A Thin Line

Should Hollywood continue to make films about eating disorders?

- Chandra Pepino

The first time I sat down to watch Netflix’s new drama comedy To The Bone, I couldn’t make it through the first 30 minutes. Two bulimic characters exchange tips on how best to expunge the day’s dinner from their bodies as the camera pans to Ellen’s (Lily Collins) emaciated frame. I couldn’t help but recall the online community I once subscribed to at the height of my own eating disorder—one that intentionally misspells its hashtags so Tumblr watchdogs can’t track them down. Today, those hashtags are peppered with stills of Ellen’s hairy arms, a bodily defense mechanism that kicks in once your nutrient levels have dropped dramatically. “The furry” has become, against all odds, an enviable goal in this community. It’s not as if the filmmakers’ immediate goal was to implore girls to damage their own bodies; it’s that when films like these crop up, they fundamentally a