In Lily Collins' new Netflix film, To the Bone, she plays a young anorexic woman who attempts recovery one last time at an unconventional rehab center. It's an issue that hits close to home for Collins because she suffered from eating disorders as a teenager. The actress has been quite open about her past struggles while promoting To the Bone, and her transparency will certainly help eliminate the stigmas associated with eating disorders.
But we're not there yet. And our culture isn't not done exclusively idolizing thin body types, either. Exhibit A: the person who complimented Collins for the weight she lost for To the Bone—to play someone with anorexia.
"I was leaving my apartment one day, and someone I've known for a long time, my mom's age, said to me, 'Oh, wow, look at you!'" Collins told The Edit. "I tried to explain [I had lost weight for a role], and she goes, 'No! I want to know what you're doing, you look great!' I got into the car with my mom and said, 'That is why the problem exists.'"
A comment like this is problematic for many reasons. For one, it's really not cool to talk about anyone's body—no matter what they look like. People's appearances just shouldn't be up for discussion, plain and simple. But this comment speaks to a larger issue as well: the pressure many of us still feel to be superthin…at any cost. As Collins implies in her quote, hearing positive comments like this can send mixed messages to people struggling with eating disorders. It only motivates people more to keep making unhealthy choices. That's why, like we said, it's best to just not comment at all.
To the Bone hits Netflix on July 14.
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