Today, criticism doesn’t get to her in the same way.
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MADE ME DO Celebrities are taking centre stage in campaigns against media portrayal of our bodies. We explore the issues and discover how professional support is changing.
It’s estimated that over a million people across the UK are living with an eating disorder. In the new Netflix Taylor Swift documentary Miss Americana, Swift reveals her struggle with anxiety about body image manifested through eating difficulties and excessive exercise. The film includes a montage of derogatory comments about the singer’s body. Then and now photos illustrate just how thin Swift had become during the ‘1989’ album era versus the healthier look she sported by the time she toured behind the “Reputation” album in 2018. Her undereating in that earlier time severely affected her stamina on tour. She also told Variety magazine that there had been times when she’d seen “a picture of me where I feel like I looked like my tummy was too big, or... someone said that I looked pregnant... and that’ll trigger me to just starve a little bit – just stop eating.” Today, criticism doesn’t get to her in the same way and she’s reconciled “the fact that I’m a size 6 instead of a size double zero.”
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DOES THE MEDIA’S PROMOTION OF THE ‘BODY BEAUTIFUL’ CAUSE EATING DIFFICULTIES? Mersey Care Assistant Clinical Psychologist Becky Moon says media attention to body image isn’t all to blame. And there’s a positive flipside. “The media does play a role, but to say it causes eating disorders is unhelpful. Yes there’s a plethora of unhelpful stuff in the media, but there’s also a lot of helpful information too. Jameela Jamil, for example, is a fantastic advocate for positive body image.” Media influence is not a new phenomenon. And while it’s unlikely to be the sole cause of eating difficulties, in some cases there is a link, says Clinical Psychologist Hannah Gordon. “It’s a misconception that people develop eating difficulties simply because they are trying to emulate images of celebrities. But when the media makes comments on a celebrity’s body or appearance it sends out a message that what we look like is important. That may make someone more critical of their own body and appearance, and being very self critical is one of the many factors that make a person more vulnerable to developing eating difficulties. “If someone is very distressed about their weight and shape, and if they use harmful strategies to try and manage their distress, like excessive exercising, try to restricting what they eat, or self inducing vomiting, it might be useful to think about getting support”.
• If you or someone you know needs help for eating difficulties visit your GP who may refer you to the Eating Disorder service. • Beat Eating Disorders UK (BEAT) – beateatingdisorders.org.uk • Jameela Jamil interview with Glamour magazine: www.glamour.com/story/ jameela-jamil-on-i-weigh-instagram
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aylor Swift is an A list celebrity, Hope Virgo is an author and mental health campaigner. Both are publicly highlighting their personal struggles to expose the often hidden trauma of eating disorders.
