The talk show The View has been making headlines lately due to the hosts’ controversial comments.
The latest incident occurred when host Joy Behar began commenting on Donald Trump’s weight loss. Behar and co-host Michelle Collins began joking about which eating disorders were better to have. The comments ended when another co-host interjected that they were not trying to make light of the disorders and that they were kidding around.
The View hosts are hardly the first people to make jokes about eating disorders. With the backlash they received from fans and eating disorders activists, it begs the question: Is it ever okay to joke about eating disorders?
Laughter can be a great way to cope with difficult situations. It’s good to be able to laugh at yourself every once in a while. However, spilling coffee on your shirt and having a good laugh about it and suffering from a life-threatening illness fall into very different categories.
The answer to this question is not a simple one and it likely changes from person to person. Some may feel that it is never okay to joke about something that has taken the lives of so many.
To find a “rule of thumb” about whether or not the joke you want to make is appropriate, it may be helpful to look at the intent and underlying message of the joke.
Behar and her co-hosts’ banter had the core message of “which eating disorder would be more enjoyable to have?” This core message does not further awareness of the dangers of eating disorders. Rather, it perpetuates the negative stereotype that eating disorders are a choice, and you should pick the “better” one. She went as far as to point out members of the audience to validate her joke and say they agree and therefore must be bulimic. Accusing someone of having an eating disorder, even in jest, can be hurtful in the event that they suffer from some sort of eating disordered behavior…
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