Sometimes it's hard to see what we're looking at

A few days ago, I was reading the San Francisco Chronicle’s Datebook section.  I rarely read concert reviews, but the title of this one caught my eye: “Winehouse seems fragile, but she’s a tough act to follow.”  This bay area concert featured Amy Winehouse, a 23-year-old British pop singer.  To me, the review made it glaringly apparent how easy it is to dismiss eating disorders and other psychological ailments in our culture, especially for those who are in the limelight.

The author of the review, Aidin Vaziri, described Winehouse’s appearance as “a bit like Christina Aguilera after being put through a shredder.”  The singer “stumbled onstage” and after dropping her leather jacket on the ground “revealed skinny arms covered with scars and tattoos....”  She wore a “dirty white tank top” and drank alcohol throughout her performance provided by audience members who responded to her continual requests for “a Jack and Coke” promising the provider “a kiss on the lips.”

According to Vaziri, Winehouse has admitted that she battles with many psychological issues: from eating disorders to manic depression.  Even the reviewer “got”, in a small way, that there was something very wrong with what he was observing when he stated, “You have to wonder whether she was essentially facing a roomful of enablers.” 

Because of this young woman’s talent, her audience, like so many factions of our culture, dismissed her obvious illness and in essence cheered on her destructive behaviors.  Winehouse reportedly sings well, in spite of her illnesses.  So many who suffer with eating disorders can do the exact same thing:  continue to perform well even while suffering with deadly illnesses.

This review prompts me to ask: What message is sent when we value a person’s performance over their health?  What would change in our culture if we did not “enable” those who are ill by either dismissing or cheering on their destructive behaviors?  Until reading this review, I had never heard of Amy Winehouse, yet sadly, I fear she may be emblematic of many such performers.  May we stop cheering and start learning from these young people’s lives.

Blessings until next time,

Doris 

Comments

[Katie]

I've heard of her and that she's a really good singer. I had not heard that she suffered from borderline. As a parent, if she was your child what would you do? As an eating disorders expert now, knowing that she has these problems, other than writing the blog entry, what can you do? By that same token, when you see an obviously anorexic young woman at the market, do you say anything? How do you feel about this? The feeling I get is helplessness.