Self-Esteem and Ideals: How Film Explores Our Relationship With the Body

How contemporary films explore eating disorders, body shaming, and the cult of the perfect body.

Contemporary cinema increasingly turns to how people relate to their own bodies. Films use character stories to portray anorexia, bulimia, emotional overeating, or the pressure from the beauty industry that shapes ideas about 'normal' appearance.

How film portrays complicated relationships with the body, and which stories have become the basis for discussions about eating disorders — read on in this DeTalks article.

What Eating Disorders Are

Eating disorders (ED) are mental health conditions that change how people relate to food, weight, and their own body. They include anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating disorder. A person with an eating disorder often tries to control food or weight as a way of coping with anxiety, trauma, or social pressure.

Cinema uses this theme to explore characters' inner conflicts. Directors try to show how cultural beauty standards affect self-esteem.

The Whale: Emotional Overeating as a Response to Loss

The film tells the story of English teacher Charlie, who lives in isolation in his apartment and works remotely with students, avoiding in-person contact. During class, Charlie keeps his camera off, blaming faulty equipment, when really he's hiding his appearance out of shame and fear of judgment.

Gradually, the film shows that the character's isolated lifestyle is closely tied to his emotional state. After the death of his former partner, Charlie is overwhelmed by grief and guilt. His compulsive overeating becomes a psychological defense mechanism that temporarily numbs his emotions, while also worsening his physical health.

Through the plot, the director shows that the issue isn't reducible to just weight or eating habits. Conflicts with his ex-wife and a difficult relationship with his daughter, in particular, deepen the sense of hopelessness Charlie finds himself in.

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To the Bone: Anorexia and the Fear of Recovery

Ellen is the film's protagonist, who leaves college and returns home after a failed attempt at anorexia treatment. Her family can't handle the situation on their own, so her stepmother suggests she see a doctor who specializes in treating eating disorders.

Ellen eventually agrees to join a treatment program and moves into a special group home with other patients. Living together and meeting new people creates a kind of group-therapy environment, where each resident is fighting their own fears and habits tied to food.

Step by step, the film reveals the underlying causes of Ellen's condition. She has a difficult relationship with her family and carries guilt over the past. During therapy, she learns that her content on social media may have influenced a girl who later died by suicide.

So, despite promising to change, Ellen keeps losing weight.

I Feel Pretty: Self-Esteem and the Illusion of Beauty

The comedy I Feel Pretty follows a woman who constantly compares herself to imposed beauty standards. As a result, her self-esteem depends entirely on her appearance. The protagonist, Renee Bennett, works at a cosmetics company and is convinced her looks are holding her back from success. Her insecurity makes her feel less attractive than her coworkers, and she dreams of changing herself to match the beauty industry's ideals.

Things change after an accidental fall during a workout at the gym. After hitting her head, she wakes up convinced she's become incredibly beautiful. In reality, her appearance hasn't changed at all, but her new sense of confidence changes her behavior. Because of it, Renee starts talking to people more boldly and sees her own potential differently.

Over time, that confidence helps her land the job she wants and even start a romantic relationship. Meanwhile, the people around her respond positively to Renee mainly because of her new energy and openness.

The Substance: The Cult of Youth and the Fear of Aging

This body-horror film tells the story of actress and TV host Elizabeth Sparkle. She's worked in show business for years, but on her 50th birthday, learns that producers plan to replace her with a younger host. In an industry where looks determine careers, the news hits Elizabeth hard and sends her searching for a way to reclaim her lost success.

She eventually comes across a mysterious black-market drug called 'the Substance,' which supposedly can create a younger, more perfect version of a person. Elizabeth ends up with a new version of herself — a younger woman named Sue. Under the drug's rules, both versions must exist in a certain balance, switching places every few days to keep the body stable.

At first, Sue's new life goes well — she quickly lands auditions and gains popularity. Elizabeth, meanwhile, feels increasingly isolated and disillusioned. Eventually, the rivalry between the two versions of the same person escalates, and attempts to break the established rules lead to dangerous consequences.

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The Menu: Food as a Symbol of Status

This thriller follows a dinner at an exclusive restaurant on a remote island. Among the guests are wealthy businessmen, critics, celebrities, and fine-dining enthusiasts, all there to sample an original tasting menu by chef Julian Slowik.

The story begins with the guests' arrival at the restaurant, where each dish is presented as part of a carefully staged culinary performance. The chef accompanies each course with short speeches and stories. At first, the dinner looks like a showcase of fine dining, but the atmosphere gradually grows more and more tense.

As the evening unfolds, Slowik begins revealing uncomfortable details about his guests' lives. It turns out most of them are complicit in a system that turned cooking into an industry built on status and profit.

The dinner stops being entertainment and turns into a kind of psychological experiment, forcing everyone present to confront their own actions.

Precious: Life Under the Pressure of Violence and Shame

At the center of this social drama is 16-year-old Clareece 'Precious' Jones, a teenager from Harlem living in poverty, domestic violence, and constant humiliation. She is overweight, can barely read, and is already pregnant with her second child — both children conceived through rape by her father.

After conflicts at school, Precious gets the chance to transfer to an alternative school. There, she meets teacher Ms. Rain, who treats her with respect and support for the first time. This new environment gradually opens up a different world for the girl, where Precious begins learning to read, write, and talk about her own experiences.

Alongside this, the film shows Precious's difficult relationship with her mother, who constantly demeans her daughter and blames her for her own failures. Over the course of the story, the girl goes through a difficult journey — from a life shaped by fear and powerlessness to an attempt to take responsibility for her own future.