Article for my Double Page Spread

This is the original document for the article to be included in my double page spread detailing the content of my documentary. Presented below is the unedited version, before I sought advice from my lecturer.

‘Why won’t it let me eat?’

Food. We are a nation liberated by food. We are positively tantalised and transfixed by the abundance on offer, whether that it is served to us ala carte’ at a swanky upbeat restaurant or a quick grab and go through a McDonalds chain drive through to satisfy our unhealthy but appetising fast food cravings. We embrace food in all its glory, as a society we are subjected to be nurtured and to appreciate it in all our setting’s as it is essentially a building block to how our environment as a whole is perceived today. Moreover it is a part of us, something to crave, to function upon, to enjoy as it is beneficial for our survival. What happens though when that satisfaction is eliminated, when our survival instinct is reversed, when every living thought becomes fixated on avoiding the next possible meal, when the cold shaky words are uttered from your lips ‘I don’t want to eat’

Sadly this is not such an unconventional sentence to be expressed in the modern 21^st century. When a society is obsessed with food, that pre-occupance is quickly directed to an unhealthy obsession with weight – for most it’s when that dreaded moment comes, the classic ‘my jeans don’t fit anymore’ and you undeniably admit ‘I need to lose a few pounds’. But for some shape, weight and food becomes EVERYTHING as demonstrated in BBC ones series of new cutting edge documentaries – the first of which focuses on the issue of a weight obsessed nation and the lives of several girls afflicted with the mental illness anorexia nervosa.

As our government pessively targets ‘fashion and the tyranny of thinness’ in the media industry for stripping away many young adolescents confidence, it has been revealed in shocking new statistics that the number of eating disorders are on the rise with a devastating 1 in 10 women from the onset ages of 15-25 are diagnosed with anorexia in the United Kingdom alone each year.  Moreover it has recently come to attention that the media itself may not be the controversial main starting block for an eating disorder to develop – that potentially there are some unavoidable factors involved that can dramatically warp an individuals self perception of themselves in our stable society. In the one hour special that airs 9pm on Monday night we delve deep into the harsh reality of the daily struggles chronic anorexia sufferers endure from the rigid routines, rituals and relapses they face. In a dramatic scene we witness the dispute between mother and daughter as age refuses to clear her plate, a raging battle that shocks parents and families alike. Witnessed also is the view point from an recovered anorexics mindset – indefinitely shedding some hope into beating the disorder.

Left untreated, one in 5 will die from the complications of starvation caused by the illness, a fate one young woman knows only too ell. In a brief discussion during the programme the eighteen year old reveal s documentation from her second inpatient hospital admission ‘I nearly died, the doctors warned me if I had been left to lose anymore weight my body would have gave up and fallen into a systematic cardiac arrest. I was so weak, tired and constantly cold all the time, my pulse dropped to 35, to be honest with you I didn’t think I would make it through the night’.

A horrifying thought how a manipulative and frankly cunning condition can ravage a person so physically and mentally they are incapable of saving themselves from the desolation that has been unleashed. Anorexia as investigated in ‘The Girls Who Wouldn’t Eat’ is a complex illness and recently discovered not to be just solely caused by one significant factor, with genetics undoubtly argued as a considerable reference to developing the disorder. As explained by a seventeen year old girl in the documentary ‘my mother had it, then my older sister, then me and now my youngest sister has juts been diagnosed and admitted into treatment, I guess its just something that runs in the family’ A disturbing prospect to consider that we are incapable of preventing this from arising if we ourselves hold the key to purgatory for our offspring. However most of the girls followed throughout the length of the shop were categorised as ‘anorexic’ through some other factors. Many were subjected to bullying at a young age ,which effected their mental health and self perception of themselves in a devastating manner. The same eighteen year old describes how her school years were ‘a living hell’ in a harsh but brutal statement she tells a heart - wrenching story of how her illness came to be

‘Bullying was not an uncommon feature in my life at the time of my early teenage years and the only way I could escape the pain was through anorexia, which became my friend. Every time I lost weight it brought a feeling of elation to me and the thought of ‘just one more pound’ was always there as I thought it would lead me to become a better person. Anorexia si not a lifestyle, nor is it a choice, it just happens, then once you have it there is little to prevent the battle that is set on the horizon’

Young up and coming director Melody Graydon has took an insightful yet brutal approach to the controversial topic of eating disorders – an issue that has never been ‘properly addressed’ in the past she comments.

‘ I wanted to surface the harsh reality of what a person has to endure every single day, every moment, every second of every year consumed in the grips of anorexia. A good friend of mine who was diagnosed with the condition four years ago inspired me to make this piece of footage. Many of us lack understanding of what an eating disorder actually is, it is a topic that is easily brushed off because we don’t realise the full severity of it – I hope to enlighten all those who have buried their heads in the sand and tried to ignore this dilemma this exists in society. It needs to be addressed, now.’

Graydon has took a unique novel approach to the construction of the documentary highlighting the severe physical and mental consequences of the illness that has previously been disregarded on similar programmes before which have adopted a more sympathetic but wary approach to the disorder.

For some the stories witnessed may be shocking, for others it may be a source of comfort – a relief to relate to others who are battling the disorder themselves or are observing it first hand from a carers perspective. This bleak yet insightful documentary is not for the faint hearted, yet it effectively demonstrates how materialistic and obsessed we have become as a nation with such trivial issues such as weight to define us as human beings. Really we should ask ourselves, are we to blame for eating disorders? Whatever happened to old fashioned views of ‘its what is on the inside that counts’, truly this is an insight into ourselves and our judgements, the comments we make about shape, weight and food because of the sensitivity we have towards consumption. A must watch.




After I consulted my lecturer upon their opinion of the article, we decided it would probablies best to include a few additional changes. Some of which consist of adding the date and time for the broadcasting of the documentary so the audience can identify exactly when it will be screened, this ensures the maximum amount of viewers will tune in to it. I also corrected a few minor spelling mistakes and grammatical errors to clean up the article.

‘Why won’t it let me eat?’

Food. We are a nation liberated by food. We are positively tantalised and transfixed by the abundance on offer, whether that it is served to us ala carte’ at a swanky upbeat restaurant or a quick grab and go in a McDonalds chain to satisfy our unhealthy but appetising fast food cravings. We embrace food in all its glory, as a society we are subjected to be nurtured and to appreciate it in all our setting’s as it is essentially a building block to how our environment as a whole is perceived today. Moreover it is a part of us, something to crave, to function upon, to enjoy as it is beneficial for our survival. What happens though when that satisfaction is eliminated, when our survival instinct is reversed, when every living thought becomes fixated on avoiding the next possible meal, when the cold shaky words are uttered from your lips ‘I don’t want to eat’

Sadly this is not such an unconventional sentence to be expressed in the modern 21^st century. When a society is obsessed with food, that pre-occupance is quickly directed to an unhealthy obsession with weight – for most it’s when that dreaded moment comes, the classic ‘my jeans don’t fit anymore’ and you undeniably admit ‘I need to lose a few pounds’. But for some shape, weight and food becomes EVERYTHING as demonstrated in a series of new cutting edge documentaries – the first of which focuses on the issue of a weight obsessed nation and the lives of several girls afflicted with the mental illness anorexia nervosa. As our government pessively targets ‘fashion and the tyranny of thinness’ in the media industry for stripping away many young adolescents confidence, it has been revealed in shocking new statistics that the number of eating disorders are on the rise with a devastating 1 in 10 women from the onset ages of 15-25 are diagnosed with anorexia in the United Kingdom alone each year.  Moreover it has recently come to attention that the media itself may not be the controversial main starting block for an eating disorder to develop – that potentially there are some unavoidable factors involved that can dramatically warp an individuals self perception of themselves in our stable society.

In the one hour special that airs 9pm on Monday night we delve deep into the harsh reality of the daily struggles chronic anorexia sufferers endure from the rigid routines, rituals and relapses they face. In a dramatic scene we witness the dispute between mother and daughter as age refuses to clear her plate, a raging battle that shocks parents and families alike. Witnessed also is the view point from an recovered anorexics mindset – indefinitely shedding some hope into beating the disorder.

Left untreated, 1 in 5 will die from the complications of starvation caused by the illness, a fate one young woman knows only too ell. In a brief discussion during the programme the eighteen year old reveal s documentation from her second inpatient hospital admission ‘I nearly died, the doctors warned me if I had been left to lose anymore weight my body would have gave up and fallen into a systematic cardiac arrest. I was so weak, tired and constantly cold all the time, my pulse dropped to 35, to be honest with you I didn’t think I would make it through the night’.

A horrifying thought how a manipulative and frankly cunning condition can ravage a person so physically and mentally they are incapable of saving themselves from the desolation that has been unleashed. Anorexia as investigated in ‘The Girls Who Wouldn’t Eat’ is a complex illness and recently discovered not to be just solely caused by one significant factor, with genetics undoubtly argued as a considerable reference to developing the disorder. As explained by a seventeen year old girl in the documentary ‘my mother had it, then my older sister, then me and now my youngest sister has juts been diagnosed and admitted into treatment, I guess its just something that runs in the family’ A disturbing prospect to consider that we are incapable of preventing this from arising if we ourselves hold the key to purgatory for our offspring. However most of the girls followed throughout the length of the shop were categorised as ‘anorexic’ through some other factors. Many were subjected to bullying at a young age ,which effected their mental health and self perception of themselves in a devastating manner. The same eighteen year old in the documentary describes how her school years were ‘a living hell’ in a harsh but brutal statement she tells a heart - wrenching story of how her illness came to be

‘Bullying was not an uncommon feature in my life at the time of my early teenage years and the only way I could escape the pain was through anorexia, which became my friend. Every time I lost weight it brought a feeling of elation to me and the thought of ‘just one more pound’ was always there as I thought it would lead me to become a better person. Anorexia si not a lifestyle, nor is it a choice, it just happens, then once you have it there is little to prevent the battle that is set on the horizon’

Young up and coming director Melody Graydon has took an insightful yet brutal approach to the controversial topic of eating disorders – an issue that has never been ‘properly addressed’ in the past she comments.

‘ I wanted to surface the harsh reality of what a person has to endure every single day, every moment, every second of every year consumed in the grips of anorexia. A good friend of mine who was diagnosed with the condition four years ago inspired me to make this piece of footage. Many of us lack understanding of what an eating disorder actually is, it is a topic that is easily brushed off because we don’t realise the full severity of it – I hope to enlighten all those who have buried their heads in the sand and tried to ignore this dilemma this exists in society. It needs to be addressed, now.’

Graydon has took a unique novel approach to the construction of the documentary highlighting the severe physical and mental consequences of the illness that has previously been disregarded on similar programmes before which have adopted a more sympathetic but wary approach to the disorder.

For some the stories witnessed may be shocking, for others it may be a source of comfort – a relief to relate to others who are battling the disorder themselves or are observing it first hand from a carers perspective. This bleak yet insightful documentary is not for the faint hearted, yet it effectively demonstrates how materialistic and obsessed we have become as a nation with such trivial issues such as weight to define us as human beings. Really we should ask ourselves, are we to blame for eating disorders? Whatever happened to old fashioned views of ‘its what is on the inside that counts’, truly this is an insight into ourselves and our judgements, the comments we make about shape, weight and food because of the sensitivity we have towards consumption. A must watch for the 9pm slot on BBC One, prepare to be enllightened Thursday 6^th December.