He's one of Ireland's leading fashion stylists and influencers, but as he opens up about living with an eating disorder*, as well as coming to terms with his sexuality, Darren Kennedy is highlighting that "men struggle too".
The You Are What You Wear star has opened up about his two-year struggle with anorexia, which was spurred on by a comment about his weight by a family member, he says.
"People assume that men are fine and don't suffer with issues with their body or want to lose weight", he told the Irish Mirror. "I still think today we’ve a long way to go until we recognise that men struggle too."
Kennedy was like any other young Irish child, he says, coming from "a good old Irish family" where you "sit down and eat together and polish off the plate". He loved food and says he had a healthy relationship with it.
However, a comment by a family member when he was around 14 or 15 led to an unhealthy one. "I remember one day when I was about 14 or 15, we were at a family occasion at a relative's house and someone made a comment about how much I ate.
"My uncle replied: 'It’s all fun and games now, but wait until you hit 18 and it’ll catch up with you.’
"I didn’t react or say anything at the time, but it lived with me."
After that, he says, he began to limit what he ate to cereal and sandwiches, and since he didn't have an unhealthy relationship to food before his parents didn't monitor what he was eating.
Once friends started to notice his rapid weight loss and comment positively on it, Kennedy was encouraged to continue.
Over time, Kennedy became fixated on monitoring his appearance, checking for stretch marks on his body – which, he says, likely came from growth spurts – or bloating. He began thinking he had a "fat face", and says "eating would send me into a guilt spiral – a vicious circle".
Now, many years on, Kennedy understands that at the same time as this struggle he was coming to terms with his sexuality, which only made things more challenging. He believes that going to a Christian Brothers school only added more pressure.
"I was struggling with my identity, and was very fearful of being discovered for being gay", he says.
He eventually came out to friends at 16, followed by telling his brother and sister. He told his parents when he was 18, and by then his eating disorder had begun to fade.
Now, Darren plans to work as a mentor and guide for other people looking to change part of their lives on his new show, You Are What You Wear.
* For more information visit Bodywhys.ie, phone their helpline on 1890 200 444 or email alex@bodywhys.ie.
