How the Media Gets Eating Disorders Wrong
A Fat-Positive Therapist’s Perspective
As a fat-positive eating disorder therapist, I’ve spent over a decade years working with clients across the spectrum of eating disorders. In that time, one recurring frustration I’ve encountered is the way the media portrays these complex and devastating illnesses. From TV shows to news articles, the dominant narratives are not only inaccurate but also harmful, perpetuating stigma and misunderstanding for those who need compassion and care. The media’s oversimplified and biased depictions of eating disorders fail to capture their reality, leaving countless individuals unseen and unsupported.
In this blog, I’ll explore some of the most pervasive ways the media gets eating disorders wrong and how these misconceptions impact individuals struggling with these illnesses. By challenging these myths, we can move toward a more accurate and inclusive understanding of eating disorders that honors the experiences of all those affected.
1. Reducing Eating Disorders to a “Thin White Girl” Issue
One of the most harmful stereotypes perpetuated by the media is that eating disorders primarily affect thin, affluent, white women. Think of almost any TV show or movie that portrays eating disorders: the character is usually a young, thin woman, often with a background of privilege. This narrative erases the reality that eating disorders affect people of all sizes, genders, races, and socioeconomic backgrounds.
The Reality:
Eating disorders occur across all body sizes. Individuals in larger bodies can and do experience severe eating disorders, including anorexia nervosa, yet their struggles are often overlooked because they don’t “look the part.” This is a direct result of weight bias and the harmful conflation of thinness with health.
People of color, particularly Black, Indigenous, and Latinx individuals, are equally—if not more—likely to develop eating disorders. However, they are less likely to be diagnosed or receive treatment due to systemic racism and cultural biases.
Eating disorders don’t discriminate by gender. While men and nonbinary individuals make up a significant portion of those affected, their experiences are often not included in mainstream narratives.
By focusing on a narrow demographic, the media not only misrepresents eating disorders but also discourages people who don’t fit this mold from seeking help, and can make it difficult for professionals to know what to look for.
2. Glorifying Disordered Behaviors
Media portrayals of eating disorders often teeter dangerously close to glamorizing disordered behaviors. Movies and TV shows frequently depict dramatic weight loss or restrictive eating as an accomplishment or even a necessary step toward achieving societal ideals of beauty and success.
The Reality:
Eating disorders are not glamorous. They are life-threatening mental illnesses with severe physical and emotional consequences. They rob individuals of their health, joy, and relationships.
Glamorized depictions can serve as triggers for individuals struggling with eating disorders. They may internalize the harmful message that these behaviors are desirable or effective.
The media’s tendency to sensationalize disordered behaviors undermines the seriousness of eating disorders and fails to convey their devastating impact. The media’s obsession with weight bodies, and food is something needs a dramatic overhaul.
3. Oversimplifying Causes and Blame
Another damaging misconception perpetuated by the media is the oversimplification of what causes eating disorders. Headlines often blame parents, social media, or even the individual themselves for developing an eating disorder. While these factors can play a role, eating disorders are far more complex than these simplistic narratives suggest.
The Reality:
Eating disorders are multifaceted illnesses influenced by a combination of genetic, biological, psychological, and environmental factors. They are not a “choice” or the result of vanity.
Trauma, systemic oppression, and chronic dieting culture are significant contributors to the development of eating disorders, yet these factors are rarely acknowledged in media portrayals.
Blaming parents or individuals themselves only perpetuates stigma and shame, making it harder for people to seek help or receive the support they need.
The media needs to move beyond reductive explanations and embrace the complexity of eating disorders to foster greater understanding and compassion.
4. Ignoring Anti-Fat Bias, Weight Stigma and Diet Culture
Anti-Fat Bias, Weight Stigma and Diet Culture are three of the most significant drivers of eating disorders, yet they are glaringly absent from most media discussions. Instead of addressing the societal obsession with weight loss and the stigma against larger bodies, the media often reinforces these harmful messages.
The Reality:
Diet culture normalizes disordered eating behaviors, such as extreme calorie restriction, over-exercising, and obsessing over body size. These behaviors are often celebrated in the media as signs of discipline and self-control.
Anti-fat bias perpetuates the harmful belief that larger bodies are inherently unhealthy or undesirable. This stigma contributes to body dissatisfaction, which is a known risk factor for developing eating disorders.
By failing to critique diet culture and anti-fat rhetoric, the media not only perpetuates these harmful systems but also ignores their role in the development and maintenance of eating disorders.
Addressing anti-fat bias , weight stigma and diet culture are essential for creating a society where individuals of all sizes can access the care and support they need.
5. Focusing Solely on Weight as a Measure of Recovery
Media coverage often treats weight restoration as the ultimate marker of recovery from eating disorders. Headlines celebrating weight gain in individuals recovering from anorexia or weight loss in those recovering from binge eating disorder reinforce the idea that recovery is solely about achieving a specific body size.
The Reality:
Recovery is about so much more than weight. It’s about rebuilding a healthy relationship with food, body, and self. It’s about addressing the underlying emotional and psychological issues that drive disordered behaviors.
For individuals in larger bodies, recovery may not involve weight loss at all. Focusing on weight as a primary measure of recovery perpetuates weight stigma and invalidates their experiences.
A more accurate portrayal of recovery would highlight the internal healing process rather than reducing success to external appearance.
6. Neglecting Intersectional Experiences
The media’s one-size-fits-all approach to eating disorders erases the unique experiences of individuals whose identities intersect with multiple forms of oppression. For example, queer and trans individuals often face additional barriers to accessing care, yet their stories are rarely told.
The Reality:
LGBTQ+ individuals are at higher risk for developing eating disorders due to factors such as discrimination, body dysmorphia, and societal pressures to conform to gender norms.
Individuals with disabilities may also face unique challenges related to eating disorders, such as the intersection of medical conditions and societal ableism.
Ignoring these intersectional experiences perpetuates a narrow and incomplete understanding of eating disorders, leaving many people feeling invisible.
Telling diverse and inclusive stories is essential for dismantling stigma and ensuring that everyone has access to support and treatment.
What Needs to Change
To address the harm caused by media misrepresentations of eating disorders, we need a fundamental shift in how these illnesses are portrayed. Here are some steps the media can take to do better:
Diversify Representations: Show that eating disorders affect people of all sizes, races, genders, and backgrounds.
Critique Diet Culture: Challenge the normalization of disordered behaviors and the societal obsession with thinness.
Highlight Complexity: Emphasize the multifaceted nature of eating disorders and avoid oversimplified explanations.
Promote Inclusive Recovery Narratives: Focus on the holistic process of healing rather than weight as a marker of success.
Center Lived Experiences: Amplify the voices of individuals who have experienced eating disorders, particularly those from marginalized communities.
Final Thoughts…
As a seasoned fat-positive eating disorder therapist, I’ve seen firsthand how the media’s misconceptions harm those struggling with these illnesses. By perpetuating narrow, biased, and sensationalized narratives, the media creates barriers to understanding, compassion, and treatment. It’s time for a new narrative—one that honors the complexity of eating disorders and the diverse individuals who experience them.
When we challenge these harmful portrayals and advocate for more accurate and inclusive representations, we take an important step toward dismantling stigma and creating a world where everyone can access the care and support they deserve.
Ready to Challenge the Narrative?
The media’s portrayal of eating disorders has real consequences—and getting it right can save lives. Edie Stark Consulting offers services to media professionals, providing guidance on ethically and accurately depicting eating disorders in their content. Let’s work together to create impactful, stigma-free narratives that honor the complexity of these illnesses.
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