ArticleJournal of eating disorders2023
Discrepancies between media portrayals and actual demographics of eating disorders in TV and film: implications of representation.
Article in Journal of eating disorders, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.
What it found
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Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed.
- Editorial: Adverse Childhood Experiences and Disordered Eating Behaviors: Specific Associations and Individual Implications.JAACAP open · 2026Article
- Early intervention for eating disorders: a call to action for inclusion of minoritized groups.Eating disorders · 2025Article
- Boys don't try? Gendered stigma specifically reduces help-seeking for disordered eating in men, but not women.Journal of eating disorders · 2025Article
- Investigating the impact of causal attributions on anorexia nervosa stigma.Journal of eating disorders · 2025Article
- General Psychiatric Management for Adolescents With Borderline Personality Disorder and Eating Disorders.American journal of psychotherapy · 2025Review
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Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundMedia has a reputation for painting a narrow, simplistic, sensationalized portrait of eating disorders. There is little analysis of how film and TV portray eating disorders nor the implications of this representation. This study fills that gap by comparing demographics of US film and TV characters since the 1980s to actual population demographics of people with eating disorders.
methodsWe compiled a dataset of TV and movie characters with eating disorders and categorized characters' gender, age, race/ethnicity, and sexual orientation. We narrowed the dataset to include only US media depictions to facilitate comparisons with empirical prevalence, resulting in a total of 66 characters over the period 1981 to 2022. We then compared the demographic characteristics of our sample to national statistics on eating disorder prevalence.
resultsUS media depictions of eating disorders overrepresented characters who were heterosexual (75.56%), White (84.85%), women (89.39%), and under age 30 (84.85%). This does not accurately reflect the populations experiencing eating disorders in the US.
conclusionsEating disorders have an image problem. TV and movies inaccurately portray them as primarily affecting heterosexual, White, women under age 30. Misrepresentation could fuel existing stigmas that inhibit individuals with eating disorders from seeking and receiving treatment. It could also perpetuate stereotypes that fuel misperceptions of the disease by medical providers, families, and policymakers. We recommend more accurate representation in the media to better reflect current demographics and increase awareness of the range of people who can experience eating disorders.
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