Post 2

My posts have been scattered, my apologies for that. I haven't gotten to meet with any doctors, they continuously say that they will call me back and then never do. I've been watching many movies regarding eating disorders to get a feel for how media portrays them and frankly I was a bit disappointed.

I started with Starving in Suburbia which is a popular movie about a young dancer that starts looking at pictures of thin girls, joins a pro-anorexia website and begins restricting her caloric intake. The escalation of her eating disorder is done well because it shows how obsessive she gets with food (as do most people struggling with an eating disorder) however it does glamorize the eating disorder by making it seem almost normal.

I next watched Perfect Body because it was about an anorexic gymnast which is very personal as I was a gymnast and I struggled with an eating disorder. The main character starts training at a pre-olympic gymnastics academy and gets told to lose weight. She begins restricting her foods while still maintaining a strict training schedule. The unrealistic side of this film is that while eating next to nothing on a daily basis, she continues to maintain strength without much struggle until the very end. This isn't how it works and I believe it almost encourages young girls to try the "restriction diet."

The third thing I watched is called Binge, it's a television series that only recently started. It's about a girl that struggles with bulimia and addiction, in a very dark but comedic way. I did like this show because the main character ends up scarfing down food in private moments including her car or behind a trashcan, only to purge it afterwards. Rather than glamorizing the eating disorder or making it seem like less of a problem, Binge highlights the struggle of your mind telling you to throw up. If the media portrays eating disorders as beautiful, more young girls and boys will be inclined to try it.

Over the next few days I will finish re-reading Wintergirls  by Laurie Anderson, analyzing why the tumblr eating disorder community is so obsessed with this book, particularly the page that says "must not eat" over and over again.

Anorexia is not the beautiful long-haired girl saying no to a cupcake. It's the frail, thing-haired girl with dark circles under her eyes struggling to stay conscious. Eating disorders are dangerous. This is National Eating Disorders Awareness week. If you or someone you know are struggling with ANY eating disorder, don't be afraid to reach out for help. Eating disorders are far more prevalent than we realize, but they are not untreatable.

Remember to smile.
-Sylvia