Digital Storytelling Process

Choosing a topic centered on youth violence was difficult for me. I cannot recall every being physically harmed by anyone else. Okay, maybe the occasional punch in the arm from one of my brothers, but no "real" violence. After coming to that realization, I reached a conclusion: violence isn't just physical. Violence can also be verbal, and that was a heavy presence in my life.

So I thought of all the rude comments or remarks that I had heard throughout my childhood, but none of them seemed to resonate as greatly as the comments from my father did.

See, when I was younger, I was a "fat kid". And instead of being bullied by my peers, kids, I was scoffed at by my father. It started with lo-key comments about my weight or eating habits, but it eventually grew into an eating disorder for me. I can recall going the entire day without eating because I was too afraid he would see me. So I would wait until the middle of night when everyone was gone or in bed and I would binge on whatever I could find. When we were on vacation somewhere, I refrain from eating anything at all. Because let's face it, there's nowhere to hide in a hotel room.

I tried to think of a way to present this to the general public, especially children. The most relatable event or time I could think of centered around birthdays and lunch time. And after sharing my ideas with the class, I decided the birthday theme would be most fitting.

Should I show illustrations of skinny young women? evil fridges? empty stomaches? Those images seemed more like scare tactics than story illustrations, so I chose to create demon cakes. Inspiration for this stemmed from The Brave Little Toaster.

It took a lot of thinking and writing and then more thinking and rewriting. But I am happy with the way my story turned out. I believe this is a topic that many can relate to. Some might not consider eating disorders and issue of youth violence. But anyone who ever has or does struggle with an eating disorder knows it is not an issue, but a lifestyle founded on violence from others, and against yourself.