It's why Ekin-Su has a passion for anti-bullying work.
Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu has revealed she was "bullied for being 'fat'," and for having dark hair on her arms.
In her early teens, Ekin-Su wore a size 16 and recalls being terrorized for her food choices.
When eating cookies from her local supermarket, she described how "people would look at me and say, 'Fatty, fatty, look, scoffing your face'." It led to her eating in secret and hiding wrappers around her home to avoid being seen.
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While she was never diagnosed by a doctor with binge-eating episodes, Ekin-Su explained to Women's Health that this behaviour "was a way to escape... the mental state I was in at the time."
Binge-eating provided her with a "rush" as she felt there was nothing else exciting in her life aside from chocolate.
However, things changed for Ekin-Su when she developed a crush on a boy. She noticed he was attracted to women with a lean aesthetic and searched online for information on weight loss.
Ekin-Su spent hours skipping for exercise and consciously ate less, which led to the boys who bullied her changing their opinion on her.
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Soon after, Ekin-Su started to compete in beauty pageants where another contestant encouraged her to vomit. While she chose not to, Ekin-Su called it a "lesson" as the other contestant was "beautiful" but showed distress about her appearance.
"All she was doing was crying, being sick," Ekin-Su remembered. "It made me realise that... life is about how you feel and what makes you feel good in your soul."
That moment is a part of Ekin-Su's motivation to engage in healthy eating habits where "it's all about balance," and chocolate, carbs and drinks aren't off limits.
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For information and support on binge-eating disorder, please visit BodyWhys or contact the Eating Disorder helpline on (01) 210 7906.
