Australian comedian and host of I’m a celebrity get me out of here ,Julia Morris, recently made a joke comparing a contestant throwing up to what it would have been like on Australia’s Next Top Model.
Pardon the pun but jokes like these are in poor taste. Eating disorders aren’t funny and making jokes about them down plays the seriousness of them and that of the person struggling with it.
Eating disorders are very secretive and are fuelled by shame. When we make a joke out of it we are essentially saying they are not serious or dangerous and the person affected doesn’t really have a problem that needs treatment.
As a sufferer of an eating disorder I can tell you that finally admitting to yourself and others that you have an illness and need help is extremely difficult. Its agonising to admit that you make yourself throw up. The stigma attached to this behaviour is what makes the admission so difficult, yet we make jokes about it and associate it with models and imply it’s not an illness but rather a glamourous diet some follow.
Eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of all mental illnesses including major depression. I think its time we stop laughing about it don’t you?
