I'm on episode 6 right now and so far [the Cassie ep] is BY FAR the best one. I actually feel bad because I feel like the writers may have peaked a little too soon here. My only problem is that I can't decide whether Cassie kind of ... glamourizes eating disorders. I mean, it's the old Cat Marnell argument: Just because a person is good looking doesn't mean they're romanticizing any issue they have, they just happen to be gorgeous. Still, I can't help but feel like a lot of young girls would kill to look like the big eyed, wavy blonde haired waif that is Cassie, even if it meant skipping meals. Thoughts?
My feeling is that Skins really doesn't glamorize much of anything. Even sex and drugs come with plenty of consequences, despite being sought feverishly on the show. And I think the handling of Cassie's issues has been fairly deft. Then again--I have never been a young girl nor have I ever had an eating disorder, so I can't necessarily speak to this. But plenty of you have been young girls, so what do you think?
P.S. I think that Cat Marnell thing is very apt I'd always wondered why people don't extend her the same line of credit they did Hunter Thompson, especially since she's generally more cautionary and apologetic about her chemical habits. But just as Skins unintentionally glamorizes stuff simply by putting it on TV--I mean, that is enough, that is plenty, for plenty of (especially young) people--Cat Marnell accidentally but still unavoidably glamorizes her behavior by virtue of being glamorous. Right? Or no?
2 comments:
I find myself not believing in "glamour" anymore, because I've know people I previously thought to be glamorous who turned out to be incredibly messed up. I think it all depends on your maturity and experiences. I've struggled like Cassie, and never wanted to. Infact it scared me. Cat Marnell may appear to be glamorous to some, but not to all. And I think as drug and eating disorder awareness rises, people will be more scared than anything. Beauty does have a frightening priority in our culture, but I don't think the mistakes to get there are people glamorized. Look at how many people admire Demi Lovato for getting treatment and being healthy.
If you've ever run across an eating disorder porn site, the girls might look glamorous with clothes on but once you see them naked, that is some scary shit. Every rib is visible, knobby knees, and pelvic bones jutting out - nothing glamorous there, like desiccated corpses. If a show is going to have an anorexic character, they should show that side of it too along with the health problems.
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