Why “The Idol,” “Euphoria,” and Other Shows Need to Be More Responsible About ED Representation

In recent years, television has leaned harder into darker, more provocative explorations of mental illness, of trauma, of self-harm, and of identity, especially among adolescents. Shows like “Euphoria” and “The Idol” are praised for their boldness, their cinematic aesthetics, and their unflinching look at brokenness. But when they touch on eating disorders (EDs) or disordered eating, the stakes are high, and sometimes they fall short. As an organization dedicated to accurate education and support for people affected by EDs, the National Alliance for Eating Disorders believes that media creators carry a profound responsibility in how they portray these conditions.

Below, we explore why depictions of EDs in “The Idol”, “Euphoria”, and similar shows must be more conscientious and how they can do better. Our aim is not to police art, but to foster awareness of real risks, reduce stigma, and protect vulnerable viewers.

What Is an Eating Disorder?

Eating disorders affect millions of individuals across all backgrounds. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), an eating disorder is a serious mental health condition marked by persistent disturbances in eating behaviors. These behaviors are often tied to harmful thoughts and emotions related to food, body weight, shape, or muscularity, and frequently involve a distorted perception of body image. Common eating disorders include anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, and avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID). 

People with eating disorders may become intensely preoccupied with food, dieting, and/or appearance, which can significantly impact their physical health, emotional wellbeing, and overall mental health. These disorders often occur alongside other psychiatric conditions such as anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and substance use disorders. Common symptoms can include extreme dieting, compulsive exercise, binge eating, and self-induced vomiting.

Eating disorders can affect people of any gender, age, race, or socioeconomic background. The way an eating disorder presents can vary widely depending on a person’s medical history, genetic predisposition, and environmental factors. Left undiagnosed or untreated, eating disorders can lead to serious, long-term health complications and can be life-threatening.

As our understanding of the causes and prevalence of eating disorders continues to evolve, raising awareness and promoting education is essential. Early recognition of symptoms by a health care provider can help individuals seek timely, effective care and support on the path toward recovery.

The Power and Risk of Representation

Media can shape norms about beauty, self-worth, gender, control, and what care can look like. For those struggling with body image or disordered eating, seeing characters on screen can either feel validating or triggering. Because eating disorders are deeply intertwined with shame and secrecy, a misstep in representation can reinforce myths or even worsen behaviors.

A few realities to keep front-and-center:

1. Eating disorders are not aesthetic projects or plot devices. They are serious mental health disorders with physical, neurological, and psychological impacts and the portrayal should reflect that complexity, not glamorize it.
2. Viewers may include people currently struggling with eating disorders or individuals in recovery. Some will internalize character behaviors or compare their own experiences. Misleading depictions may cement harmful “rules” that fuel disordered eating.
3. The line between dramatization and misinformation is thin. A show may intend to illustrate suffering, but if it ignores medical realities or recovery possibilities, it risks sending misleading messages.

Because of these dynamics, shows that include eating disorder storylines have a duty to approach them with humility, consultation, and fidelity to lived experience.

“Euphoria” and “The Idol”: What They Get Right and Where They Falter

“Euphoria’s” High Points and Missed Opportunities

“Euphoria” has been praised for emotional intensity, fractured identity arcs, and raw portrayals of trauma, addiction, and relationships. But when it comes to disordered eating, as seen in the characters Jules and Kat, the series sometimes leans into aestheticized suffering more than clinical realism.

Here’s what “Euphoria” gets right:

• The show captures the emotional texture of feeling separated from one’s body, struggling with control, shame, and identity fragmentation.
• It conveys how disordered behaviors can become ways to cope and to feel “something,” to assert control in chaos.
• The visuals, such as the mirror shots, the distorted reflections, and the voiceovers, underscore internal conflict rather than offering tidy explanations.

But this is where “Euphoria” may mislead or harm:

• Lack of medical framing or consequences. While the emotional side is strong, there’s minimal attention to medical complications (like electrolyte imbalance, cardiac risk, and bone health), or clear depictions of treatment protocols, such as supervised refeeding or nutrition rehabilitation. This can leave the impression that disordered eating is tolerable or survivable with emotional turmoil alone.
• Implicit glamorization of the “thin, edgy” aesthetic. The stylized lighting, fashion, and cinematography sometimes sanitize or romanticize self-harm and extremes, making suffering look beautiful rather than dangerous.
• Absence of hope or recovery pathways. In many story arcs, characters remain trapped in cycles, with little visible scaffolding of therapy, medical oversight, or support groups.

Because “Euphoria” has a significant young and vulnerable audience, these gaps matter.

“The Idol”: Sensationalism at Risk

“The Idol” (or shows similar in tone) often push boundaries in sexuality, decadence, control, and identity. When eating disorders enter this terrain, creators may be tempted to use them as shock value, style, or mere symbolism. This results in some potential pitfalls:

• Eating disorders as metaphor only: If an eating disorder is used solely to signal “brokenness” or “darkness,” without engagement with real consequences or nuance, characters with eating disorders become aesthetic tropes rather than people.
• Minimal nuance or support structures: The disorder may be referenced but not engaged with in a serious way. Often there is no reference to therapy, nutritional framework, or a support network.
• Triggering imagery: Graphic scenes of restriction, purging, calorie rituals, or body-checking can be distressing to audiences and harmful to those in recovery.

Given “The Idol”’s often stylized, sensational tone, it’s especially vulnerable to these missteps.

The Dangers of Irresponsible Portrayal

When a show depicts health topics like an eating disorder with distorted logic around eating behaviors and recovery, viewers may absorb these narratives. These portrayals risk internalizing a wide variety of eating disorder myths:

• The myth that an eating disorder is a choice or aesthetic
• The false idea that suffering is identity
• The harmful idea that “control” equals moral virtue
• That “help” or recovery is unglamorous, boring, or unachievable

For someone already vulnerable, these internalized rules can reinforce symptom entrenchment. Furthermore, viewers in recovery or with disordered eating may find certain scenes triggering. Aesthetic theatrics highlighting thinness, purging, or restriction can have immense impact on those struggling with eating disorders. Internal monologues rationalizing disordered behaviors and prolonged depictions of self-denial or self-harm can be triggering. These may act as a stimulus to reengage old behaviors or push boundaries. Recovery is non-linear and exposure to flawed or glamorized eating disorder imagery can intensify symptoms.

Misrepresenting eating disorders also contributes to stigma. If EDs are shown only in extremity, or with scandalous drama, audiences may dismiss many lived experiences as “not severe enough.” People who are struggling in ways that are difficult to perceive may already struggle to be believed. Shallow artistic portrayals may make this worse.

Further, when shows neglect to show diversity of bodies, genders, races, and co-morbidities like depression, anxiety, and trauma, they reinforce the stereotype that EDs are reserved for privileged, thin, cisgender, white young women, erasing the reality of many sufferers.

Let’s Do Better: Guidelines for Responsible ED Storytelling

Here are principles that creators, writers, and producers can embrace to improve their portrayals:

1. Consult with ED professionals and lived-experience experts: Before writing a storyline, scripts should engage with clinicians specializing in eating disorder treatment, people in recovery who represent diverse backgrounds, and organizations like The Alliance. This collaboration helps ground the story in medical and psychological reality, avoid harmful myths, and avoid romanticizing extremes.
2. Show full-spectrum impact, not just aesthetic suffering: Characters with EDs should be allowed to experience medical consequences like electrolyte imbalance, cardiac stress, gastrointestinal issues, and bone density loss. Shows should write about the reality of emotional consequences of EDs, like guilt, isolation, shame, family conflict. By showing the full weight of the illness, not just the dramatic peaks, the portrayal becomes more honest and less glamorized.
3. Include recovery infrastructure and hope, without simplifying: A realistic portrayal should show the attempt of recovery, however imperfect. The show should display treatment options like therapy, medical monitoring, family member support, nutrition counseling, and medication when appropriate. Even if a character doesn’t reach full eating disorder recovery in the storyarc, showing the scaffolding of help offers hope and legitimacy to the process, rather than leaving them trapped in misery.
4. Reflect diverse identities and intersectionality: Eating disorders cross gender, race, class, weight, and ability. Portrayals should avoid painting EDs only in slim, cisgender female bodies. Also, show how race, culture, and identity affect help-seeking, stigma, and recovery paths.
5. Use trigger warnings, viewer guidance, and support resources: For episodes touching on eating disorder behaviors or self-harm, responsibly include warnings ahead of airing. On streaming platforms or websites, link to credible resources or helplines. This helps viewers anticipate potential distress and know where to turn.

Why This Matters

Accurate eating disorder education and respectful representation save lives. Every media portrayal shapes public attitudes and can influence how someone in crisis thinks about themselves. For people in the throes of an eating disorder or trying to recover, seeing responsible depiction can validate their experience, reduce shame, and offer a vision of help.

For those who haven’t experienced an eating disorder, nuanced portrayals can expand understanding, reduce stigma, and push audiences to question assumptions. For advocates and clinicians, better storytelling gives us a stronger cultural foundation for prevention, early intervention, and systemic change.

With millions of Americans affected by eating disorders, the ripple effect of media matters. Early recognition, accurate narratives, and reduced stigma can make a difference in whether someone seeks help.

Help Is Available

If you are a viewer navigating eating disorder challenges, know this: what you see on screen is not a blueprint. It is fiction. Your experience is valid and you deserve care and support. If you or a loved one is struggling, the National Alliance for Eating Disorders is here. Call our free, confidential, therapist-staffed helpline at 866-662-1235 or explore resources on our website. You are not alone.