Pretty Hurts & History did that: With Kellie Giordano French Phd Student

What if eating disorders didn’t start with social media—but with scripture? With saints? With centuries of silence passed down through bloodlines and body shame?In this episode, Ry is joined by French PhD student and researcher Kellie Giordano, whose work traces the haunting history of eating disorders through religion, literature, medicine, and cultural shifts. Together, they unpack how women’s bodies became symbols of purity, sacrifice, and control—from Eve’s bite to medieval asceticism, from Victorian hunger to Instagram diet trends.Kellie takes us deep into the archives:Why saints starved themselves for sanctityHow the Virgin Mary shaped generations of Catholic girls’ relationships with foodWhen anorexia stopped being a miracle and became a diagnosisWhy diet culture is both a product of patriarchy and a billion-dollar industry built on our shameAnd how we grieve the moments we couldn’t fully live—birthdays, holidays, travel—because food became fearThis episode isn’t just a history lesson.It’s a call to remember, reclaim, and reimagine our relationship with food, with femininity, and with our bodies.Because eating disorders didn’t start with us—and they won’t end with us.But maybe we’re the ones who finally break the cycle.For more of Kellie find her here:https://www.instagram.com/phdinpages?igsh=MXJxenF6aGNxNjg1