Eating Disorders, Society's Views and this is me standing on my soap box *again*

Just recently something has been irking me, a lot. There seems to be a spotlight on eating disorders in the media and pop culture. Glee, for instance, have recently introduced a character suffering from bulimia. This afternoon I finished reading "Paper Valentine" by Breanna Yovanoff, a book which features the ghost of a teenage girl who died after suffering from anorexia for a period of time.

I have had a lot to do with eating disorders, I've read everything about them that I can get my hands on. The statistics are shocking, with one in every three girls suffering from a body morphic disorder. So this kind of attention being paid to this issue is definitely a good thing. They do not in any way glorify the issue and they portray how damaging and painful these illness are. But they fall short in one important aspect - the person suffering is in no way at fault.

 If someone is suffering from an eating disorder, they are not selfish, or seeking attention or irresponsible. They are suffering. Just because you can't understand that particular brand of illness doesn't mean that it isn't one. I am a self confessed Gleek - but seeing the members of the Glee club mocking Marley the character with bulimia made me question my loyalty to the show. Finishing "Paper Valentine", a beautifully written novel by one of my favourite authors, I was left wanting more. Because where was the moral? A young girl dies and no one besides her equally young best friend tried to help her. That is a tragedy and the gravity of that wasn't dealt with.

There are so many different ways to get help, if you or a friend need it. No one should suffer alone, or in silence. No one should be mocked, or made to feel ashamed if they are suffering. When people are ignorant, when they don't understand, they can be mean. They can force there small minded opinions on you and make you feel unworthy. But you don't have to listen. And that is something that I had to find out the hard way.