Eating disorders encompass a variety of food related issues and impact everyone differently. The ongoing pressure of societal beauty standards causes even the most celebrated people to struggle.

Black people, specifically women, are just as susceptible to eating disorders as other demographics of people but are less likely to receive support or treatment.

National Eating Disorders Awareness Week is Feb. 24-28. Here are some courageous Black celebrities that have shared their struggles with a form of eating disorder in hopes of helping others.

Sidibe wrote about her struggle with bulimia in her memoir titled, "This Is Just My Face: Try Not to Stare." She explained that the disorder was a coping mechanism and distraction for her depression.

Kravitz told Complex in 2015 that she struggled with anorexia and bulimia as a teenager and into adulthood. The pressures of fame and being a woman are culprits she cited.

Johnson, Vogue’s first Black cover model, talked about the extreme restrictive diets she and others partook in (like only drinking black coffee) to be thin in her book, "The Face That Changed It All: A Memoir."

Ross shared in her 1993 memoir, "Secrets of a Sparrow," she became so stressed in 1966 while in The Supremes that she could not stand to eat or even smell food. She said she felt like she was in a dark pit despite the success.

Brandy revealed to Huffpost in 2012 that she struggled with her body image throughout her teenage stardom. She said she was very unhappy and took diet pills, restricted her eating and self-induced vomiting.

Jackson was having an incredibly difficult year in 2009 with the death of her brother, Michael. In a vulnerable interview with Robin Roberts that year, she revealed she was struggling with emotional eating.

Winfrey has been a long proponent of opening up discussions about body image and eating disorders on her shows. She has also shared some of her own experiences with emotional eating.

Newton has said that her issues with restrictive eating and bulimia started when she was abused as a teen. Her eating disorders progressed as she faced difficulties in abusive relationships later in life.

Washington said to Robin Roberts in 2023 that her eating disorder in her 20s led to suicidal ideation. In her memoir, "Thicker Than Water," she said she was stuck in a cycle of starvation, binge eating and compulsive exercise.

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