| 7:58 a.m. | Wild on Ana | 2002-02-12 |
| Reaped | The early morning light across the bay melts over the horizon like orange blueberry sherbet. It's cold, for once, and I wear two sweaters. There's little balls of lint all over my clothes from the kleenexes that always dissolve in the wash. Last night I was watching Boston Public, the teacher show that tries to be My so called life but ends up more like a bad episode of thirtysomething. (no offense to you Lifetime channel lovers out there, but it sucks) Since my roommate is someday going to be a teacher, and it's on before Ally McBarf, we watch it, like the responsible 20-ish marketing demographic we strive to be. Last night was the "anorexia" show. Remember the 90210 "slumber party truth or dare" epidsode where Kelly confesses her traumatic date rape and her older friend's eating disorder is exposed? Or the Saved by the Bell where Jessie becomes addicted to pep pills? "I'm so excited, I'm so excited, I'm so... Scared! Hold me Zack!" Messages, people, public service messages. So back to the crappy Boston Public show. We are introduced to the skinny 14 year old who keeps pictures of thin models in her locker. They make her feel "empty". She loves feeling empty. Evil thin models. Make girl want to starve. But, blonde teacher is concerned, she was once anorexic too! Cut to a 'heart-to-heart' scene in blond teacher's class room. Back shot of the skinny gamine 14 year old (nonetheless ethereally beautiful in her disease), notice backbones sticking out of her shirt. Blonde teacher says "Putting pennies in your underweear to weigh more? Bet you drink lots of water, I know why you weren't here last semester, your parents put you in a hospital..." Oooh, blonde teacher givin' some tough love. Another scene, later in the show. Blonde teacher finds anorexia website in computer lab. Teacher views several gratuitous shots of emaciated torsos with the words 'sexy' flashed in front of them. Gasps in horror, "ohmigod, I can't believe people think this is good!" Teacher is now on eating jihad. Confronts different young skinny girl about it. Skinny girl says "It's our ana club..." "ANA!?" asks teacher, "what the heck is that?!" (like she doesn't know, since she supposedly had this problem before). Skinny girl: "It's an-or-ex-ia." In case you couldn't make the connection. "...I just want other girls like me to know they're not alone...You wouldn't understand! And I'm not taking my site down, stupid teacher! Pick on the fat ones! Our ana club is about health and exercise and beauty!!" Oooh, starving does make one cranky, doesn't it? Skinny girl #2 flashes her hollow eyes and runs out the door. Anas 1, teacher, 0. Of course, I'm so sure that every school has their own 'ana-club', and they're real open to talkig about it, getting people to join it, making t-shirts (xxsmall!!), etc. and i'm ABSOLUTELY sure the sites would get through the school internet filter. yeah. Parents, be on the lookout. Now, if you were a young girl with an eating disorder, and didn't know about those helpful websites for your ana until you watched your favorite prime time Monday edu-drama, wouldn't you get right on AOL and try to find them? If you couldn't put into words your personal ana-philosphy, couldn't you do it now? Need some extra tips on how to weigh more? Well, there's some pennies of wisdom for ya. And that is why this show sucks, because while they are sending the public service message that ana is bad, they're enforcing its goodness to the people who really don't need any more reinforcing. See, on tv, you might have had an eating disorder in the past, but you still stay beautiful and skinny AND you have no emotional problems. There's a 'real life' double standard. Apparently, anorexia does not exist in the actresses that they cast to play these anorexic 14 year olds. Imagine the casting call. "Sorry honey, you're just too fat to play the adolescent girl with anorexia. Go lose 20 libs and then come talk to us." And once they're casted, the makeup people make them look like an ana girl's dream! Bones poking out, clear uber-pale skin, wide sorrowful eyes. Almost empty. Evil hollywood. Evil tv nation. And evil me, for futher spreading information that some people don't really need (or want) to know. |
Sown |
| Fresh Cut
New digs - 2004-05-25 Bachelor hell - 2004-05-10 Grumble - 2004-05-07 Coachella pt. 2, or goddamn do my fingers hurt - 2004-05-05 Coachella part one, or, this monkey's gone to indio rawk heaven - 2004-05-05 Random Shearings Rings |
Profile
Guestbook D-land Older Home 26 Links
Bandified
|
|
| � | � | |