Eating Disorders Representation in the Media: Eating Disorders Do Not Discriminate
Eating disorders are serious but treatable mental illnesses that affect individuals of every age, gender, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic group. Despite the prevalence of eating disorders among all racial and ethnic populations, these disorders are often depicted in the media primarily among white, thin, young women. This misrepresentation and lack of diversity further perpetuates eating disorders among individuals who do not “fit” the stereotype.
By: Imogen Bylinsky
One of the most common myths about eating disorders is that they only affect white, mid-to-upper-class women — and pop-culture is certainly not exempt from perpetuating this harmful stereotype. In Netflix’s To the Bone, the protagonist documents her struggles alongside other patients in an eating disorder facility.¹ In Starving in Suburbia, a teen becomes engulfed by Anorexia Nervosa after discovering pro-anorexia websites on the internet.² In “Feed”, a high school student develops an eating disorder after the tragic death of her brother.³ The trend amongst just three of the many movies that depict eating disorders is that all of the protagonists are thin, white women. Though the film industry needs to expand its diversity in eating disorder representation, this does not necessarily mean that those three films do a poor job of portraying the experience of eating disorders. While it is important to create media that bring awareness to the experience surrounding eating disorders, eating disorders should be accurately represented through both size and racial diversity.
In truth, this myth has fatal implications when internalized. Often, people of color struggling with eating disorders are unaware that they are even struggling because of how white-washed eating disorders have become in pop-culture. In an interview with National Public Radio, American actress Karla Mosley opened up about her own eating disorder: “I am a woman of color and I certainly didn’t know that people like me had eating disorders. I thought it was a rich, white, female, adolescent disorder.”⁴ Mosley’s quote embodies the experience of being a woman of color struggling with a mental illness that is falsely labeled as being exclusive to white individuals. By not acknowledging that eating disorders can and do affect anyone, it negates the experiences of those who don’t fit into the eating disorder stereotype.
Pop-culture needs to make greater strides to represent more people of color struggling with eating disorders in films, TV shows, etc. By only representing white women struggling with eating disorders, the percentage of people of color struggling with eating disorders does not decrease; it silences them. When discussing eating disorders, it is important to incorporate voices of color into the narrative.
At BALANCE eating disorder treatment center™, we understand that eating disorders affect people of every age, sex, gender, race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic group. Our team is dedicated to treating every individual, regardless of race or ethnicity. Through our array of services, we treat the spectrum of eating disorders, including anorexia, bulimia, binge eating disorder, compulsive overeating, and other disordered eating behaviors and body image issues.
We offer a variety of programs and services targeted at helping clients overcome disordered eating and develop a healthy relationship with food and their body. We offer nutrition counseling with a licensed dietitian, meal support, a Food & Mood Group, and a variety of other groups and resources to help those seeking help for food concerns. Additionally, we offer a Body Image Group to help clients heal their body image and understand how to practice emotional regulation and self-compassion.
Our admissions team would be happy to answer any questions you may have regarding our programs & services. Book a free consultation call below or read more about our philosophy here.
This post was written by BALANCE blog intern, Imogen Bylinsky.
Imogen is a high school student from New York City with a passion for writing and speaking about mental health issues, specifically eating disorders. Growing up, she became increasingly aware of the stigma and hurtful stereotypes associated with eating disorders. She is interested in majoring in Psychology after taking an “abnormal child psychology” course at Brown University. Along with BALANCE, she volunteers with NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) and Project HEAL, an eating disorder organization. She specifically wants to address how eating disorders are portrayed in the media, pop culture, various races/ethnic groups, and gender. She is excited to be writing for the BALANCE blog!