By Clare BruceFriday 21 Jul 2017Hope BreakfastCultureReading Time: 3 minutes
Listen: Butterfly Foundation CEO Christine Morgan talks about concerns around ‘To The Bone’. Above: The film stars Keanu Reeves and Lily Collins. Image source: Netflix trailer.
The new Netflix movie To The Bone is a powerful thought-and-conversation starter, around the very real and growing problem of eating disorders.
But it’s also having a triggering effect for people who suffer—according to both experts, and women with anorexia themselves.
The film follows a 20-year-old woman named Ellen, an artist, and her journey through a treatment program for anorexia nervosa. Keanu Reeves stars as Ellen’s doctor.
The movie is based on the director Marti Noxon’s own experience with the condition. Starring actor, Lily Collins, has suffered an eating disorder herself in the past and has said it was confronting to face the issue again by starring in the film.
Some viewers have criticised the film, saying that the trailer is ‘triggering’—meaning it can spark a spiral of harming behaviours in sufferers. They believe it should come with warnings. Concerning elements in the trailer include a scene in which Ellen calculates exactly how many calories are in every food item on her plate.
Mental health advocate Sarah Leck tweeted, “So disappointed to see the To the Bone trailer autoplay on my newsfeed without a trigger warning or list of resources at the end”.
Above: Dr William Beckham played by Keanu Reeves takes his patients on a field trip to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art’s “Rain Room” exhibit.
May Trigger Copycat Behaviour in Vulnerable People
Hope 103.2 chatted to Christine Morgan, the CEO of Butterfly Foundation which is a charity supporting those affected by eating disorders and body image issues.
Christine said that while the issue of eating disorders needs to brought into the public eye for discussion, there’s a fine line to tread when it comes to portrayal of the disorder.
“One of the aspects of an eating disorder is that there is a serious risk of somebody copy-catting behaviour,” she explained. “So they may feel as though they ‘need to do the eating disorder better’. They can sometimes be triggered by really graphic, definitive things, to try and copycat those behaviours. That’s our real concern. That somebody with an eating disorder could be triggered, or somebody who’s vulnerable to an eating disorder but hasn’t yet kicked in, may also be triggered.”
The concerns are similar to fears around the series 13 Reasons Why, which graphically depicted teen suicide.
A Call for Viewer Warnings
Experts are calling for warnings to be placed around the film and its trailers.
“We have four percent of Australians with an eating disorder,” Christine said. “That’s about a million people. And less than 25 percent are in treatment because they feel so ashamed of what they’re going through. To get stigma rates down we have to raise awareness. You’ve got to have that conversation, but at the same time, try to protect those who are vulnerable.”
Christine encourages anyone who is concerned about a loved one displaying trouble behaviours around food, to seek professional help. Do not write it off as silly behaviour or simply tell the young person to ‘eat more’.
“They actually do need help because it’s a mental illness.”
“The main thing is for parents to realise that an eating disorder – whether it’s anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa or binge eating disorder – is a very serious neuropsychiatric disorder. So when they’re having a conversation with a young person, it’s not about the eating. That’s just the symptom that presents. They actually do need help because it’s a mental illness.”
Resources for both sufferers and family members are available on the Butterfly Foundation website.
If you or anyone you know is experiencing an eating disorder or related issues, we encourage you to call the Butterfly Foundation’s national helpline on 1800 33 4673.