From the newsstands a dozen models smiled up at her from a dozen magazine covers, smiled in thin-faced, high-cheekboned agreement to Kessa's new discovery. They knew the secret too. They knew thin was good, thin was strong; thin was safe. — Steven Levenkron Copy Share Image
Kessa ran her fingers over her stomach. Flat. But was it flat enough? Not quite. She still had some way to go. Just to… — Steven Levenkron Copy Share Image
The nerves of the skin send pain signals to the brain to warn us of the danger from and impending injury. In the case of self-inflicted wounding, this pain acts as the body's own defense mechanism to stop one from proceeding in the effort at physical injury. If a person proceeds despite the pain, that means that he or she… — Steven Levenkron Copy Share
Repetition brings familiarity, and familiarity is the opposite of the unknown. — Steven Levenkron Copy Share Image
Self-mutilation is a frightening barrier that keeps us from seeing a person who is lost, in pain, and in desperate need of help. — Steven Levenkron Copy Share Image
“[. . .] and in addition to the feeling of being full there was another more terrifying one, as if a hundred appetites were… — Steven Levenkron Copy Share Image
“This morning Kessa was in control again. She lifted her left breast with her right hand and pinched it hard. The girl in the… — Steven Levenkron Copy Share Image
She lay on her back and walked her fingers down her ribs, skipped them over her abdomen, and landed on her pelvic bones. She… — Steven Levenkron Copy Share Image
She'd lost two more pounds. A picture of the models she'd cut out of the magazine flashed through Kessa's mind. And the winner is...… — Steven Levenkron Copy Share Image
“Well, Kessa, I am glad to see that you're taking your body seriously. I shudder when I see the girls leaving class and heading… — Steven Levenkron Copy Share Image
She ran her hands over her body as if to bid it good-bye. The hipbones rising from a shrunken stomach were razor-sharp. Would they… — Steven Levenkron Copy Share Image
“Fat bitch," Kessa murmured as the door scraped closed behind Mrs. Stone. "She meant well, Francesca. And you see, everyone thinks you're too thin."… — Steven Levenkron Copy Share Image
Soon I'll be thinner than all of you, she swore to herself. And then I'll be the winner. The thinner is the winner. — Steven Levenkron Copy Share Image
![“[. . .] and in addition to the feeling of being full there was another more terrifying one, as if a hundred appetites were raging out of control within her. She couldn't explain it, but she felt as if everything was in chaos and something awful was going to happen. She had eaten and now something…” quote by Steven Levenkron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/11f/steven-levenkron-30080_anorexia_and-in-addition-to-the-feeling-of-being_1339954.jpg)
![“She lay on her back and walked her fingers down her ribs, skipped them over her abdomen, and landed on her pelvic bones. She tapped them with her Knuckles. [. . .] I can hear my bones, she thought. Her fingers moved up from her pelvic bones to her waist. The elastic of her underpants barely…” quote by Steven Levenkron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/b68/steven-levenkron-30080_abdomen_she-lay-on-her-back-and-walked-her-finge_1465977.jpg)
