TO WHAT EXTENT DOES TV PROGRAMMES (FOOD MEDIA)

REPRESENT BOTH THE PROBLEM AND THE SOLUTION

FOR THE EATING DISORDER DEBATE?

BY BETHANY RAE

I am doing my extended project qualification asking 'to what extent does TV programmes (food media) represent both the problem and the solution for the eating disorder debate? With reference to 3 or 4 case study texts for example magazine, TV, Website, advertising.

In order to do this, I am going to look at a number of texts and see how they demonstrate this representation. I will also be looking at why the media is producing so many of these shows and why the audience is so obsessed with them. 

When people hear the words ‘eating disorder’ they automatically think of severly underweight people who are either struggling with anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa. This is untrue. The definition of an eating disorder can also refer to an overweight person who has an unhealthy obsession with food.

ANOREXIA NERVOSA Anorexia is an eating disorder characterized by

an extremely reduced appetite or total aversion to food. Anorexia is a serious psychological disorder and is a condition that goes well beyond out-of-control dieting. With anorexia, the drive to become thinner is actually secondary to concerns about control and/or fears relating to one's body. There are psychological and behavioral symptoms as well as physical symptoms of anorexia including: depression, social withdrawal, fatigue, food obsession, heart and gastrointestinal complications, kidney function, flaky skin, brittle nails, and tooth loss 

It’s no secret that even some celebrities have struggled with anorexia suc as Nicole Richie, Lindsay Lohan and Mary-Kate Oslen

Anorexia Nervosa is more common in women than men, but people of all ages and backgrounds can suffer from the disease.

In the UK, 1 in 100 women aged between 15 and 30, suffers from anorexia. Reports show girls as young as five years of age have weight concerns, and think about going on a diet.

Approximately 11 people in 100,000 develop anorexia nervosa each year.

Anorexia nervosa is most likely to strike during the mid-teenage years.

Anorexia affects approximately 1 in 150 fifteen-year-old females, and 1 in 1000 fifteen-year-old males.

Approximately 1 percent of 16 to 18 year olds have anorexia. About 40 percent of people with anorexia recover completely.

Around 5 percent of cases of anorexia will be fatal. Currently, in developing countries and black communities,

anorexia nervosa appears to be somewhat rare.

UK PARLIAMENT - PUBLICATIONS: The following table shows the number of diagnosed and admitted cases

of anorexia in NHS hospitals, England, from 1996-97 onwards. Please note these figures represent individual cases and not the actual number of patients (some patients will have had more than one admission).

2005-06 620

2004-05 517

2003-04 532

2002-03 552

2001-02 497

2000-01 469

1999-2000 482

1998-99 465

1997-98 484

1996-97 419

BULIMA NERVOSA Bulimia nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by

episodes of secretive excessive eating (binge-eating) followed by inappropriate methods of weight control, such as self-induced vomiting (purging), abuse of laxatives, or excessive exercise. Like anorexia, bulimia is generally thought to be a psychological eating disorder. It is another condition that goes beyond out-of-control dieting. The cycle of overeating and purging can quickly become an obsession similar to an addiction to drugs or other substances. Although bulimia has been widely considered to be pshychological and sociocultural in origin, not everyone is susceptible to developing bulimia.

Young people in the age group of fourteen to twenty five are the most at risk of developing anorexia or bulimia.

Approximately 1-2 percent of women in the UK suffer from bulimia.

Every year there are as many as 18 new cases of bulimia nervosa per 100,000 population per year.

Bulimia nervosa commonly begins in the mid-teenage years. Approximately 4 percent of women suffer with bulimia during

their lifetime, but it is less common in men.The average age of onset of bulimia is 18-19 years.

Bulimia affects mainly women between the ages of 16 and 40, and is most likely to begin at about 19 years of age.

According to some studies, as many as 8 percent of women suffer from bulimia at some stage in their life, and it affects about 5 percent of female college students.

Approximately 5 percent of bulimia sufferers go on to develop anorexia nervosa.

UK PARLIAMENT - PUBLICATIONS: The following table shows the number of diagnosed and admitted cases

of bulimia in NHS hospitals, England, from 1996-97 onwards. Please note these figures represent individual cases and not the actual number of patients (some patients will have had more than one admission).

2005-06 23

2004-05 23

2003-04 22

2002-03 32

2001-02 26

2000-01 19

1999-2000 28

1998-99 24

1997-98 46

1996-97 49

OBESITY AND BEING OVERWEIGHT Rather than controlling their appetites and

calories, overweight and obese people consume more food than is necessary causing them to gain excess amounts of weight and become severly overweight or morbidly obese.

Overweight is generally defined as having more body fat than is optimally healthy. Being overweight is a common condition, especially where food supplies are plentiful and lifestyles are sedentary. Excess weight has reached epidemic proportions globally, with more than 1 billion adults being either overweight or obese.Increases have been observed across all age groups.

Obesity is a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have an adverse effect on health, leading to reduced life expectancy and/or increased health problems. People are considered obese when their body mass index(BMI), a measurement obtained by dividing a person's weight in kilograms by the square of the person's height in metres, exceeds 30 kg/m2”

Currently, in England, most people are overweight or obese. This includes 61.3% of adults and 30% of children aged between 2 and 15.

Overweight and obese people are also at a higher risk of getting type two diabaetes and certain cancers.

There has been a marked increase in obesity rates over the past eight years – in 1993 13% of men and 16% of women were obese – in 2011 this rose to 24% for men and 26% for women.

For children attending reception class (aged 4-5 years) during 2011-12, 9.5% were obese.

During 2011-12 there were 11,736 hospital admissions due to obesity – this over 11 times higher than during 2001-02.

SUPERSIZE VS SUPERSKINNY One of my TV programmes I used to represent both the

problem and the solution for the eating disorder debate is the TV show Supersize VS Superskinny.

This TV programme is shown on Channel 4 on Tuesdays at 8.00pm and is a documentary television show. The show is about a severly overweight person and a severly underweight person who swap diets for a week in an attempt to show each other and just how dangerous their eating habits are. The shows presenter, Dr Christian Jessen also offers the two people different eating strategies and offers them ways to a healthier lifestyle.

PROBLEM OR SOLUTION TO THE EATING DISORDER DEBATE? Because of its ‘helping’ nature the show

has been branded and represented as a solution to the eating disorder debate as it offers solutions to both ends of the eating disorder scale. The end of each show often shows the two people vowing never to go back to their old bad diets ever again and hows them having a new diet plan involving healthier foods. By seeing this, the audience belives that the show has helped the people and has helped the audience who may be looking for new healthier diets.

However, Supersize vs Supserskinny can be argued to be a problem for the eating disorder debate. Although the show is all about offering a solution to people with poor diets, the advertisements during the show have an entirely differnet motive. Whilst watching an episode, during the adverts there was an advertisement for KFC’s BBQ Rancher Box Meal which was targeted at women, especially those with a busy schedule and using the song “She’s a lady” to attract the audiences attention.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kaX-AF0-Fpw When researching the nutrtional information on this

meal I discovered that the meal comes to 1095 calories. Considering a female should only consume 2000 calories a day, this meal is very unhealthy and is over half of her recomemended guideline daily amounts (GDA).

There was also an advertisement for Wyke’s rich and creamy mature cheddar cheese during this television show which contains 410 calories per 100g.

DAILY MAIL WEBSITE FOR SUPERSZE VS SUPERSKINNY The show has been accused of being 'triggering' for eating disorder

sufferers, with Chief Executive of B-eat, Susan Ringwood, saying 'They're deadly, not entertainment.‘

It’s been argued that replacing one unhealthy diet for another is taking an unnecessary risk with the contestants' health, to which Channel 4 replied that this all takes place under the supervision of medical experts, including celebrity GP Dr Christian Jessen. 

During the last season of Supersize, which aired in 2011, young ambassadors for the charity B-eat (the UK’s largest eating disorder support group) took to Twitter in droves to express concern.

Over-indulging: Dr Christian Jessen shows Louise how much she eats with a rather vulgar visual aid

Many described it as 'triggering', meaning that the programme caused them emotional distress relating to their own struggles with food and body image.

One particularly enraged user, @Faloog, who is in recovery from anorexia nervosa, said: '#SupersizevSuperskinny. Sensationalist. Unhealthy messages & methods. Triggering. Unhelpful. Exploitive. Patronising. HATE IT.'

In March 2011, Natasha Devon, Director of positive body image campaign Body Gossip, blogged her concerns about the way eating disorders are portrayed within Supersize, branding it 'reductive'. 

Dr Christian Jessen himself took to Twitter in response to Natasha’s blog, claiming that they use 'the country’s leading experts'.

Yet he failed to mention the whole load of medical experts who had already refused to take part and had expressed their concerns.

For a healthy member of the public, Supersize may seem like a bit of harmless fun, yet Dr Phillippa Diedrichs, a researcher at the University of West England’s Centre for Appearance Research, warns against taking this view.

She said: 'Reality shows that focus on weight loss tend to heavily promote the idea that the body is malleable, and that any size, weight, or shape can be obtained. 'These programmes often reinforce the unrealistic, thin beauty ideal by using body weight and weight loss as an indicator of participants' success (e.g. through weekly weigh-ins) and they often show an oversimplified relationship between weight status and health.'

FEARNE COTTON-’THE TRUTH ABOUT ONLINE ANOREXIA’ I also looked at a documentary Fearne Cotton did called

‘The truth about online anorexia’. ‘Online anorexia’ or ‘Pro-ana websites’ as they are sometimes reffered to as is the promotion of the eating disorder anorexia nervosa. It is often referred to simply as "ana" and is sometimes personified by anorexics as a girl named 'Ana'. The lesser-used term pro-mia refers likewise to bulimia nervosa and is sometimes used interchangeably with pro-ana.

Pro-ana organizations differ widely in their stances. Most claim that they exist mainly as a non-judgmental environment for anorexics; a place to turn to, to discuss their illness, and to support those who choose to enter recovery. Others deny anorexia nervosa is a mental illness and claim instead that it is a "lifestyle choice" that should be respected by doctors and family.

Such sites have flourished on the Internet, mainly through tight-knit support groups centred around web forums and, more recently, social network services such Tumblr and Facebook . These groups are typically small, vulnerable, partly hidden and characterized by frequent migrations. They also have an overwhelming female readership and are frequently the only means of support available to socially isolated anorexics.

Members of such support groups may: Endorse anorexia and/or bulimia as desirable (84% and 64%

respectively in a 2010 survey). Share crash dieting techniques and recipes (67% of sites in a

2006 survey, rising to 83% in a 2010 survey). Coach each other on using socially acceptable pretexts for

refusing food, such as veganism (which is notably more prevalent in the eating-disordered in general

Compete with each other at losing weight, or fast together in displays of solidarity.

Commiserate with one another after breaking fast or binging. Advise on how to best induce vomiting, and on using laxatives. Give tips on hiding weight loss from parents and doctors. Post their weight, body measurements, details of their dietary

regimen or pictures of themselves to solicit acceptance and affirmation.

Suggest ways to ignore or suppress hunger pangs.

Possibly the worst part of these ‘Pro-ana’ websites is that the people on them truly believe that they are helping one another by sharing information such as “If you're going to drink diet soda, drink quickly in large gulps. This will help fill you up faster and prevent hunger pains” and “Most people just want the taste of food, so chew the food you want and spit it out. Don't swallow the food!” I found many more ‘useful’ tips and hints to keep from being hungry on this website:

http://anabootcamp.weebly.com/techniques.html

Fearne Cotton even calls the websites “so sad” and struggles when she is on the ‘Rainbow diet’. The rainbow diet can be seen in the next slide.

Fearne says: “There’s so much pressure on women to conform and look a certain way. Even if you’re not actually sucked into dieting yourself, it’s still around you and you have to choose not to take it on.”

“Women waste so much time worrying about it. Especially young girls – I think it’s such a shame they don’t put their energy into having adventures and achieving their goals. It’s all about looking a certain way, rather than doing something cool. A lot of girls probably hold themselves back from achieving a lot because they’re too busy obsessing about their weight.”

RAINBOW DIET Monday (white):

Breakfast: ½ apple (40.5 cals)Lunch: ½ apple (40.5 cals)Dinner: 1 cucumber (24 cals)Total: 105 cals

Tuesday (yellow):Breakfast: 1 banana (108.5 cals)Lunch: 1 banana (108.5 cals)Dinner: ½ cup corn (66 cals)Total: 283 cals

Wednesday (fast):

Thursday (orange): Breakfast: ½ orange (31 cals)Lunch: ½ orange (31 cals)Dinner: 1 carrot (26 cals)Total: 88 cals

Friday (red):Breakfast: ½ cup strawberries (21.5 cals)Lunch: ½ cup strawberries (21.5 cals)Dinner: ½ red pepper (16 cals)Total: 59 cals

Saturday (purple/blue):Breakfast: 10 blueberries (8 cals)Lunch: 10 blueberries (8 cals)Dinner: 10 raspberries (24 cals)Total: 40 cals

Sunday (green):Breakfast: ½ cup grapes (57 cals)Lunch: ½ grapes (57 cals)Dinner: 1 cup lettuce (7 cals)Total: 121 cals

As you can clearly see, this is a dangerous diet that is being promoted by these websites that has consequences such as fainting, tiredness and dehydration.

Fearne adresses the problem that these websites have caused when she says she “feels guilty about going out for dinner” when she broke the rules of the diet and had a tuna steak salad she said that she felt “It became more about the rules and the boundaries I’d set for myself. I kept thinking I shouldn’t eat all of this salad” this is obviously showing that many other people using these pro-ana websites are most likely to feel guilty if they break them as well, making them incredibly powerful against vunverable people.

Pro-ana sites are clearly a problem in the eating disorder debate but are being labelled by people with eating disorders as being the solution as they offer what they see as helpful advice

ARE WE BEING TRICKED INTO THE FOOD WE BUY? It has been argued that food

advertisements can be a big part of the problem when adressing obesity and overweightness by having celebrities advertising fast food or unhelathy snacks.

This has been especially criticised when these advertisements can be seen by children and stars such as Cheryl Cole and Girls Aloud act as role model for young girls to aspire to be like so the argument is that if a girl sees Girl’s Aloud advertising a Kit Kat Senses bar then she is likely to buy one to be like her role models. It has been argued that this is problematic because although a Kit Kat Senses bar only contains 165 calories, its argued that Girl’s Aloud would never eat one to stay so thin so that is leading young girls to chase unrealistic ideals.

The same can be said for Beyoncé advertising Pepsi as sugary and fizzy drinks are every parents worst nightmare, having one of the most influencial and empowering people on the planet endorsing it will make the audience think that it is okay to consume this largely unhealthy product because Beyoncé does it.

THE LITTLE MERMAID ‘FAT VS THIN’

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VyFVG4VfPmg The Little Mermaid Disney film, Urusla the wicked sea

witch says how she can 'help' people in need. She calls the people in the couldren, one of whom is overweight then trhe lyrics are 'I use it on behalf of the miserable, the lonely, and depressed (pathetic). Poor unfortunate souls In pain, in need this one longing to be thinner that one wants to get the girl and do I help them? Yes, indeed’

From an early age, children are seeing that overweight people are depressed and unhappy with their lives because of their weight. Even Ursula, the villain is overweight, and the hero and damsel in distress is slim and of an average weight.