This Tuesday night I watched a full episode of GLEE for the first time. I enjoyed the episode for the most part. It was funny and clever. I especially loved the singing. But, the casual references to eating disorders bugged me. For those of you who missed the show, these were the references. I want to know your opinion. Do you think they cross the line?
1) The cheerleading coach commented that she hadn't eaten a real meal since the 1980's. She said she drinks a cayenne pepper, lemon, and maple syrup detox drink and makes all the girls on the cheerleading squad do the same. She tells them to add epicac to the drink so they can vomit easily after.
Lovely!
2) The cheerleading coach jokes about the cheerleaders leaving vomit baggies in their parent's closets.
Nice!
Then, at the end of the show, a larger girl on the cheerleading squad decides she won't listen to the coach anymore and that she is beautiful the way she is. A pregnant ex-cheerleader tells her this and says that because she is eating to feed another life, her relationship with food has changed.
The finale song is Christina Aguilera's "I am Beautiful" and the message is taught again to accept yourself the way you are.
Soo....you've got a couple of stupid bulimia jokes and a couple of messages that say you don't need a perfect body. Do the positive messages eliminate the negative ones?
I don't think so. I think it's irresponsible to joke so lightly about bulimia without showing the real consequences. Maybe if the cheerleading coach had been bulimic since the 1980s and she had no teeth because of it...you know what I'm saying? So, what's your opinion?
To find out more about the book Stop Overeating Today! that was featured on the Dr. Laura Show, please visit: http://www.stopovereatingtips.com
