Eating disorders hidden behind "hiya"

Casual comments about body image. In many Filipino households, Sofia says, that is sometimes a frequent form of greeting. "To them, it was just talk, but it led to a dangerous silence," she says.

Inside that silence, as she describes it, psychological distress is dismissed as drama and eating disorders are "masked out of hiya, or shame." That thought stayed with her. "I realized that cultural stigma and limited education prevented people from recognizing that they’re struggling at all."

“Nothing changes, if nothing changes.”

Sofia Leticia B. Guimba

Eating n' Healing is her answer. She is the founder of the youth-led initiative, which aims to democratize eating disorder prevention, bodily emancipation, and holistic healing.

Online she has seen lots of people who quietly struggle with eating disorders, particularly the youth, and she says the issue "receives little attention here in Asia compared to the West." She lives in the Philippines and wants to represent her fellow youth across Asia, not only those in her own country. It affects "teenage girls, boys, and even the LGBTQIA+ community," she says. "I started this initiative to represent and bring ED awareness to many young people, families, and communities."

Her plans reach further. "My vision is to expand Eating n’ Healing globally too," she says. "Building this initiative has taught me that passion alone isn’t enough. Creating meaningful change requires listening before leading, working with evidence rather than assumptions, and recognizing that representation matters."

"This is only the beginning," she says.