Lily Collins

[elle_w00ds]

I mean I'll probably watch it, but christ, what a tired narrative. White woman develops ED to gain some element of control, goes to therapy, overcomes obstacles, goes home to succeed with people who surround her and love her. I was reading an article the other day on how it's damaging to only ever paint eating disorders in this light, I'll post it if I find it again.

There was one in The Guardian?

I'm still waiting for a high-quality production on eating disorders. Or at least something a little less formulaic. It's curious that commercial work dealing with anorexia remains so poorly nuanced; in a society as morbidly fascinated with the illness as ours, I would have thought we'd have something more interesting to show for than that 2000-something Lifetime movie. Maybe I am just ignorant. Or maybe that's what the general audience wants? A rawer portrayal of eating disorders might be too uncomfortable.

Anyway, to steer this thread back on topic, Lily looked stunning in her Ralph and Russo dress in Cannes, even if not at her skinniest:

 

[sabine]

I think the point is just to reach out to younger audiences who haven't had any influence like this. for a site like SG where a lot of us are knowledable on the subject, it's definitely a worn-on subject for many but there are a lot of young women and men who aren't aware, and this doesn't seem to glamorize eating disorders like 13 Reasons Why glamorizes suicide, at least from the trailer.

Bullshit. It's a blueprint of every media produced ED story to have ever existed. If they had featured a woman of colour, or a man, or someone from a low socio-economic background, or someone who suffers miserably and dies, and at least made a small effort to tear themselves away from society's idea that the only people to acceptably suffer from an eating disorder are high achieving, white females, from relative wealth, who are depicted as frail and delicate must be protected at all costs, I would have applauded, but as I mentioned earlier, this is a story that has been done to death. I realise there are supporting actors who may depict the fringes that I listed above, and I do not doubt Lily Collins', or Keanu Reeves', or anyone involved's ability to do a remarkable job on this. However it is still a tired narrative. End of. And this is coming from a high achieving, white female, from relative wealth, who has suffered from ED symptoms and has been treated as frail and delicate and protected - give someone elses story a voice.

Apologies for all the OT

 

[gracilis]

Bullshit. It's a blueprint of every media produced ED story to have ever existed. If they had featured a woman of colour, or a man, or someone from a low socio-economic background, or someone who suffers miserably and dies, and at least made a small effort to tear themselves away from society's idea that the only people to acceptably suffer from an eating disorder are high achieving, white females, from relative wealth, who are depicted as frail and delicate must be protected at all costs, I would have applauded, but as I mentioned earlier, this is a story that has been done to death. I realise there are supporting actors who may depict the fringes that I listed above, and I do not doubt Lily Collins', or Keanu Reeves', or anyone involved's ability to do a remarkable job on this. However it is still a tired narrative. End of. And this is coming from a high achieving, white female, from relative wealth, who has suffered from ED symptoms and has been treated as frail and delicate and protected - give someone elses story a voice.

Apologies for all the OT

This is beautifully said. Thank you for emphasizing the need to expand the societal perspective on eating disorders. I'd argue most obese individuals in America have an ED, or at least emotional and lifestyle regulation problems (i.e. strained life-work balance, stress of poverty, untreated depression or anxiety...) they are compensating for in food rather than fixing the real issues in their lives.

I want the dominant narrative to shift from "EDs all revolve around a desire to be beautiful" to be turned on its head. For example, bulimia's development often relates to childhood trauma and abuse.

I've heard from a transgender man who starved away his breasts and hips when surgery and hormones weren't an option, and then began to fear his body and its hungers into full blown AN. I've spoken to a woman who began binge eating to serious obesity after being sexually harassed repeatedly at the care centre she works (by developmentally impaired individuals who have little ability to regulate this). She wanted to be comforted and to disguise her feminine form under layers of fat as her armor. I want to hear real stories of strong people and weak people and differently abled people who've suffered.

This is all a rant OT in the wrong space but it just strikes me so deeply.

 

[ssmini]

I've spoken to a woman who began binge eating to serious obesity after being sexually harassed repeatedly at the care centre she works (by developmentally impaired individuals who have little ability to regulate this). She wanted to be comforted and to disguise her feminine form under layers of fat as her armor. I want to hear real stories of strong people and weak people and differently abled people who've suffered.

This is all a rant OT in the wrong space but it just strikes me so deeply.

I know a very simmilar story of a girl who ended obese after being sexually harrassed too and I never seen such a lonely and miserable person like her in my whole life.

I hope someday there are actually more movies that show real stories

 

[vie]

I think the point is just to reach out to younger audiences who haven't had any influence like this. for a site like SG where a lot of us are knowledable on the subject, it's definitely a worn-on subject for many but there are a lot of young women and men who aren't aware, and this doesn't seem to glamorize eating disorders like 13 Reasons Why glamorizes suicide, at least from the trailer.

Since the writer and director is a woman who has had anorexia and she's drawing on her own personal experiences, I'm hoping it will be well done, and am reserving judgment until I watch it. Imo it's not really fair of so many people to compare it to 13RW and assume it'll be that bad, since that was written by a man who had no firsthand experience or much understanding of being a suicidal teenage girl with depression. The amount of people criticizing Marti Noxon and Lily, as open ED survivors themselves, for glamorizing anoreixa doesn't seem productive or progressive. Agree with @sabine that it really seems like nothing new to add to ED-centered media, though.

Edit: didn't refresh the page before posting, and I just saw @sabine's second response, sorry! Well put and I think that's such a valid criticism/suggestion - it's good to give ED survivors a voice but the voice shouldn't always be wealthy pretty white women as it has been in the past.

 

[Kit]

Has anyone read Lily's new book? Or the section on ED at least?

I have it waiting on my kindle but I cannot bring myself to read an ebook. My eyes just don't work

 

[FrançoiseEllyn]

Has anyone read Lily's new book? Or the section on ED at least?

I have it waiting on my kindle but I cannot bring myself to read an ebook. My eyes just don't work

Well according to the gang above it's probably nothing new and boring so don't waste your time. Or is that not what you guys meant? Because it's already been done, it's not valid enough or worth anyone's time, was that it?

 

[sabine]

Well according to the gang above it's probably nothing new and boring so don't waste your time. Or is that not what you guys meant? Because it's already been done, it's not valid enough or worth anyone's time, was that it?

Passive aggressive much? If you go back and properly read my responses, I've mentioned numerous times that I will most likely watch it, and that I expect Lily and Keanu to produce stellar performances. Just because someone mentions something that goes slightly against your grain of thought, doesn't mean you should recoil straight into brat mode. You're not going to win anyones favour with that attitude, nor stand a chance convincing anyone of your opinion if your only reaction is the defence. Christ, one day back here and you're already eliciting my eye rolls.

 

[Kit]

Has anyone read Lily's new book? Or the section on ED at least?

I have it waiting on my kindle but I cannot bring myself to read an ebook. My eyes just don't work

okay well I read the first part that deals with her falling into an eating disorder and it's standard stuff. 16 years old, parents divorce, loving losing weight and then the hair and nails start going and people start noticing and stuff gets bad. I was bored enough that I didn't read the second part but the second part does have a really cute picture of her as a kid

To be fair though, I actually find anorexia a boring subject and probably won't watch her netflix show.

 

[Wiggenweld]

This is beautifully said. Thank you for emphasizing the need to expand the societal perspective on eating disorders. I'd argue most obese individuals in America have an ED, or at least emotional and lifestyle regulation problems (i.e. strained life-work balance, stress of poverty, untreated depression or anxiety...) they are compensating for in food rather than fixing the real issues in their lives.

I want the dominant narrative to shift from "EDs all revolve around a desire to be beautiful" to be turned on its head. For example, bulimia's development often relates to childhood trauma and abuse.

I've heard from a transgender man who starved away his breasts and hips when surgery and hormones weren't an option, and then began to fear his body and its hungers into full blown AN. I've spoken to a woman who began binge eating to serious obesity after being sexually harassed repeatedly at the care centre she works (by developmentally impaired individuals who have little ability to regulate this). She wanted to be comforted and to disguise her feminine form under layers of fat as her armor. I want to hear real stories of strong people and weak people and differently abled people who've suffered.

This is all a rant OT in the wrong space but it just strikes me so deeply.

Have you read Hunger by Roxane Gay? I just finished it, and I was really sure what I was expecting after picking it up, but it's about how her dysfunctional relationship with food started and how it took her basically to the point of no return (super morbidly obese). There is quite a bit of the book devoted to talking about how the world isn't built/accommodating to fat people, but since it's kind an ED narrative from someone who isn't white I thought maybe some people here might be interested in it.

Anyway, I'll probably watch To the Bone. It may be a tired narrative, but I feel like as long as the individual has a personal connection to the topic they can always add something new to the conversation. It may not be the reality for a lot of people, but it was/is their reality.

 

[Natalie]

Have you read Hunger by Roxane Gay? I just finished it, and I was really sure what I was expecting after picking it up, but it's about how her dysfunctional relationship with food started and how it took her basically to the point of no return (super morbidly obese). There is quite a bit of the book devoted to talking about how the world isn't built/accommodating to fat people, but since it's kind an ED narrative from someone who isn't white I thought maybe some people here might be interested in it.

Anyway, I'll probably watch To the Bone. It may be a tired narrative, but I feel like as long as the individual has a personal connection to the topic they can always add something new to the conversation. It may not be the reality for a lot of people, but it was/is their reality.

Well, it drops on the 14th, so buckle in! I'll probably watch it just since I love Lily and everything she does (plus Keanu <3 <3 <3) but I agree that the idea is played out.

 

[espressoenthusiast]

okay well I read the first part that deals with her falling into an eating disorder and it's standard stuff. 16 years old, parents divorce, loving losing weight and then the hair and nails start going and people start noticing and stuff gets bad. I was bored enough that I didn't read the second part but the second part does have a really cute picture of her as a kid

To be fair though, I actually find anorexia a boring subject and probably won't watch her netflix show.

1. how do we distinguish behavior like this as anorexia, and not just the result of depression and reduced appetite (a lot of depressed people in times of crisis lose weight, and aren't "anorexic" in the sense their body image isn't disturbed)
2. if lily did have AN (which i'm not denying, just questioning, why the f would she sign on to do a movie that required her to lose a *lot* of weight, and actively portray a person suffering from the same illness she supposedly struggled to recover from?? What kind of nightmarish decision-making was that?

 

[Alexis767]

1. how do we distinguish behavior like this as anorexia, and not just the result of depression and reduced appetite (a lot of depressed people in times of crisis lose weight, and aren't "anorexic" in the sense their body image isn't disturbed)
2. if lily did have AN (which i'm not denying, just questioning, why the f would she sign on to do a movie that required her to lose a *lot* of weight, and actively portray a person suffering from the same illness she supposedly struggled to recover from?? What kind of nightmarish decision-making was that?

Honestly, it was probably an excuse to relapse for her. I've been guilty of the same thing before. For instance, listening to or reading anorexia/bulimia recovery material in an attempt to trigger myself or pretending to educate myself in order to obsesses over the illness. It involves a lot of double-think and rationalization. I believe it's pretty common behavior among people who struggle with ED's.

 

[lamb's breath]

Honestly, it was probably an excuse to relapse for her. I've been guilty of the same thing before. For instance, listening to or reading anorexia/bulimia recovery material in an attempt to trigger myself or pretending to educate myself in order to obsesses over the illness. It involves a lot of double-think and rationalization. I believe it's pretty common behavior among people who struggle with ED's.

Hopefully she is in a better state of mind than what you have described and is doing this to educate people about AN or give a fair representation? In a lot of ways though, I find films like this irresponsible particularly with such a well known and attractive lead who actually got really skinny. When I had an ED (it started off as depression that just turned into an obsession with losing weight and then a fear of gaining weight) I would read what people who were on extremely restrictive diets ate and I think if a film like this existed I wouldn't walk away with the right message. I would just think, 'I want to be as skinny as her, how did she lose weight for the role?'. I remember there was some film around at the time about anorexia (I forget what is was) and I remember being just so irritated watching it because they hadn't cast a skinny enough person for the role (it was over dramatized, but it was about a teenage girl with an ED and the film was more aimed at educating parents of teenagers as opposed to ED sufferers which I think is more responsible). From what I have seen of To the Bone, it looks like Lily got really skinny and I can just imagine gifs and screenshots that will circulate on Tumblr ~ predicting it will get a cult status within the 'Ana' community. It is hard because I expect this is all done with the best of intentions but ultimately, I do not know if things like this are a good thing. Unlike other attempts, it doesn't appear they are going to do a disservice to people who have/had anorexia but yeah, still get a bad feeling. Still, I guess I can't comment because it is not released yet and I am probably not going to watch it because it is just not my thing and I don't want to watch something that looks this depressing.

 

[vogueforbreakfast]

Unrelated to the previous discussions but I think she looks so lovely here

 

[Maria]

I watched the movie, and honestly I kind of liked it more than I would have though. I think the trailer was a bit of a misrepresentation of the movie. * I'm gonna put some thoughts on it here so if you plan on watching it these may be spoilers so don't read if you care about that * So I think the movie started out with your stereotypical eating disorder storyline stuff, her parents divorced and her dad never wanted to see her, so messy family life. She thought she had everything under control, and was your typical richer white girl who didn't want to accept help. But then the movie moves on to where she's in the group home to recover, and kind of reveals (through the other group members) that it's not only white and incredibly skinny girls that have an eating disorder. While they could have done a bit more showing that, they at least had some diversity in the home to kind of stray from society's usual thoughts of what an eating disorder is. And I don't really think they were glamorizing the eating disorder, the movie was a lot more about how important recovery is than I first thought. They brought more attention to the negative aspects of the illness. So final opinion, it was not as bad as I thought it would be, could have done better with some parts.

 

[nicole120]

I just bought the most recent issue of Shape with Lily on the cover and her interview is not wildly interesting but she did comment briefly on why she chose the roll:

I was terrified that doing the movie would take me backward, but I had to remind myself that they hired me to tell a story, not to be a certain weight. In the end, it was a gift to be able to step back into shoes I had once worn but from a more mature place."

Based on what she said above I'm assuming she took the role to maybe try to re-evaluate her younger self, to possibly get something therapeutic out of reliving her past.

She looks quite fit on the cover. Her thighs look pretty big but I'm guessing they may have been photoshopped to look larger because they look thinner in recent candids. Here is a link to the entire interview & cover if anyone is interested.

 

[Natalie]

Literally just finished the movie. I thought it was pretty good, to be honest. It wasn't what I expected in that it didn't fall into the cliché category as badly as I thought it would. Overall, 7/10. Would watch again.

 

[Alexis767]

*spoilers* Now that I've seen the movie, I'm not going to write a whole review. All I've got to say is, I'm glad she wasn't saved by a "manic pixie dream... boy." Her love interest was pretty flawed, and I think her recovery had more to do with her sister and facing up to the general scariness of the uncertainty in life. It was kind of post-modern in a sense? And the film doesn't show the whole recovery aspect, which would have made it too tidy. It was really just about her getting to the realization that she wants to recover.

But yeah, it's triggering. I don't think it's the best thing for people in recovery to watch. Her body is pretty lovely in the film, but the fact that her character is supposed to be sick spoils it.

 

[myprettybod]

A picture taken of her recently... I don't know how to feel about her body.