Should I Stop Eating? Episode 40 with Ashton Fineout

Women face so much pressure when it comes to appearance, and can fall into the trap of attaching self-worth to the way they look. But this week's guest, Ashton Fineout, believes that we are all valuable because we were created that way.

Ashton is not only a professional violinist and clean beauty lover, but she is one of the most consciously kind people Erin has ever met. In this episode, Ashton bravely opens up about struggling with an eating disorder in her early 20s. She was encouraged by comments people made about her weight loss, which reinforced the idea that the skinnier she was, the more worthy she became. Ashton shares what the turning point was, what she wishes she knew then, and her path to recovery. As shown by Ashton’s story, healing is not something that needs to happen alone, and if you are struggling, there is always someone you can reach out to for help.  If you are needing support please contact the National Eating Disorders Association. 

Our email this week (48:23) is about how often you should be exfoliating your face. The answer is different for everyone and Josey and Erin talk about it.

Call Outs from the Episode: 

• Ashton Fineout on Instagram
• TCU College of Fine Arts
• Ashton and Aubrey's Violin Duo on Instagram - TheFineStrungDuo
• Erin's Faces Tamanu Oil
• Erin's Faces Pumpkin Enzyme Peel (chemical exfoliator)
• Erin's Faces Clarifying Green Clay Mask
• Erin's Faces Antioxidant Facial Polish (manual/scrubby exfoliator)

Key Points From This Episode:

• What life in the pandemic is like as a professional violinist.
• How Ashton found clean beauty and the role that it has played in her life.
• A timeline of her eating disorder and how she hid it from those close to her.
• The pressure that comes with being a woman in the performing arts.
• When things came to a head for Ashton and the turning point in her eating disorder.
• The first step Ashton took to start her recovery journey.
• How Ashton believes you can support someone with an eating disorder.
• You are valuable because you were created; your value cannot be diminished.
• Why Ashton is so passionate about sharing what she learned through recovering from her eating disorder.
• There is no one way to eat; listen to your body and it will tell you what it needs.
• Ashton’s relationship with food now and the gratitude she has for her body today.
• The importance of being aware of the effect of the comments you make on people’s weight.
• Try to compliment someone on an attribute that is not physical.
• What Ashton would tell anyone who is struggling with their self-worth.

Tweetables:

“In the business of performance and performing arts, women, particularly, when they are deemed attractive or appealing, they get more jobs, they get more favors. And people that are not as ‘conventionally attractive’ they may not have as many opportunities.” — Ashton Fineout [0:16:24]

“Just the knowledge that I blew a really great opportunity for myself because I wasn’t taking proper care of my body and that I was actually starving it, that’s when I knew things had to change.” — Ashton Fineout [0:22:45]

“Personally, I really believe that I was created in the image of God and that he designed me with intention and creativity, and I would tell myself back then to not question or criticize the features you were created with. Because the features that you were given were not an accident.” — Ashton Fineout [0:27:32]

“Expectations do not equate to value because you were born valuable because God says that you are.” — Ashton Fineout [0:28:58]

“If you are thinking of a compliment to say to a person that you find beautiful, then tell them something that’s beautiful about them that doesn’t have to do with their physical appearance.” — Ashton Fineout [0:39:51]

Come have fun with us!
Our private Facebook Group: Erin’s Faces Green Beauty Gathering
Instagram: @erinsfaces
Email: questions@beautyfullstories.com