a woman with an eating disorder. In this insightful and moving first-person narrative, Armstrong describes her struggle as a black woman with a disorder that is consistently portrayed as a white woman's problem. Stephanie tries to escape her self-hatred and her food obsession by never slowing down, unaware that she is caught in a downward spiral emotionally, spiritually, and physically. Finally, she can no longer deny that she will die if she doesn't get help, overcome her shame, and conquer her addiction to using food as a weapon against herself.

Stephanie Covington Armstrong is a playwright and screenwriter living in Los Angeles. Her commentary on black women and eating disorders, "Digesting the Truth," was featured on NPR. She has written for Essence, Sassy, Mademoiselle, and Venice magazines, among other publications.