To The Bone; a sufferer’s perspective

After the controversy surrounding the Netflix-exclusive 14-episode 13 Reasons Why, another exclusive film, To The Bone, has been in the spotlight in the last couple of days. Starring Lily Collins and due to be released in July, the film has already been skirting debate with regards to its focus on anorexia.

Now, eating disorders and the media have always gone hand in hand. ‘Skinny’ people -especially young women- attract attention. They are the epitome of our society. Any eating disorder blurs the lines of attractive and healthy, and the phenomenon is reaching a critical point. In the US, 20 million women and 10 million men will experience some form of clinically significant eating disorder during their lifetime. In Ireland, it is estimated that 400,000 people suffer.

We all know people that suffer, we all know that it happens. But is this new movie really something to target? We have to ask ourselves; will this film actually make a significant impact on the eating habits of other people? If it doesn’t get released, will it prevent more people from falling into a horrific eating disorder?

There are enough social media platforms that can be used- whether the poster intends it or not- to get ‘thinspiration’. If you search ‘skinny’ on Tumblr, you will be directed to a page suggesting a phone number for NEDA (National Eating Disorders Association) and to follow their Tumblr page for ‘inspiration and comfort’. This page is great, but if you’re really in the throes of an eating disorder you can just click ‘view search results’ and the previous page is soon forgotten.

I spoke to 17 year old Emilie from Pennsylvania who has such a page. She fell into her eating disorder when she was only 11 or 12 years old. With 4,001 followers, she has a considerable reach on the site. She believes that To The Bone will cause some controversy, but not enough.

“Not too long ago when 13 Reasons Why came out schools were banning it, and I heard so many mothers talking about how they forbid their kids from watching it. There are people that freak out because they don’t understand. They get scared of what they think could happen to people they love. Anorexia is a big epidemic.”

Emilie told me that she had spoken to a staff member at her school, who told Emilie that she would be watching 13 Reasons Why with her sons. However, Emilie says that there were no discussions at school surrounding the series.

“Some part of me thinks that if a Netflix show featured a girl killing herself didn’t get discussed by parents and schools for long, or some just not at all, I have no idea what this show will bring.”

Emilie believes that social media does affect her eating disorder. She was 13 or 14 years old when she joined a pro-ana chat room, where other people encouraged her to starve herself.

“As much as it brought my self esteem down I only starved myself because I was controlling myself. I often think about that chat room… I know my account seems as if I am trying to be damaging but all I want is to stop other people from making the same mistakes I am.”

Through the current controversy, Emilie believes that To The Bone may have potential to start a discussion on eating disorders.

“I think that we need to be open about all illnesses. If you aren’t, then people hide, they feel ashamed as if they are the only ones struggling. This show could help people understand what people with eating disorders go through, and also make people who are struggling realize that they are not alone.”

We have to ask though, what do these kinds of Tumblr pages bring to people who are looking for motivation?

“Accounts like mine are part of a community so it makes us all feel safe to go to one another for support. I never did and never will help anyone engage in the behaviors that I do. I wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy. But I would never try to bring anyone down. I constantly talk to girls on here that are having a tough time. I suggest places for them to go and numbers for them to call.”

Emilie is only one voice in this story of control and sadness, and Tumblr pages like hers are one side of how social media plays into the problem. If you deal with any issues that have been discussed in this post, please contact NEDA, an adult or a friend that you can trust.

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