An EDAW message from Susan Ringwood, beat Chief Executive

[waifia]

i am SSSOOO pleased! i sent a very in depth letter to beat about the media's unreal portrayal of eating disorders! i am pleased! xxx

[misstiggykins]

To be honest, as someone who suffered anorexia nervosa for many years, I feel 'triggered' by the suggestion that EDs are caused by media images. I can appreciate that for some people who have an (already) established ED, that images of thin people may make recovery more difficult. Also, it is true that a person's size does not reflect the degree of torment in their mind when they have an ED, but to suggest that media plays a role in the development of EDs trivialises these serious illnesses.

[misstiggykins]

EDs are biologically-based brain disorders. Too much emphasis on the media gives the impression that people with EDs just want to look like celebrities, which is rarely true. At least, I have never met anyone with an ED who developed their illness because they were trying to copy a celebrity, or for whom vanity lay at the heart of their illness. ED behaviours help a person cope with anxiety and they numb negative emotions. There's a lot more to EDs than body image concern.

[EdieAlyss]

Brilliant. I'm so glad someone is looking into the images used in newspapers (especially tabloids) to illustrate eating disorder articles. Thank you for doing this.