By now, I’m sure you’ve already heard about the leaking of private pictures of celebrities. Many people (including fellow celebrities) have already made several videos and articles taking a stance against the issue, so that’s not what I’m here to talk to you about today. (CNN covers Jennifer Lawrence’s rebuttal against hacked photos.) Today, I’m here to talk about another very serious issue: eating disorders.
I’m sure we’ve all thrown around a mental illness in a casual conversation at one point (depression, bipolar, even retardation and autism, the list goes on). I’m no saint, I’ll admit to it too. But now that I actually understand these illnesses a bit more, it’s so hard for the words to pass my lips. So many people that are close to me have/had a mental disorder. I’ve seen these people fight wars – wars where the enemy is themselves. Luckily everyone I know has made it out alive, but there are still millions of people fighting. Mental illness is something I want to devote my life to help fighting.
So why do we do it? Person A hears the word “anorexic” or “OCD” in a conversation and they laugh about it. The next time the opportunity arises, Person A calls that petite girl eating a salad anorexic and Person B finds it funny too. Our ancestors avoided danger by using this basic “monkey-see-monkey-do” strategy. But we’re not monkeys. We have these fascinating brains that allow us to distinguish right from wrong.
Popular blogs on Tumblr promote this self-destructive behavior, giving rise to pictures such as the one I found above. Many “thinspo” or “thinspiration” pictures and blogs are popping up, often advertising eating less rather than healthy lifestyles to become thinner. I’m not shaming Tumblr or any other social media platform, but the media has been very instrumental in planting this negative seed. This seed has taken solid roots in all of our minds, and unfortunately no amount of Dove campaigns is really helping.
Eating disorders are such a complex topic, as all mental illnesses are, and I won’t be tackling them today. I am not a practiced psychologist or neuroscientist, and I won’t pretend to know everything about it. I wouldn’t do the subject justice. But I do know enough to separate me from those people who think someone who is skinny is anorexic. I do know that eating disorders affect people whether they are male or female, thin or overweight, 6 or 16 or 36. Please educate yourselves by doing more research into anorexia and bulimia. I will include several websites to get you going.
Moving on to the main topic as described by the title of this article. Recently, there was a large out lash against Urban Outfitters for releasing a t-shirt with the words “Eat Less” printed on the front. This has sparked action from celebrities such as Sophia Bush from One Tree Hill, who is now boycotting the brand.
The Huffington Post has conducted a poll, asking readers whether this shirt is tasteful or tasteless, and so far 65 per cent of people think that this shirt is tastelessly promoting negative body image. Unfortunately, this has not been the first offense by Urban Outfitters. You can find more details on this company’s continued insensitivity towards the masses in this TIME article.
If you have ever been in a UO store, you know their style; they try very hard to be hipster or edgy. After the release of this shirt, and their previous incriminating shirt with “Depression” splattered all over it, the company has tried to plea innocence. They claim to be trying to raise awareness about mental illness and giving teens a way to express themselves. Others just think it’s a publicity stunt; negative attention is better than none at all. Whatever their reasons or excuses, I don’t even have to say what I think about it. (It’s pathetic.)
The damage has been thoroughly done and I really can’t remain passive about this issue. Although UO has issued an apology, their bandage cannot begin to cover the wound. Many of you might think that I, and however many others, are over-reacting. “It’s just a simple t-shirt.” Yes, it is. But the sheer fact that not once during the designing, manufacturing, and delivery of said t-shirt did anybody speak up or even question the morals behind this shirt? That not one ounce of effort was even put in to rethink the negative impact this single piece of clothing could have on our society? That’s just astounding to me, and not in a good way.
We are such an educated generation. We have so much at our disposal. We have so much potential. But somewhere along the way, did we lose our compassion in favor of success? Are we going to be the generation that continues to turn a blind eye to make life easier for ourselves? Some of you might answer yes. And you know what, that’s all you. I won’t sit here and challenge your beliefs.
But for those of you who want to make a change? Start here, with me. I am officially boycotting Urban Outfitters and all other branch companies including: Anthropologie, BHLDN, Free People, and Terrain. Humans have the capacity to make great changes when we unite, so please share this with those of your friends who are unaware.
No matter what choices in life you choose to make, just make sure that you remain educated. Make sure that you know what your choice actually means.
