Part of the reason why I am very passionate about this topic is because of an article I read in Us Weekly in June 2009. I remember it vividly because it really got my blood boiling.
Stephanie Pratt, The Hills star and younger sister of media hound Spencer Pratt, shared with Us that being on the show and working with "skinny girls" made her feel embarrassed about her body. Mind you, Us did not hesitate to mention that Pratt was already a size 0-2 and 5'7" when coming onto the show. I remember reading this and thinking, "She is that small and she feels fat?" A little ridiculous and unrealistic, yes?
The article also mentioned that Pratt does not blame society or the producers for her eating disorder - she just felt uncomfortable working with skinny girls.
What really bothered me about the article was that it did not say if Pratt had overcome her eating disorder or if she had learned from it. I did not gain anything from Pratt's confession and was not told about how important it is for eating disorder victims to get help. Granted, the Pratt siblings will do anything for attention, but this story, in my opinion, took it a little too far.
If Pratt really did suffer from binge eating and bulimia, then that is tragic. The problem here is not about her personal struggles, it is about the way the story was portrayed in Us Weekly. Telling us Pratt's already tiny dress size, announcing that she was embarrassed to be the bigger girl compared to her co-stars, and not giving us an answer as to whether or not she recovered from the disorder means that the audience (including teenage girls, remember?) does not benefit from the article in any way. Instead, the story is just there to sell magazines and completely disregard the effect it might have on fans of Pratt or The Hills.
Remember, the media tells us what is normal. If Us Weekly explains Pratt's struggles but does not give us any hope, is the media telling us that those people with similar struggles need to get help?
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