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To maintain the illusion of control, Claire became a master of evasion. She began deleting photos of herself that didn’t meet her increasingly distorted standards. She skipped dinner invitations, citing “busy schedules” or “already having eaten,” because the thought of an unmeasured meal in a public space triggered a level of anxiety that was paralyzing. She hid her diminishing frame behind oversized sweaters and heavy coats, not out of modesty, but because the sight of her own reflection had become a source of both obsession and terror. She was a prisoner of her own making, trapped in a cycle where the only thing more frightening than the prospect of gaining weight was the exhaustion of trying to lose it.
