A while ago I read an interview with Geri Halliwell in the Metro. She had just published her series of Ugenia Lavender children’s books and answered some questions about her love of reading.
Then came this question:
“Can you identify with John Prescott? You’re both high-profile bulimics”.
Right.
Firstly, being compared with John Prescott isn’t hugely flattering. By lumping Halliwell and Prescott into the same category, the journalist is getting a cheap laugh from the unusual combination.
Secondly, does this encourage people to be honest about sensitive problems such as eating disorders? To know that if you talk about it, you may be ridiculed.
I can imagine a young girl reading that interview and deciding to keep quiet about her eating disorder — even if she has the comfort of knowing she would only be a “low-profile bulimic”.
There are so many reasons for people not to reveal their problems. Journalists shouldn’t add to them for the sake of a cheap laugh.
