RYB is so incredibly proud to have been featured in NEDA's Recovery Heroes campaign for National Eating Disorder Awareness Week! Founder & Executive Director of Realize Your Beauty, Stacey Lorin Merkl, was featured in the videos below, as part of their campaign for NEDAW. Find out more about the campaign here: Recovery Heroes
Viewing: News - View all posts
Holiday Twitter Chats!
This year Realize Your Beauty is proud to be Co-Hosting two Holiday Twitter Chats! Topics for both will cover how to stay healthy and safe during the holiday season, which can be filled with triggers for those in recovery or currently struggling with ED. First up we have the National Eating Disorder Association's Holiday #NEDAchat, followed by Balance Eating Disorder Treatment Center's #HolidayHopeChat. Please find info below for the chats, and join in on the conversation!
Doug Rosen Scholarship Fund
Getting personal on our blog today, and sharing a little about Doug Rosen, a dear friend & mentor who changed my life, as he changed the lives of countless others.
I met Doug the summer I turned 15yrs old. He was my drama teacher that summer and he opened my eyes to a world of love and understanding. Doug introduced me to new ways of thinking about theatre arts, and that summer I learned the methods of Grotowski, Stanislavski, and many theatre philosophies. But most importantly, the summer I met Doug is the…Read more
I met Doug the summer I turned 15yrs old. He was my drama teacher that summer and he opened my eyes to a world of love and understanding. Doug introduced me to new ways of thinking about theatre arts, and that summer I learned the methods of Grotowski, Stanislavski, and many theatre philosophies. But most importantly, the summer I met Doug is the…Read more
Fun Self-Care Tips for the Summer!
I don’t know about you, but my summer just started and I am crazy exhausted! I just finished my second year of grad school for playwriting and I feel completely consumed by pressure, my studies and prep for going back in the fall. For a while I kept thinking that summer is the perfect time to OD on hw and cry a lot and think about school. But so much self-doubt and stress can be really triggering and it’s important to remind oneself that the summer can be a perfect time to take some self-care steps and…
Read moreBody Positive Summer Theatre Camp!
Camp Realize Your Beauty
Sleepaway Camp: Girls 8-13yrs, July 17-22nd, Rocky Mountains
Early Bird Pricing Ends Monday!
Located in the beautiful Rocky Mountains, Camp Realize Your Beauty offers a very unique summer camp experience. Traditional camp activities- such as evening camp fire circles & nature walks- will be combined with workshops designed to build confidence and life skills.
Your camper will learn acting, play writing & directing skills, with a special emphasis placed on developing a positive…
Read moreRYB Day 2016!
Celebrations are underway for
RYB Day 2016!
We hope you'll join us!
Check out our page to find out how you can get involved!
(click here)
RYB Day 2016!
We hope you'll join us!
Check out our page to find out how you can get involved!
(click here)
Enough is Enough: An Artist's Take On Body Image
Being an actor means a lot of things: adhering to a gypsy lifestyle, a lot of wonderful creative connections, creating work with different people, just to name a few. It also requires a lot of discipline, resilience, and time. Being a professional actor also means there is a lot of pressure and a lot of emphasis placed on how you look. Body image is a skewed topic in this professional field, and like it or not it directly effects your job.
I knew when I was young I wanted to be a performer because I love…
Read moreSpecial Announcement! We're Expanding!
We are thrilled to announce that Realize Your Beauty is officially expanding its programs to Colorado!
We will kick off our Colorado programs with Camp Realize Your Beauty, July 17-22nd 2016, Granby, CO.
Thank you to all of our supporters for helping make this expansion possible. Check back often for updates and more special announcements!
(image design from Printable Quirks)
We will kick off our Colorado programs with Camp Realize Your Beauty, July 17-22nd 2016, Granby, CO.
Thank you to all of our supporters for helping make this expansion possible. Check back often for updates and more special announcements!
(image design from Printable Quirks)
Be Brave: Bravelets
Want to donate to Realize Your Beauty, and at the same time purchase beautiful and inspiring jewelry??
We are thrilled to announce our new fundraising page on Bravelets! These bracelets & jewelry, with the inscription "Be Brave", are a great way to motivate yourself or a loved one with a positive message of encouragement.
Bravelets will donate $10 of every bracelet purchased from our Brave Page to Realize Your Beauty! What a beautiful way to support our programming!!
You can browse their lovely selection of…
Giving Tuesday - Final Call for Donations!
Today, on Giving Tuesday, we are sending out the final call for donations.
Thank you so much to everyone who has already given. Your donations keep our programs going, and we absolutely depend on them. Together, let's build a world where children grow up learning to love themselves & others, and learn to treat each other with kindness & respect.
Follow link to be directed to our fundraising page: RYB Fundraiser
Thank you so much for your consideration & continued support.
In gratitude, Stacey
Founder &… Read more
Thank you so much to everyone who has already given. Your donations keep our programs going, and we absolutely depend on them. Together, let's build a world where children grow up learning to love themselves & others, and learn to treat each other with kindness & respect.
Follow link to be directed to our fundraising page: RYB Fundraiser
Thank you so much for your consideration & continued support.
In gratitude, Stacey
Founder &… Read more
Thanksgiving: Survival Guide for a Healthy, Happy Holiday!
Sometimes in friendly holiday movies, Thanksgiving is depicted as smooth going, serene and an uber friendly time to family bond, but in real life it can be super stressful. You have to hang with every cousin you ever met, defend your career choices and eat bulging turkeys all on one night!! It seems like there’s so much pressure to have this perfect family dinner that it can almost be debilitating.
For people struggling with disordered eating, the holidays can be an especially triggering time: questions like…Read more
For people struggling with disordered eating, the holidays can be an especially triggering time: questions like…Read more
Join In on the Conversation! Twitter Chat Addressing Holiday Triggers
Realize Your Beauty is thrilled to be taking part in this important discussion!
Twitter chat focused on:
- Common Holiday Triggers
- Avoiding Body Bashing
- and Support Resources
Hosted by Proud2BmeUS.
With: National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA), Ravishly, Scholastic Choices Mag & Adios Barbie
Join in on the conversation: 11/19, 3-4pm EST!
(graphic courtesy of Proud2BeMe)
RYB's Guide to Rocking the New School Year!
There is a lot to love about back to school time; using your crisp new school supplies, reuniting with friends, getting a whole new chance at the school year. It’s fun and often exciting. Halloween is right around the corner! As exciting as it can be, there are often a lot of different emotions to deal with as well. Sadness that the summer has come to an end, and some of your plans didn’t turn out the way you had hoped. Feeling nervous or anxious about adjusting to new teachers or maybe even a whole new…Read more
What is a 'trigger'?: How to talk about ED & Body Image
There are so many news stories and tell all novels about body image/eating disorder related topics and after awhile one can feel a little overwhelmed! Especially when the stories aren’t told in a responsible way. It is so tempting to want to give every detail about what it feels to struggle with body image, but hold off, son ;)!!! At the same time, if you see an article or book that you feel sensationalizes the experience or is too specific in detail, it’s okay to hold off and not read it. As a body…Read more
Twitter Chat! RYB Teams up with EBNYC & NEDA to take on the Fitnessgram!
Special announcement!
Twitter Chat!! RYB teams up with Endangered Bodies NYC & NEDA to take on the Fitnessgram!
Follow us on twitter: @bodylove_ryb & Join us: 4/19/15 at 8pm #BMItruth
Twitter Chat!! RYB teams up with Endangered Bodies NYC & NEDA to take on the Fitnessgram!
Follow us on twitter: @bodylove_ryb & Join us: 4/19/15 at 8pm #BMItruth
Fat Is Not A Feeling Petition: A Reflection by Catherine Weingarten
I recently have gotten involved with an awesome “change.org” petition that wants to do away with the “fat” emoticon on facebook. The emoticon appears when you are writing in your status and adding a “I feel” to the end of it. The feelings include things like sad, happy, depressed and also ugly and fat. Endangered Bodies and I felt this was problematic since fat is not a feeling, it’s an adjective that we usually use to shame ourselves.
The petition has gone viral and has been featured in such magazines as…Read more
The petition has gone viral and has been featured in such magazines as…Read more
NEDAW 2015: Thank you & A Recap
As National Eating Disorders Awareness Week winds down, I find myself reflecting on all of the great conversations, interactions, and outreach that happened this week. Seeing so many people come together for the cause was very inspiring. We made many new friends, connected with new & fantastic organizations, and did our very best to contribute to the goal of this week: raising awareness for this important cause. Thank you to everyone who engaged this week in our posts, tweets & events.
If you have any…Read more
If you have any…Read more
Facebook: Fat is not a feeling!
Petition to have the 'I feel fat' & 'I feel ugly' icons removed from Facebook. Please help us tell facebook that 'fat' and 'ugly' are not feelings.
RYB Resident Playwright & Board Member, Catherine Weingarten, is working with Endangered Bodies NYC to help make this change. Please take a moment to read the petition & sign: Change.org Petition
"Fat is not a feeling. Fat is a natural part of our bodies, no matter their weight. And all bodies deserve to be respected and cared for.
Facebook is the most popular…
Read moreNew Year, New You?
Written by Catherine Weingarten
It is now officially 2015 and as usual, there are a ton of ads targeting people’s resolutions/hopes for the new year. It is always energizing to have goals and things you are working towards, but too many young women are pressured to make 2015 their healthiest year yet/lose a certain amount of pounds. It seems that every sexy teen magazine has an article talking about the newest workouts to get washboard Twilight abs this year or what yogurt will make you look like a shy…Read more
It is now officially 2015 and as usual, there are a ton of ads targeting people’s resolutions/hopes for the new year. It is always energizing to have goals and things you are working towards, but too many young women are pressured to make 2015 their healthiest year yet/lose a certain amount of pounds. It seems that every sexy teen magazine has an article talking about the newest workouts to get washboard Twilight abs this year or what yogurt will make you look like a shy…Read more
'Girls' Star Zosia Mamet opens up about ED
In the upcoming September issue of Glamour, Girls start Zosia Mamet opens up about her struggles with an Eating Disorder. In her brave and important article, Ms.Mamet shares how she found her way to recovery.
Thank you to Glamour Magazine for featuring this important article, and thank you to Ms. Mamet for being brave enough to share your story. In Ms. Mamet's own words, "To battle this all-too-common beast, we've got to start talking."
Please take a moment to read and share the article here.
"The first… Read more
Thank you to Glamour Magazine for featuring this important article, and thank you to Ms. Mamet for being brave enough to share your story. In Ms. Mamet's own words, "To battle this all-too-common beast, we've got to start talking."
Please take a moment to read and share the article here.
"The first… Read more
Be Unlimited!
We love this new ad by Old Navy! The ad is a music video that encourages students to keep reaching up towards their dreams.
How can you teach and encourage the students in your life to keep pushing forward?
Watch the video here:
How can you teach and encourage the students in your life to keep pushing forward?
Watch the video here:
A New Kind of Summer - written by Catherine Weingarten
Growing up, bathing suit season was something I feared. The summer brought with it a nice break from school, time to hang with my kinda boring friends and bathing suit season. Throughout the school year I had watched shows like “The O.C” where petite actress/models wore small colorful glittery bikinis and laughed, hair in the ocean, while they made out with random guys. Could I really be that hip during bathing suit season? Could I wear a glittery bikini and not feel self conscious? Could I sun bathe…Read more
Truth in Advertising Act: Petition for Change!! - written by Catherine Weingarten
I remember when I was almost a teen and constantly picked up big, shiny, overly expensive fashion magazine and looked at the pictures of the fashion ads and just fell into the pictures. I felt like I Was looking at this perfect goddess like image of what I could be like. The sexy ideal chick. I knew she had a perfect life and probably just took lavender bubble baths and ate lavender chocolates while making out with her boyfriend; and she never gained weight, of course! For years this kind of images…Read more
NEDAW and 'House of Mirrors'
Today kicks off the first day of NEDAW: National Eating Disorders Awareness Week. RYB is proud to be partnering with NEDA for this very important week.
This year, we have a very special song to share. The song is called 'House of Mirrors' and was written and performed especially for Realize Your Beauty by Singer/Songwriter Gretchen Witt. This song reflects the feelings and experiences of many women, young and old, caught in the conflicting demands of today's complex world. The link to the free download is…Read more
This year, we have a very special song to share. The song is called 'House of Mirrors' and was written and performed especially for Realize Your Beauty by Singer/Songwriter Gretchen Witt. This song reflects the feelings and experiences of many women, young and old, caught in the conflicting demands of today's complex world. The link to the free download is…Read more
Realize Your Beauty Day 2014!
April 28, 2014
We're so excited to announce this year's Realize Your Beauty Day! Activities are being planned all over the country to celebrate this special day.
RYB Day is a day to celebrate what makes you uniquely beautiful. You can participate as an individual or as a group. So get your Students, Girl Scout Troops, Sports Teams, Community Groups and friends together and start planning!
To sign up to participate, and for details and activity list, click on our special RYB Webpage!
We're so excited to announce this year's Realize Your Beauty Day! Activities are being planned all over the country to celebrate this special day.
RYB Day is a day to celebrate what makes you uniquely beautiful. You can participate as an individual or as a group. So get your Students, Girl Scout Troops, Sports Teams, Community Groups and friends together and start planning!
To sign up to participate, and for details and activity list, click on our special RYB Webpage!