Society & Culture
The entertainment industry (https://www.buro247.sg/culture/insiders/aware-s-superwomen-in-concert-2020-local-artists-and-performers-on-gender-equality-in-the-entertainment-industry.html) is notoriously demanding and cutthroat; an environment where eating and mental disorders (https://www.buro247.sg/culture/film-tv-and-stage/netflix-im-not-okay-with-this-sophia-lillis-and-wyatt-oleff-on-mental-health-and-growing-up-in-hollywood.html) are unsurprisingly rife. Having spent her young adult years building a music (https://www.buro247.sg/culture/music) career, Ming Bridges (https://www.buro247.sg/beauty/insiders/my-beauty-essentials-ming-bridges-singer-songwriter-and-founder-of-rentadella-divulges-her-skin-and-bodycare-regime.html) developed body dysmorphia, brought on by the unforgiving standards from her former management team and — you guessed it — social media. It wasn’t until after university that Ming finally sought professional help (https://www.buro247.sg/lifestyle/insiders/therapy-and-self-help-stories-for-the-cause-of-mental-health-awareness-in-singapore.html) to work through her issues. Three years post-recovery, she found a new (and sustainable!) path with Rentadella (https://rentadella.com/) , a fashion rental platform that loans designer pieces and cult labels to its members. In this episode of Buro.’s Brave Living (https://www.buro247.sg/culture/insiders/buro-brave-living-with-simone-heng-a-podcast-with-successful-people-on-overcoming-challenges-and-building-a-legacy.html) , Ming Bridges got real with our host Simone Heng about disordered eating, her relationship with food, body shame, as well as her passion for sustainable fashion line. 1:30 Child star Growing up in Singapore, Ming’s love for singing led her to join a local competition, where she ended up winning. She soon signed a music contract, and with it, developed an unhealthy relationship with her body and weight — in a time where she faced bullying in school and was told to stay thin by her managers. Triggering an eating disorder, Ming started to count calories and would look to magazines on how to lose weight. After continuously starving herself, Ming couldn’t handle the pressure and began to binge-eat. Her weight gain resulted in her pressing the pause button on her singing career. 24:19 Journey to recovery Ming consulted with a doctor in Singapore to help regain control over her disordered eating. Going behind her family's backs, she checked in with the SGH Life Centre, attributing them to saving her life. Through medications, she stopped binge-eating and formed new eating patterns. Although Instagram was one of the many triggers for her eating disorder, Ming remains appreciative of the platform as it’s aided the success of her business. 38:12 Loving life Post-recovery, Ming now has her own clothing rental business, Rentadella, which has a boutique store at Holland Village. For the first time in her life, she feels that she isn’t the business but behind the business. Where she used to be consumed by her physical appearance and tried to achieve an unrealistic version of herself, Ming is now more equipped in dealing with negative self-talk and opinions.