February 24th through March 2nd, 2025 was Eating Disorder Awareness Week (EDAW).
Disordered eating is an illness that affects almost 30 million citizens in the United States alone, which is about 9% of the total population.
Let’s take a look at some narrative (not a documentary) eating disorder related impact entertainment campaigns done through television:
Heartstopper
In its third season, the popular teen romance Heartstopper tackled the sensitive subject of eating disorders through Charlie Spring’s storyline, collaborating closely with the UK-based charity Beat to ensure authenticity and care. This partnership extended to script reviews and the inclusion of Beat’s resources within the series, such as a scene where characters access Beat’s website for help.
Heartstopper challenged misconceptions—such as the belief that eating disorders predominantly affect young women—by highlighting how these issues impact LGBTQ+ youth, who are statistically more vulnerable. By showing Charlie’s journey from denial to seeking treatment and recovery, the series not only raised awareness but also conveyed a message of hope, encouraging viewers to seek support for themselves or loved ones.
"We wanted to work with Beat to ensure that Charlie’s story in season 3 and his experience of having an eating disorder felt realistic. We also wanted to ensure that there was nothing in the show that was particularly harmful or triggering to people who have experienced eating disorders."
— Alice Oseman, writer and executive producer of "Heartstopper"
To the Bone
The Netflix original film To The Bone follows Ellen, a young woman struggling with anorexia nervosa on her journey to recovery. The movie is largely based on the experiences of Ellen’s actress, Lily Collins, and the director of the movie, Marti Noxon, having both had a history of disordered eating patterns.
While successfully sparking conversation and audience engagement online and about eating disorders, the film has frequently been criticized for potentially being triggering and even aspirational to people suffering from disordered eating, despite Noxon’s assurance that "[her] goal with the film was not to glamourise [eating disorders], but to serve as a conversation starter about an issue that is too often clouded by secrecy and misconceptions.” Notably, Beat provided a statement and accompanying guide to viewers, and advised that people currently suffering with any form of an eating disorder be cautious if choosing to watch the film. Talk about creating positive social impact!
Skins
Cassie Ainworth— from the scandalous series Skins UK— suffers from anorexia nervosa. Similar to To The Bone, the show’s depiction of Cassie’s anorexia has previously been critiqued for its potentially triggering portrayal of eating disorders, with the criticism even going so far as to claim that Cassie’s anorexia could be “inspiring” to people suffering from this ailment.
For example, in one scene, Cassie shares and discusses the methods she uses to avoid eating, which to some viewers, was not something to be wary of— but a tutorial to follow.
There is not substantial evidence that the team behind Skins UK worked alongside any eating disorder related organizations; to better portray the perils and harm of these disorders, the team may have consulted with professionals in the eating disorder sphere and paid extra attention to what could be taken as a trigger by people suffering from these disorders.
Insatiable
In the Netflix original show, Insatiable, Patty Bladell suffers from Binge Eating Disorder, an eating disorder that is considerably less talked about and portrayed on screen than other EDs— despite it being the most common form in the U.S (currently affecting an estimated 2.8 million American citizens).
In similar fashion to To The Bone, the show did manage to start considerable discussion about fat-shaming and body positivity online and in the public eye; however, it also received its fair share of criticism over its stereotypical depiction of Patty’s BED habits and cliche character arc (opting to have Patty, a plus sized character, follow the “ugly duckling” trope). To ensure that the proper representation of this disorder be accurately portrayed and displayed to an audience as large as Netflix’s, the creative team behind this show could benefit from working alongside organizations dedicated to ED awareness and therapy (like Beat), and consulted with real people suffering from eating disorders to gain their input on how it affects their day-to-day life.
Our mission here at Empact is to facilitate media-driven activism for films by providing tools for filmmakers, impact producers, and changemakers to use storytelling to drive action. Our digital impact campaigns are FREE, and take less than 10 minutes to create. Our PRO tiers give you access to an engagement dashboard that tracks impact metrics so filmmakers, brands, and nonprofits gain data that helps better secure a sustainable holistic model of sales, funding, and advocacy to drive real-world change.
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This article was written with the help of our amazing intern, Chloe Parker, an accomplished junior at Windsor High School.
