The wife of Yarden Shua reveals: "I went through an eating disorder"
A photo of the model on Instagram sparked a heated debate about the boundaries of discourse and body image. Or Zuaretz, the wife of Yarden Shua, came to the defense of Eden Pines with an emotional personal confession: "As someone who went through an eating disorder, this touched me."
A new online storm is sparking a sharp debate regarding body image and the boundaries of public discourse. Fashion photographer and model agent Adi Barkan, who has been identified for years with the struggle against eating disorders in the fashion industry, caused a stir on social media following a comment left on a photo of model Eden Pines on Instagram. In response to the photo, Barkan wrote: "My heart is with the followers."
The remarks came against the backdrop of the fact that Pines, who recently married singer Osher Cohen, has previously shared openly with the public her struggle with eating disorders.
Barkan's response quickly divided users: on one hand, some saw his words as a legitimate attempt to raise awareness about a sensitive issue; on the other, many argued that it was an inappropriate public intervention regarding the body of a public figure. Barkan has been active in the field for years and supported legislation regarding underweight models, though his methods have faced criticism. Pines herself has already addressed the storm and clarified that she is healthy.
Or Zuaretz, the wife of Beitar Jerusalem captain Yarden Shua and daughter of Israel Football Association chairman Moshe (Shino) Zuaretz, decided to stand by Pines and share her own experience. In a personal story, Zuaretz revealed for the first time that she had dealt with eating disorders herself and called on the public to show sensitivity:
"As someone who has gone through an eating disorder, this video touched me. There is a huge difference between worrying about someone and judging them. There is a difference between a discussion about health and turning a person's body into a public debate."
Zuaretz emphasized that it is impossible to know what lies behind a single photo: "None of us knows what a person is going through. Thinness, just like higher weight, is not a medical diagnosis. You cannot look at someone and decide what their condition is."
Zuaretz ended her remarks with a direct appeal to the model: "Thank you, Eden, for choosing to respond with dignity, sensitivity, and restraint. I wish we would learn to speak a little more gently, because sometimes the very words we think are 'concern' are the ones that hurt the most."
