This was the project of all projects - my senior exhibition. The subject I chose to focus on was eating disorders, a subject which is very close to my heart because it affected me, my family, and my friends.

Eating disorders in general was far too broad for me to focus on, so for months I agonized about what to focus on. It's all so important, I didn't know what I was supposed to single out. But during my research on the statistics, I came across one that made my heart sink; only 10% of those diagnosed with a clinical eating disorder will receive treatment for their disease. If this disease has the highest mortality rate of any mental illness, then why are only 10% of those struggling with it are receiving the help they need to recover? So I asked myself one question - how did I recover? 
I looked back at my journey through the beginning of my recovery and came across a stack of 48 faxes from my dad. While I was across the country receiving the help I needed, the help he knew I needed but he couldn't give me, he faithfully sent me a fax every morning. He would update me on life back home, my sister, encouraging words, and corny dad jokes. It was what I looked forward to every morning and the very first thing I did every day. When I came across these, I was flooded with emotion and memories. But I was also reminded of how I got through some of the hardest parts of my recovery; aside from God and his faithfulness and protection, my father here on earth was who helped me recover.

Then came more research, but this time I focused on the dynamic of the father-daughter relationship; why it's important, the effects of not having a good relationship with your father, not having a father present at all, etc. The relationship a girl has with her father is the first relationship with a male she will have. This relationship is the standard to which she will see how women are to be treated, how she should see herself, how worthy she is of love. 

What I decided to do was to create an organization that encourages fathers to spend time and grow the relationship with their daughters. The first Friday of January, April, July, and October, select local restaurants would take 25% off of the bill for fathers who are out to eat with their daughters. Not only does this encourage spending quality time and conversation, but creates a safe place and good association with the act of eating. In addition, I designed a booklet for fathers who want more information when it comes to eating disorders. I cannot speak for all fathers, but for my own eating disorder, my father had to learn a lot about the disease for me to get better. I asked my dad once if he thinks I would have recovered had he not been educated on the subject, and without hesitation he said "not at all." It's crucial to have support when you are recovering form anything, and unless you know about the disease, it's hard to help someone through it. Along with this was a website for the event, telling about the restaurants, information on eating disorders, and why the event is taking place. The last, and probably most impactful, piece of my show were the faxes from my dad. I made them into a book for people to read (with my dads permission). 

Advertising, television, social media - they're constantly telling us why we aren't good enough, what we should look like, how we should act. More often than not, they're telling us this to sell us something that will "fix" the problem. In a world where so much negativity exists, it is my hope to use design, in any way, shape or form, to do the opposite.