The issue of eating disorders might be one of the toughest to authentically portray on screen. Not only are they widely misunderstood, but they are also glamorized (yet simultaneously stigmatized) by media. In today's world, people generally understand that eating disorders are a mental disorder. Yet, there is still a fascination with disordered eaters' physical changes to the extent of downplaying or dismissing the psychological agony they are suffering through. When the topic of eating disorders arises, the first image to pop up in too many people's mind is a beautiful, upper-class white teenage girl whose perfectionism got the best of her. It's not representative of the wide range of people eating disorders affect, the messy overlap of symptoms, thoughts, and behaviors, and the overall experience of living with this disorder.

Movies have powerful potential to alter the way society understands Anorexia, Bulimia, Binge Eating, and a whole host of other eating disorders lumped into the most commonly diagnosed category OSFDED (Other Specified Feeding or Eating Disorders). They can show an audience previously unaffected by eating disorders the destructive thoughts and resulting behaviors of those struggling with one. However, just like any movie involving illness or a tragic accident, films can also be be a major trigger for those who are sick or in recovery. Unlike a movie about cancer, films centered around eating disorders can actually lead those personally affected to fall back into destructive behaviors. Watching a girl stand in front of a mirror and measure her body, eat on a scale, or stick a toothbrush down her throat might awaken the intrusive eating disorder thoughts that those in recovery are learning to manage. For this reason, including a "trigger warning" is vital so audience members sensitive to the subject matter are not taken by surprise.

But the trigger potential of eating disorder films is not actually the biggest problem. Even more dangerous are the results these films can have on those who are slipping into or in the depths of an eating disorder. One common behavior of disordered eaters is the active search for tips and tricks to lose weight. In a movie where the main character is researching and discussing the way in which he/she hides food, purges in secret, or cheats a weight check, the "real life" viewers sick with the disorder are sitting there absorbing new ways to get sicker.

So, should films simply omit showing the audience the behaviors and conversations that lead to the weight loss? After all, if a film is being used as a tool to gain tools, it seems irresponsible to proceed with such a graphic production. But, remove these aspects of the disorder, and what is left of the film? Now the audience is watching a story about a character on a self-destructive journey without showing the self-destruction. It is no longer a realistic portrayal of eating disorders. The film how takes a widely misunderstood illness that involves dangerous weight loss symptoms considered desirable by many audience members (not just the ones with eating problems) and turns the ill character into an intriguing mystery with a secret too many people are going to wish they had. In short, it glamorizes the most deadly mental illness.

It seems there is one crucial question filmmakers must ask themselves when involving themselves with a film about eating disorders: Do I spread much-needed awareness to the masses while making the sick sicker, or do I drain the details of the focus of my film to protect the safety of those in an unhealthy state of mind who also happen to be the motivation for my film? It's a paralyzing catch-22.