Eating Disorders And The Media

Have you heard of Karen Carpenter?  She was an amazing singer, in the group The Carpenters, who died in her 30's because of an eating disorder.  In 1983, the year of her death, eating disorders made the headlines.  Finally, eating disorders were pulled out from the shadows, and as a result, treatment was promoted and lives were saved.  

Since then, most publications about eating disorders tend to promote them rather than their treatment.  Numerous articles and websites offer advice about how to become ultra-thin, with photos for "thinspiration."  Even articles that are intended to promote recovery can do the opposite, because too many details about eating disordered behaviors are revealed. 

What is being done to address this?  B brought an article for our topic this week, from BBC News.  It discussed how the French National Assembly is addressing this issue, with a bill to prosecute and fine publications and websites that promote eating disorders.        

What can you do to address this?  If you find an article, book or website that promotes eating disorders, write to the editor or website host with your feedback.  If the website host is not listed on the website, you can go to http://www.whois.com and type in the name of the website to find out the hosting information.

Or, you can take action by consciously choosing to look away from pro-eating disorder stuff.  Look instead to something that promotes eating disorder recovery ... like this blog :-)