Cultivation Theory and Eating Disorder Stereotypes
Cultivation theory states that a consumer’s views are shaped through repeated exposure to media. This can develop stereotypes about groups of people that aren’t necessarily true, and my film aims to combat this.
The common stereotype for an eating disorder is a young girl who is thin, white, and beautiful. Even in the deepest parts of her disorder she still looks very put together, and she almost always has anorexia or another restrictive disorder. This leaves out the massive population of disordered individuals who are male, POC, not thin, or have binging disorders, and misrepresents the disorder as a whole. Showing these beautiful waif-thin women politely refusing to eat and garnering respect from others is not representation and only encourages the behavior.
The article, “Are Movies About Eating Disorders Fundamentally Uncinematic,” does an incredible job talking about this subject and points out how hard it is to portray eating disorders correctly on the big screen.
“ The reality of eating disorders does not lend itself well to script material—leading Hollywood to gloss over some of these diseases’ deepest pains, and foreground unrepresentative characters. “ - Elizabeth King
King also states,
“ A movie candidly depicting eating disorders, then, would involve little dialogue and a lot of repetition—elements that are worth experimenting with, but might not lead to box-office success. “
This gives another reason, besides easy stereotyping, behind how eating disorders are misrepresented in the media. Cultivation theory tells us that eating disorders are romantic and for young and beautiful women, which not trut. Eating disorders are ugly. They’re not pretty, They’re not romantic or aesthetic, they’re an incredibly isolating experience that takes over your entire life. This is what Hollywood fails to show, this is what the masses don’t see, and this is what I want to portray in my opening. Not the stereotype that’s pushed onto consumers making them think that it’s less serious than it is.