Documentary script (voice over version)
- 1. This week channel 4 investigates eating disorders in… ‘Is there a perfect figure?’ We live in a society where image is important, especially for the majority of young people…and who can blame them? Everyone wants to look good. But what happens if this normal want becomes an obsession and impacts the way they are with food? We are on a quest to uncover the truth behind eating disorders amongst young people and what types of body image pressures influence the dangerous journey of getting ‘the perfect figure’. For our first stop, we decided to come to The Sixth Form College, Solihull to get some first-hand answers from students about how much is known about eating disorders and attitudes towards them. We asked whether anyone thought there was such thing as the ‘perfect figure’ Surprisingly, 70% of the students we asked said ‘yes’. So what did they think defined the ‘perfect figure’? Most of these celebrities are slim or toned rather than plus sized. This is a significant factor that can influence eating disorders as teens might feel inadequate, leading to drastic measures to change themselves. We interviewed A Level Media teacher Mike Hatton to hear his views on how the media can affect eating disorders So, Mike Hatton seemed to conclude that the media can create unachievable goals therefore distorting a lot of teenage opinion. To put this to the test, we then asked a couple of students if they could name 5 plus sized celebrities Wait…what? Yeah, he made us laugh too. But what happens when comments like this are serious? We interviewed a student who told us her story about how another factor, bullying, made her binge eat. For personal reasons she has chosen to keep her identity hidden. Binge eating is an eating disorder that repetitively makes it hard to control how much is eaten. In teens, about 17% of males and 21% of females are affected. Just like the previous interview, even though suffers feel worse afterwards, it’s usually used as a coping mechanism when stressed out or upset. Eating even if they aren’t hungry or are already full, a typical episode usually lasts for around 2 hours. Key signs of binge eating include being unable to stop or control eating, feeling guilty whilst or after overeating, overeating quickly or only binging when no-one’s around. If left untreated, it could lead to depression, obesity or anxiety.
- 2. However, the disorder can be treated. Accessing help such as visiting a GP for medical advice, contacting specific help lines,joining a programme, counselling sessions or working with organisations such as Care UK and Promis is important in working towards recovery. We then interviewed A Level science teacher, Richard Orton. He further explained the effects of binge eating and under eating on the body But do more teen girls or boys on average suffer from these? Coming up after the break we’ll be speaking to Neil Attewell, a member of the student development team about his day to day experience of students and eating disorders.