has finally found their season to spice up an otherwise boring series (they haven’t had an exciting season since Chicago). I have been a devoted fan of this drama because nowhere else do you get to see stereotypes acted out on such an accurate basis. This season not only boasts hurricanes and evacuations but also an anorexic girl. I am not sure if I should be disgusted or thrilled. What I am sure about is questioning MTV’s motives.
Paula is the character on the show that has an eating disorder but that’s not all. Paula is clearly a depressed person who shows signs of manic depression and a ridiculous amount of self esteem issues. She also clearly stated in her audition tape that she was “kind of bulimic”. The roommates notice that she is incredibly thin right away and the frat boy character John says that he thinks she would be pretty if she gained weight. This spirals into confrontation and ends in hyperventilation.
Did MTV put an girl on their show because they knew she would be a good source of drama and thus entertainment? If so I think a show that’s already insanely exploitative, is going to reckless extreme to bring in ratings. I want to give the network the benefit of the doubt though. What I want to believe is that MTV put Paula on their show because they want to appear conscious of a serious problem that affects a lot of people. They may want to show their audience (12-24 years old) that they aware of this problem and use Paula’s character as a warning against it. Even if this is the case it is still a tasteless idea and they should have used one of their “documentary shows” like True Life.
I am a hypocrite for even mentioning this because I will continue to watch this season, if not for the anorexic girl but for the hurricane.