Overcoming bulimia and obesity, Nina Davuluri created history on Monday as the first Indian-American to be crowned Miss America and also emerged as an inspirational figure for youngsters obsessed with weight and image issues.
The 24-year-old aspiring doctor has struggled with her own weight problem and suffered from bulimia — Davuluri lost nearly 30 kilos to get back in shape.
“People who’ve been overweight, especially women, feel like at a moment’s notice we can go back to where we were,” she told the Syracuse Post-Standard.
“It makes you more sympathetic, more empathetic. You don’t judge. I’ve been there, and if I can pull myself out of where I’ve been, anyone can.”
She said that she struggled with bulimia and her own weight, even saying she hated the word “skinny.” Bulimia is an eating disorder characterised by binge eating and then vomiting it out because of an extensive concern for body weight. When contacted, Davuluri’s 89-year-old grandmother said she was ecstatic to hear about her granddaughter’s win at the Miss America pageant.
Vege Koteshwaramma said in Vijaywada that she was glad that Nina could achieve her dream.