I was on the ITV 1 Good Morning programme today with two girls who are in recovery from anorexia. To illustrate how bad anorexia can be, they showed a photo one of of the girls, taken when she was only 3 stones in weight and close to death. The girl is now a healthy weight and despite never having menstruated, now has a healthy baby boy.
Some people say that showing such pictures is shocking and unnecessary. They say it trivialises and sensationalises anorexia and would cause harm to some watchers.
I am not so sure. It just doesnt have much emotional impact to say I have had anorexia really badly and now I am well. They say that a picture is worth a thousand words.
Personally, I am more upset by scenes of gratuitous violence in the visual media than I am upset by the "ana" pictures that inspire some people on pro-anorexia websites.
How else can we portray the madness and the pain of anorexia and how it affects some sufferers? When I have the answer, I will blog again.
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