Anti Anorexia Campaigns

There are a number of controversial anti anorexia campaigns that have been produced across the world. Their aim is to raise awareness of the issues or to shock people into realising the extent of the dangers associated with eating disorders, namely Anorexia.
One of the most shocking and controversial campaigns to date featured the French actress and model, Isabelle Caro who had suffered from Anorexia since she was thirteen years old. In 2007, she took part in a campaign for an Italian fashion house in which shocking naked pictures of her severely emaciated body were used on billboards and magazines. It was an attempt to raise awareness of the disorders within the fashion industry. Sadly, Isabelle passed away at the age of 28.

One of the billboards of the Isabelle Caro Campaign

Her campaign was most certainly shocking, and the images most certainly caught people's attention, but were they more damaging than helpful?
It would seem that the campaign was successful in making people realise the extent to which the fashion industry promote being skinny, urging already thin girls to lose drastic weight if they want to work in modelling. It highlighted the changes that need to take place in the industry to protect vulnerable young women from being pushed into dangerous eating habits and weight loss. And Isabelle fought for these changes right up until her death.
However concern has been raised with these type of campaigns campaign when it emerged that images from them were being used on pro anorexia websites as so called "thinspiration". One particularly chilling message appeared on one site shortly after Isabelle's death, reading "die young, stay pretty."

It seems that these shock anti anorexia campaigns are great for raising awareness among non sufferers, and help in pushing corporations and agencies etc to change their ways. However, for the vulnerable people that actually suffer from such disorders, they seem to do more harm than good. It is thought that more effective campaigns, to be aimed at people that suffer, would not be shocking and would not use images like that of Isabelle Caro. Instead, campaigns encouraging people to reach out for help and promoting methods of getting help and treatment should be used.

Here is the link to a feature on Isabelle Caro and her anti anorexia campaign:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTIjRxT_Y9g