Tipping the Scales: Responsible Reporting on Eating Disorders

Reporters search for facts and figures. Stories with shock value are tantamount to striking gold. And that's why when we hear about eating disorders in the news, we get numbers and we get extremes. Two recent examples:

Israeli model Hila Elmalich tragically passed away from anorexia; practically every blog and news outlet made her weight at the time of her death the focal point of their coverage. For a reporter, this number is a crucial piece of information. For most readers, the number instantly distances us from her experience. There is a voyeuristic, freak show effect that washes over us. We shake our heads at the sad reality that someone could make herself so sick. But the truth is that eating disorders are all around us, in every shape and size. We never give details about how much weight we lost when we were suffering with eating disorders for exactly that reason (and to avoid triggering pro-anas, of course). Those numbers are not a measure of our suffering.

A few weeks ago we posted about the Salon story on Diabulimia. Claire noted that the symptoms and behavior described in the article were not new, but the term "diabulimia" certainly was. Reporters quickly latched onto it. Although this eating disordered behavior has long been a problem, it didn't get extensive coverage until it got repackaged with a sexy new name. Check out writer Nancy Matsumoto's account of the personal conflicts she faced when covering diabulimia for People magazine.

If you are a reporter, editor or writer, we encourage you to read these tips on responsible reporting from the National Eating Disorders Association. As a media consumer, remember that every time you see a sensational story about an emaciated anorexic who starved herself to a shocking XX pounds!, there are millions of other people with eating disorders. Their weight might not be so shocking, but their pain is very real.

"No Anorexia" Ad Banned in Italy

Italy's Publicity Control Unit (IAP) has banned the controversial "No Anorexia" campaign, ordering billboards to removed. Well, actually there's only one billboard that still remains in Rome since the campaign is pretty much over at this point.

"The photo is shocking for everyone, particularly those who are sick, and has been set up for commercial ends," IAP President Giorgio Floridia told AFP news agency. We would add this correction: the campaign was shocking for everyone. When they first saw it. A month ago. "Banning" it now just gives the campaign another wave of publicity. [BBC News]

See all posts related to the "No Anorexia" campaign.

The Woman Behind the "No Anorexia" Ad

There has been much buzz about Isabelle Caro, the anorexic woman who appears in the new "No Anorexia" advertising campaign, but stateside we haven't heard much from Caro herself. Not unless you count the predictably sensational coverage on shows like Entertainment Tonight/The Insider, who actually showed footage of Caro stepping onto a scale and then reported her weight for all the pro-anas to post on their websites.

I found some posts from Caro's blog, written in her native French (also my first language). I am translating them here so that our readers can hear directly from a woman who is much more than an image on a billboard:

On why she did the "No Anorexia" campaign:
"To show that it isn't a model of beauty, it is the image of the true sickness that will come out of it. When it does, I hope to make understood to all of those who are dieting too severely that it can lead them to a spiral in hell. Finally, I am fighting every day and try and enjoy each little joy that life can offer, no matter how insignificant! "
de montrer que ce n'est pas ça un modèle de beauté c'est l'image de la veritable maladie qui en resortira et là j'espère faire comprendre à toutes celles qui entreprenne un régime trop sévère peut les conduire vers la spirale de l'enfer ! enfin je me bat chaque jour et j'essaye de savourer chaque petite joie aussi infime soit elle que la vie peut m'offrire!"

On doing TV interviews:
"Because the whole point for me to give interviews on TV is to help young women in need of help to understand the danger of this sickness and avoid falling into it."
car le but pour moi de temoigner à la tv est d'aider des jeunes fille en détresse à comprendre les dander de cette maladieet de les éviters de tomber là dedans!

In fact, being in the spotlight was a risky move for Caro, whose health is obviously very fragile. When the campaign first became public, Caro's aide was quoted as saying that her phone rang up to 40 times an hour with calls from the press. In the midst of the media frenzy, Caro forgot to take one of her food supplements and could have suffered a stroke. But just three hours after fainting, she was back talking to reporters. I can't fault the media for covering this story, but every reporter should educate him/herself on how to cover eating disorders responsibly.

Related:
Fashion Statement: Oliviero Toscani
Why is No-l-ita Offering No-Information for Sufferers?
Has the "No Anorexia" Ad Become Pro-Ana Thinspiration?

Why is No-l-ita Offering No-Information for Sufferers?

After all this talk about the "No Anorexia" campaign, I decided to show you a picture of another nude model--me.

This is from a 1999 article in Glamour, when I first went public about my seven-year battle with bulimia. I was healthy when the photo was taken, but my body didn't look much different from when I was very sick. That's the thing about eating disorders. They don't always look so shocking.

I have a lot of mixed feelings about the No-l-ita ad campaign. First, it is of no surprise to me that the campaign comes from Oliviero Toscani. After all his years at Benetton, he has become known for this style. I think he is a great artist in his ability to increase the visibility of taboo topics. He has certainly gotten people talking with this uncomfortable, extreme image of a very sick anorexic. After Ana Carolina Reston's death last year and the declarations and recommendations of fashion councils around the world, I am glad to see the discussion continue. However, it saddens me to see that, yet again, the focus is on the extreme. Yes, sensationalism works and gets people's attention, but it's such a limited view of what eating disorders look like. I appeared on a few billboards when I was so ill and depressed I thought I would die. That desperation never showed up in the pictures, though.

Finally, publicity for the sake of it is, in my mind, very selfish, irresponsible and money-oriented. When I came out and talked publicly about my eating disorder, I didn't just want to put myself in the spotlight--I wanted to make sure that my story helped and served a purpose. That's why I searched for an organization that worked to raise awareness and helped people deal and get treatment. Whenever I talk about my own experience, I make sure that there are resources available for anyone who needs help. Since No-l-ita is taking on eating disorders as the face of their campaign, it would be thoughtful for them to give eating disorder resources on their website. When you see that billboard, what next? How about providing some information on the issue they're using to get attention? Controversy gets people buzzing. But let's make sure this is not a case of all talk and no action.

Note: We have written to No-l-ita, suggesting that they include health and referral information as part of their campaign. We have not received a response yet, but will keep you updated.

Related:
Fashion Statement: Oliviero Toscani
Has the "No Anorexia" Ad Become Pro-Ana Thinspiration?

Photo: Michael O'Neil

Has the "No Anorexia" Ad Become Pro-Ana Thinspiration?

The nude image of Isabelle Caro, a 27-year-old anorexic, is turning up on billboards all over Italy and spreading like wildfire over the internet. No-l-ita says they launched this campaign to "use advertising as an instrument to promote awareness of social evils." But many fear that while the image may shock most, it will likely be used as a source of "thinspiration" for those who frequent pro-ana websites, MySpace pages and message boards.

How could anyone strive to look like a startling picture of such serious illness? For starters, pro-anas are ill themselves. And they are looking for validation. Over at MamaVISION, there's an interesting debate going on. Shana, from the "post-pro-ana" site We Bite Back (an online community started by a former pro-ana who got tired of looking for thinspiration and decided to get healthy) had this to say:

"people turn to pro-ana because anorexia hurts like hell. and it hurts even more to think that what you are doing is twisted and sick and wrong and abnormal. so if they turn it around, make starvation holy, coveted and an ideal, it makes their illness almost a… talent. it’s a desperate attempt to feel good. and it can work, just very temporarily."

The image is shocking on its own. That's what severe anorexia looks like. Now imagine a girl or young woman who sees this ad and thinks, "I wonder how much she weighs. Do I have more 'fat' on my thighs? How long will it take before my ribs stick out like that?" For some, that's what anorexia feels like.

Related:
Fashion Statement: Oliviero Toscani
Why is No-l-ita Offering No-Information for Sufferers?

Fashion Statement: Oliviero Toscani

Fashion photographer Oliviero Toscani is not one to shy away from controversy or shock tactics. Now he is taking on the anorexia epidemic in a new ad campaign picturing an emaciated anorexic with the tagline "No anorexia." The ad is sponsored by Italian clothing company No-l-ita and will be featured on billboards in many Italian cities--just in time for Milan Fashion Week. "I've been looking at the problem of anorexia for years. Who is responsible? Communication in general? Television? Fashion?" asked Toscano.

"So it is very interesting that in the end a fashion company has understood the importance of the problem, and with full awareness has found the courage to take the risk this campaign involves," he said in a No-l-ita press release.

While we don't think the media and the fashion industry are entirely responsible for causing anorexia, we are completely on board with the idea that they should take responsibility for promoting healthier images of beauty. The images in this ad clearly show what un-retouched anorexia looks like. No makeup. No designer clothes. No forgiving lighting. It's not pretty.

Toscani raises another important point, though. The industry does need to be aware of the gravity of anorexia. But what about other eating disorders? Public education campaigns (and celebrity tabloids for that matter) have long relied on the image of the emaciated anorexic because it is the most startling and visible of eating disorders. However, most sufferers do not wear their illnesses as skin and bones. Millions of people are caught up in dangerous, life-threatening eating disordered behavior. You wouldn't stop in your tracks if you saw their pictures on a billboard because they don't look skeletal. You wouldn't gasp or speculate about their health because they have pretty "normal" bodies. Too-skinny model spotting has practically become a media pastime, but there are plenty of curvier runway regulars who are suffering, too. [Reuters and AFP]

Related:
Has the New "No Anorexia" Ad Become Pro-Ana Thinspiration?
Why is No-l-ita Offering No-Information for Sufferers?