Eating disorder sufferers enraged by Kate Beckinsale's comments

Raspberry gashes · September 21st, 2007, 08:23 PM

Quote:

Hollywood actress Kate Beckinsale has been branded "irresponsible" by parents of anorexic sufferers, after she claimed the eating disorder was the result of an unhealthy home life.

The Underworld star - a former anorexic herself - sparked controversy yesterday (24Apr07) when she likened sufferers of "anorexia, alcoholism and drug abuse in teens" to "crack whores".

And while Beckinsale, who was brought up by her mother following the death of her father when she was five, was partly referring to her own childhood experiences, the 33-year-old's comments have enraged relatives of anorexia sufferers.

Ros Ponomarenko-Jones, whose 19-year-old daughter Sophie died last year from the condition, says, "(Beckinsale) has been totally flippant and does not really know what she is talking about. She is not giving anorexia the status it deserves as a mental illness.

"I think she needs to go to an eating disorder unit and speak to some of the girls there, where she would find out it is not always about what is happening in the home.

"They look up to celebrities and if they are thin, the girls take that on board and think if they look skinnier, they will have friends and live better lives. She has been completely irresponsible."

Kate Beckinsale's Anorexia Comments Enrage Sufferers'.

pacific breeze · September 21st, 2007, 08:45 PM

Well, it is always so much easier to blame others for your problems than yourself.

Calimoonchild · September 21st, 2007, 11:00 PM

This is such a stupid story!! Its recycled from her comments ages ago. She said something along the lines of, I was an uppermiddleclass girl so I developed an eating disorder. That was just my way of channeling it. Other socioeconomic groups become crack addicts, and I turned to an eating disorder.

Thats not the quote but its similar.. it was in the same place as this quote, “I always felt that anorexia was the form of breakdown most readily available to adolescent girls.”

Lani · September 21st, 2007, 11:04 PM

which is such a freaking valid point. Anorexia is a symptom of other problems. The wanting to be thin is just an outward response to something else. Jesus christ.

Calimoonchild · September 22nd, 2007, 12:21 AM

I didnt mean that her comment was stupid, I meant it was stupid that the low-rent tabloids are taking something she said like 3 yrs ago and writing about it again out-of-context to make it seem like its something new and controversial.

Thats whats stupid.

Raspberry gashes · September 22nd, 2007, 12:25 AM

The story though is that the anorexia sufferers dont agree with her. I think everyone would have different reasons, would have had different triggers for their eating disorder so theres no right or wrong answer. Ifor one never worried about the way my body looked, but going without food was a way to upset my mother, so thats what I did sometimes during my teenage years.

pacific breeze · September 22nd, 2007, 12:28 AM

^^That's what low-rent tabloids do. That's why I get bent out of shape when people here get all pissy that Angelina Jolie "can't keep her mouth shut," about some obviously old quote taken out of context from some website nobody has ever heard of. As if AJ is speaking to them directly -- sheesh.

Critical thinking skills are apparently in short supply. This applies to most "interviews" and quotes that get posted here about celebs, of course.

MoodyJenny86 · September 22nd, 2007, 12:51 AM

Errr...not saying that this is always the case but a lot of people with eating disorders do happen to have come from broken families and also happen to have suffered from minor or major tragedies throughout their lives...you will find that many eating disorder sufferers were victims of physical/mental/sexual abuse, rape, also they may have conditions like post traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression, etc...

Like for me I know that when I developed my ED I was still going through puberty, had a lot of skeletons in the family closet reveal themselves...which helped fuel and trigger the ED in the first place but I have no doubt that the ED definately stemmed from my family issues...I'm not saying all ED sufferers come from broken homes but I did...and it just seems that way...

Quote:

Anorexia is a symptom of other problems. The wanting to be thin is just an outward response to something else.

^Truth.

Calimoonchild · September 22nd, 2007, 02:34 AM

I just think the low-rent tabloid recylced the story, put the quote in a stupid context and got the eating disorder people all riled up. I bet if they read the original quote, they wouldnt have anything to say. THey didnt the first time it was made public. I"m in recovery myself and see the stance I"m taking? thereyago.

Bijoux · September 25th, 2007, 12:08 PM

Everyone needs something to bitch about!

Voodoo Child · September 26th, 2007, 04:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pacific breeze

^^That's what low-rent tabloids do. That's why I get bent out of shape when people here get all pissy that Angelina Jolie "can't keep her mouth shut," about some obviously old quote taken out of context from some website nobody has ever heard of. As if AJ is speaking to them directly -- sheesh.

And you say your not an AJ fan. I don't think I have seen you go a day without mentioning her name!

sweetrebel · September 26th, 2007, 10:00 AM

Personally, I agree with PB. I think most of the "interviews" we read are just a bunch of shit that someone has thrown together...that includes lots of interviews, not just ones involving AJ

nycgirly101 · September 26th, 2007, 01:36 PM

ED's are very often times related to family problems or rocky childhoods. Not always, but often. I guess it's easier to place blame somewhere else when tragedy occurs. It is not only because of the fashion industry/the media. That can trigger an eating disorder- but there has to be a predisposed mindset first. Everyone is exposed to the media, but not everyone develops an ED. It's not about being thin, it's about using starvation to cope with emotional problems.

Elvira · September 26th, 2007, 05:50 PM

In my husband’s family they blame one sister for her daughter’s anorexia.
Apparently she kept after her daughter to lose weight all through her teens.
She bought dresses for her daughter that were clearly too small, encouraging
her to lose weight so the dress would fit.

They say her daughter was overweight but not obese. I don’t know much more
about it because they live in another part of the country.

Unfortunately, a few take the gossip threads much too seriously. Often times they are rude to fellow posters in their defense of the celeb. You would think that the articles or comments were made about them, as if they are living their lives through that person. I find it creepy. It’s no wonder that celebs need security.

pacific breeze · September 28th, 2007, 12:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Voodoo Child

And you say your not an AJ fan. I don't think I have seen you go a day without mentioning her name!

Well, you would be wrong. Just as it seems I've hardly seen you go a day without slagging them, but I'm sure you have.

I've spent most of my adult life working in media; I have a fair idea of how it works and that is what I am talking about here. It is not a value judgment on AJ or BP.