Popular TV shows often come with some baggage. Fans that become obsessed, or just really enjoy some good TV, might take to heart some subliminal messages.
A few years ago, Demi Lovato made a big deal when Disney Channel aired an episode of “Shake It Up” in which a model joked about being anorexic. Lovato pointed out that it is super inappropriate for a kids’ show to make it seem OK to have an eating disorder.
Kids are molded at a young age and to watch your favorite show talk about how being pretty means you have to be skinny can be scarring.
I’ve recently noticed this phenomenon in the new fall show, “Scream Queens.” A show that follows sorority girls being killed off by serial killers isn’t the scariest part of the show.
The president of the sorority and her little “Chanels” often refer to the fact they don’t eat— they must stay thin.
Every episode talks about how they only eat cotton balls with dipping sauce.
Other episodes mention things like, “Why do we even have a kitchen, no one eats in this house,” or, “Rat poison would only make throw up, making me even skinnier.”
Statements like these promote unhealthy habits and I feel like since this show is so popular, it could send girls the wrong message.
I never knew about eating cotton balls until I started watching “Scream Queens,” and I’m worried that girls who are looking to lose weight might want to try this to see if it works. As if battling bulimia and anorexia wasn’t hard enough, now we have to teach girls that eating cotton balls is wrong.
It’s starting with kids’ shows, developing into teen shows and even enters into adult shows. If popular TV shows aren’t being punished for allowing messages that promote unhealthy lifestyles, then it’ll be an endless cycle of low self-esteem.
There have been so many steps taken to promote a happy body image, but airing shows with an opposite message is like taking one step forward and two steps back.
It’s never OK to joke about eating disorders. Ever.
Brittany McClintock can be reached at [email protected] or @theorion_news on Twitter.
Helen Medina // Apr 14, 2016 at 12:49 pm
I think TV shows and other mass media like magazines are not only culpits for the girls (and boys) developing unhealthy body images, parents’ (sometimes even grandparents’) unrealistic expectations sometimes can be another culpit too. So kids need proper guidance from their parents or trusted adults from early ege to develop their positive image and continue beyond their teenage years.