Please note: This article is a discussion about eating disorders. It’s not suitable for everyone.
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It’s not every day you see a film with a health warning.
But there it was – the official word from the UK’s national eating disorder charity Beat on the release of the Netflix film To The Bone:
We would strongly urge anyone that might be at risk of an eating disorder to think very carefully before watching this film.
When you see the film, you understand why.
The film is a stark depiction of anorexia, starring Lily Collins as the young protagonist, and has caused a mountain of controversy over its subject matter – not least that showing the protagonist’s disorder so graphically could inspire others to follow her example.
Having a warning on films about mental health problems is understandable. But because I’ve dealt with eating disorders myself, I know all too well that films about anorexia are especially complicated.
Here are three reasons why.
Anorexia is deeply competitive
I was discussing To The Bone with a friend, and she commented that she noticed the graphic depictions of eating disorders. “I can see why anorexics might not want to watch it,” she said.
Unfortunately, graphic depictions of disturbing eating habits are a reason why anorexics would want to watch it.
Why? Because with eating disorders, you don’t just want to be thin; you want to be the thinnest. In fact, you’re trying to outdo everyone else. An anorexia sufferer can eat two peas with dinner, and they’ll probably be distraught if someone else at the table says “I’m not really hungry” and eats one pea. Why? Because with anorexia, you need to be the best.
So even when watching a fictional movie, you can be affected by what you see your ‘thin competition’ doing – whether it’s how many kilos they say they weigh, how many crunches they’re doing, or how much food they’re eating.
To The Bone doesn’t pull any punches to take the shadows away from anorexia. But in so doing, it can easily become a ‘how to’ manual.
Anorexia is an addiction
Eating disorders are an addiction in reverse. Instead of being addicted to doing something (like drinking alcohol or taking drugs), this disorder is an addiction to not doing something.
When you don’t eat, when you eat less, or when you see the number on the scale shrink, you get a hit. It’s an addiction of attrition.
But this addiction is unique, because you get validated for having this addiction. And this validation is in itself addictive. (“You’ve lost weight! You look fabulous!”)
Society rewards us for losing weight and being thin, as well as for the ‘self-discipline’ it takes to achieve it. No one necessarily asks you how you did it.
So the addiction is particularly hard to shake on two fronts. One, because of this validation (you’re being told ‘well done’ for the results you’re getting). Two, because of the competitiveness that defines the disorder (you constantly think you could look better).
Seeing someone play this out in front of you in a film like To The Bone is just adding fuel to the fire. (Look, you should be doing this!)
Which brings me to a final problem…
Anorexics never think they’re too thin
This brings tears to my eyes. One study showed that anorexics walked sideways through a door that they could easily fit through, as though they were too big to fit.
It’s not vanity. They honestly, consciously and unconsciously, have a distorted perception of their mass.
This is why depictions of models in magazines come under such scrutiny. These women are often well below the healthy weight limit, which normalises this image for the general population. Understandably, this causes further confusion for those who already can’t perceive their own body mass accurately.
So when films like To The Bone involve actresses who are not just thin, but were asked to lose weight (!) for the role, you can imagine how a vulnerable person might feel. Especially when that character in front of them is supposedly engaging in extreme behaviours to get there.
So – is it possible to make a responsible film about anorexia?
The answer is complicated, to my mind.
Film plays an important role in de-mystifying taboo subjects like this. If they are stories of survival, they can also help give hope.
So I’d hate to say that no films about anorexia (and other eating disorders) should be made at all.
On the other hand, sufferers of eating disorders can easily be inspired by what’s on screen – particularly what’s shown visually. And that’s disturbing.
I don’t think it’s possible to keep anorexia sufferers from this type of media if they choose to consume it. But for my two cents, there are clear steps that filmmakers can take to mitigate some of the negative effects. Here are some.
Avoid numbers
This includes how many kilos someone weighs, how long they jogged for, or how much food they allow themselves. Numbers are powerful to an anorexic, especially because of the addiction to being smaller or lesser than everyone else.
Omit images of skeletal body frames which can be seen as ‘competition’
Resist the urge to linger on (or glamorise) skin and bones. Anorexia is about trying to be the thinnest, after all. Don’t add fuel to the fire.
Making a film about anorexia that doesn’t show graphic shots of a skeletal girl may sound impossible. But some filmmakers have got creative with this. You can find movies where the main character is covered in clothes, or characters are played by figurines instead of actors.
One famous example was the 1987 film Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story. It used Barbie dolls as characters, whittling away the waist of the protagonist to show her wasting away.
Avoid scenes of specific behaviours
This could include purging after a meal, using laxatives or undergoing punishing exercise routines. Too much detail can easily become a ‘how-to’ manual for those at risk of an eating disorder.
And lastly, if I even have to say it…
Please, for the love of all that’s holy, don’t ask actresses who are playing anorexia sufferers to lose weight
Particularly when actresses like Lily Collins have had eating disorders in the past. Don’t be part of the problem.
Films like To The Bone can help outsiders understand what the disorder can be like. Without having had it, it’s a difficult illness to understand.
But these films are very, very easy to get wrong – and trying to protect people who have the illness needs to be a priority, not just educating others.
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An earlier version of this article appeared in my column on Christian Today AU.
If you’re concerned about yourself or anyone else who might have an eating problem, I’d encourage you to talk to a healthcare professional, or more specifically to get more information from National Eating Disorder Collaboration.
