The Misrepresentation of Eating Disorders in Media

Trigger Warning: Eating Disorders, Body Dysmorphia

There is no doubt in the fact that media encompasses the most topical parts of our life. People are drawn to popular culture because it allows them to experience a social connection to those around them. It serves as a unifying force for young people all across the world. It’s multi-faceted, in the sense that it plays an inclusive function in society by uniting the people behind standards of acceptable behaviour. I believe that it plays a very impactful role in educating people about the various issues that the world faces. Mass media has become an increasingly good and frequently used way to educate the masses; it’s essentially very influential and impactful to our society.

However, there are certain aspects of it that are wrongfully portrayed; mental illness being at the top of the list. Everyone’s general knowledge of mental disorders is only learned through media- fictional characters embodying or representing these disorders. However, extremely tainted and wrong stereotypes are associated with these disorders, most of them inaccurate and shaky, all built from erratic and one-sided understandings of people. Mental disorders are so freely and lightly spoken about that the media undermines the actual gravity and severity of the disorders.

Eating disorders, in my opinion, are very wrongfully portrayed. Anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa are two of the most well-known disorders. When asked to think of a person who has an eating disorder, one would almost immediately imagine a severely underweight pale and skinny Caucasian who strives for perfection - a very stereotypical image that media portrays. Mass media generally undervalues eating disorders and the circumstances that contribute to them, why characters actually acquire eating disorders. While the reason behind it is usually termed as ‘wanting to look good/thin’, the majority of persons with eating disorders actually develop them as a result of disquieting incidents; trauma, low self-esteem, anxiety, etc., where people have the undying need to gain a sense of self-control. A complex mixture of socio-environmental, psychological and cultural factors can contribute to one’s eating disorder, making them want to gain a sense of control over their eating habits. A person suffering from these disorders are usually characterized by the individual who is suffering with them having very unreliable patterns of eating, drastically gaining and losing weight, and can lead to extremely severe health problems. Furthermore, eating disorders are only represented through a very inadequate aperture- limiting the diversity and representation. Eating disorders are something that anyone of any age can face but media manages to only represent it through a very narrow window- making it seem like mainly teenage Caucasian girls suffer from them. Eating disorders are prevalent across racial and ethnic backgrounds.

Arguably, the media glamourizes them by promoting a slim body image as a sign of beauty. Eating disorders aren't glamorous in the least. For instance, social media platforms like Quora and Tumblr became open to people for showing their eating disorders, which in turn was regarded as ‘beautiful’ suffering. The consequences of mental illness — notably the signs of anorexia nervosa — are continually romanticised in social media trends and films, invalidating the problems of individuals suffering from said eating disorder. They romanticise excessive weight loss by depicting attractive and desirable females getting their lives together, and treat it as a physical condition rather than the mental illness that it is, and provide restricted depictions of what an eating disorder may look like.

The movie ‘To The Bone’ could be a good example of presenting the information but poorly implementing it. Ellen- played by Lily Collins- and her struggles with anorexia nervosa are represented well through the movie but they feed off of certain stereotypes and the actual recovery and treatment isn’t very well represented, which can be a little harmful for people who may be seeking help and want to understand how exactly treatment works but will only be provided with a tainted and vague view. While the film aimed to demystify eating disorders, the representation of anorexia as thigh gaps and frail bodies falls short of conveying the full extent of the problem.

A shot from 'To The Bone': Ellen checking her weight

It’s very important for there to be more detailed depictions of these illnesses in media as it will help establish an environment where individuals feel comfortable discussing them. Often times, when a person who suffers from a mental illness see’s their disorder being misrepresented in the media, they may undervalue their own illness, thinking other people will too as everyone’s set of beliefs and values and opinions more or less centre around what we see in media and pop culture. People who do not fit within that limited and predetermined window may get alienated as a result of the absence of realistic portrayals, making it harder to approach them with messages of hope about getting treatment and recovering. It is damaging not only to people who suffer from mental illnesses, but also to others who engage with the information without realising its negative consequences. We must examine the reality that disordered eating is multifaceted, perplexing, and far from simple. Disorders are romanticised in ways that go beyond mental illnesses. The media is an informative tool for raising public awareness about the seriousness of eating disorders, but the romanticised, stereotyped portrayal of anorexia creates a situation in which symptoms of eating disorders are glorified in order to give the impression that recovery is dependent on others.

As media plays a very rightful and significant role in impacting our lives, it’s very important for the basic awareness of eating disorders to be spread accurately, with proper representation and actual causes and symptoms, with an equal weight given to the process of treatment. The representation needs to give people a good insight of what these disorders entail. Unless one is a psychology student, people only learn about eating disorders through media and therefore it’s important that accurate awareness is spread, to help people and educate them.