Should Eugenia Cooney Be Banned From YouTube Because Of Her Eating Disorder?

[Elarra]

For those of you who don't know, Eugenia Cooney is a popular YouTuber with almost 900,000 subscribers, most of whom are 12-21 year old girls. However, as you can see by the picture, this chica is severely underweight yet insists that doctors say she is fine. However, despite the visual evidence in all 274 videos on her channel of her body weight continuing to decline, Eugenia insists that she's perfectly fine and is not anorexic.

There's a petition on Change. org to get her temporarily banned from YouTube because people believe she's having a negative impact on her female fans. Eugenia, however, believes she's not doing anything wrong, is in perfect health, and is claiming that she's being harassed. The petition already has over 11,000 signatures supporting the removal of her channel. Here's the link to the petition.

It's to the point where other YouTubers are actually commenting and making videos of their own pleading that someone stage an intervention and save her from her malnutrition and destructive ways. I've posted one below by popular YouTuber Onision that he created on his channel UhOhBro and OnisionSpeaks.

So what do you think? You can read more about it here.

Yes, she should be banned because she's influencing young girls negatively.

No, it's her life and her channel. Leave her alone.

Mixed feelings/Other

Updates

+1 y

Keep in mind, it's a temporary ban people want, not a permanent one. They want her to keep her channel, but they don't want her to influence young girls in the wrong way and they want her to get help.

[lumos]

I really don't agree with banning someone for the way they look. Like if you're going to ban her for having an eating disorder then we should also start banning obese youtubers. After all, they're "promoting" an unhealthy lifestyle too.
Trying to censor or ban people because they look a certain way is utter bullshit. The people getting "influenced" by her to the point of developing an eating disorder have underlying issues to begin with (!!!), and just because someone like Eugenia might slightly trigger those types of behaviors and disorders, it does NOT mean that she directly caused them and that the viewer was completely at her mercy. You don't just develop issues like that from looking at people who are skinny and underweight, there are underlying problems that are beyond (for instance) Eugenia's power. Even if Eugenia quit or got banned, I'm sure those who are starving themselves "because of her", would find someone else to "look up to" and project their issues onto. Because they're so deeply rooted. Those problems were already there and were bound to happen somehow. You can't protect these types of people from everything in the world that might trigger their disorder (s). But what you can do is help them. And you don't help them by removing people like Eugenia and pretending they don't exist.
I'm all for Eugenia getting help if she really is suffering from some kind of disorder or mental health issues (none of us have the right to speak on her behalf so I won't start speculating about what she may or may not have) but at the end of the day I really don't feel like banning her is right. That's not a step in the right direction and I feel like it would create a snowball effect.

[xHoneyxBeex]

I don't believe she should be banned. Ultimately, people are responsible for themselves. I've never really agreed with the concept of blaming the media for influencing people to do negative things. The media (or in this case, Youtube videos) may depict certain negative things but everyone is still in control of their own actions. I'm just a strong believer in the concept of personal responsibility. If the parents of the young women who watch her channel are so concerned, perhaps they should spend more time talking to their daughters and teaching them about what is healthy and what is not.

From briefly looking at her Youtube channel, it looks like she mostly focuses on fashion, makeup, and things like that. So again, I see no reason to ban her from making videos if that's something she enjoys.

That being said, I do believe she desperately needs help. She's obviously not at a healthy body weight and I seriously question any doctor who told her that this is "okay." Anorexia is not just a body issue, it's a mental issue as well. She's clearly in denial that there is a problem. I hope she has caring and supportive people in her life who will get her the help she needs.

[Milkandcookies]

That's really offensive. Of course Eugenia has some sort of eating disorder but who give anyone watching her gidoes the right to know about her personal struggles? Maybe she doesn't want to share her whole life on the internet where everyone can see. I've had severe anorexia way back when i was 9 to 14 was when i finally recovered. But it took me a year to finally get help and another couple of years to actually get better. Recovery is a slow process. My sister had anorexia aswell and she constanly denied at first and refused to get help. This is a classic case. Her parents and herswlf are the only people that can help her get the help she needs. No one on youtube can help her and no one can forced her. Anorexia is terrible and feels like a living hell. Calling her all these names and trying to ban her from youtube (which is probably the only place she feels comfortable and forgets about her struggles) is so insensitive and rude. Not okay. It is also not her fault at all that little girls want to be as skinny as her. She has never said ANYTHING about tjis to her fans. And she doesn't need to.

[Elarra]

I think the big problem people are having is that Eugenia doesn't think she has anorexia or an eating disorder when she clearly does.

[Milkandcookies]

Yikes , i've made many typos and spelling errors. Sorry about that!

[Milkandcookies]

She is obviously in denial or scared to admit that she has anorexia. I remember i cried when i first got diagnosed with anorexia. It's a really sad thing. It takes over your whole life. I bet she honestly doesn't even care about her health. She's just dying to be thin. People + her fans need to realize that by banning her or calling her rude names is not a good thing to do. It's bullying and she will never get better that way. She does need help but that is her decision at the end of the day and we can't force her to do anything she doesn't feel ready to do.

[Milkandcookies]

Eugenia is not at fault for making stupid little girls want to be as thin as her. Anorexia is also not a disease you can catch It's all in the head. There is a difference between being jealous of someones body and actually starving yourself to death because these voices in your head tell you to do so. Anorexia is a mental ilness. If she was telling these girls to starve themselves and all this bs then i would support the idea of banning her but no, she is innocent and the victim here.

[damnwinter]

She does not look healthy, so there is probably an issue there. But even so, people who are dealing with this sort of thing should not be rejected. That will not help. They should be helped in the real sense of the word. Banning her won't help anybody. She needs to feel accepted and included, most likely, not the other way around.

[astrOnaut01]

Ew.

There is no way that doctors say she is fine, she is either in total denial or psychotic. Anyway, maybe she should be banned - That is, if she actively encourages her viewers to follow her eating habits.

[Elarra]

She literally claims that there is a doctor that says she's okay. And if this doctor exists, he needs to lose his license and go to jail.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrCEMLLGx5A

[astrOnaut01]

I can tell that she lied when she said that her doctor "thinks" that she's okay.

The thing is, we don't even need to see a doctor's note or anything like that. Just watching this video, I can see the whole width of her arm and change through that hole in her shirt when she goes to turn the camera off.

[ThisDudeHere]

"she's having a negative impact"

Anything and I mean ANYTHING will have a negative impact on someone somewhere. Where will you draw a line though?

[Elarra]

Death.

[ThisDudeHere]

What do you mean? I meant to ask where will you draw a line at what should stay and what should be banned.

[Elarra]

I know what you asked and I answered. Eugenia's next step is believed to be death if her weight decreases and that's where people are drawing the line

[Theodorable]

ThisDudeHere is right. We can't go around banning everything because someone somewhere might find it offensive. If that was the case, everything would eventually be banned.

[Relentless_Hippie]

I voted other, she's not actively encouraging young girls to starve themselves and while they are impressionable and are probably wanting to be like her it isn't Eugenia's fault. She genuinely can't see anything wrong with her appearance and she can't even fathom the idea that she isn't healthy. Eugenia has a disorder and it's preventing her from seeing the reality of things.

If people just look at her and then decide they want to be skinny, not because she told them to, but just because that's how their mind functions then it's not her fault. That's like saying a gay youtuber is encouraging people to be gay, or a fat youtuber is encouraging people to be fat, or someone with hiv is encouraging people to get hiv.

She can't control the thinking patterns of other people and she especially can't deliver a message of self love when she can't see that she has a life threatening problem. So, no I don't think she should be banned but I do think something should be done. Maybe YouTube could ask her to get some help and provide her with some resources.

It's a difficult call to make. The way other people think isn't her fault, but she is in a position of great influence and she should take it more seriously. But how do you ask someone like that to change themselves when they can't see anything that needs changing?

[IJWTD-AFML]

She shouldn't be ban. I mean it's okay if she likes to entertain and make videos. But she should stop lying and get some help. The thing is that a lot of anorexics especially at that stage are in full denial and do not want help and really just want to die being skinny. It's horrible. I think she just needs so much help from people around her instead of being banned. And of course pro-ana girls love her and worship her skinny body.

[Elarra]

That's why people want her channel banned. Actually, if you go and read some of the people who signed it, they said the same thing you did. Eugenia says it's harassment and maybe on some level it is, but most people signed the petition because she doesn't think anything is wrong and refuses to do anything about her weight.

[IJWTD-AFML]

Well, if she doesn't want to do anything she just wants to die. It sucks and it's sad for her family and everyone who likes her... But someone who doesn't want help is a lost cause.

[ginny_weasley]

I totally believed she didn't have an eating disorder for a while, but I recant that statement. She is an entertainer so I think her fans make her happy, if she is banned, she could become depressed. And who knows how she will react beyond that. What I am mainly wondering is, where is her family in this mess? They should've forced her into rehab by now.

[MargaritaPeach]

She is skeletal, and it looks pretty unhealthy. But she refuses to get help, or even admit that she needs it; sadly, this is one of the symptoms of anorexia. But I think that banning someone who is suffering from an illness is wrong. Are those battling cancer next? Guess what, they're dying too. But that's no reason to snuff out their freedom of speech or their rights to express themselves. Maybe someone suffering from this disease will see from her videos how ugly and insidious this disease really is. Maybe this will inspire someone to get help.

[cchris999]

No young child is going to go out and try to get cancer but they can totally become bulimic if the person they look up to is!

[MargaritaPeach]

@cchris999 Bulimia and anorexia are not diseases that anybody tries to get. You can't give yourself these disorders or diseases any more than you 'give' yourself any other medical malady. It's more than a desire to be thin!

[cipher42]

Honestly this one's a tough one, as I do dislike how the media so often present super skinny people as what people should aim to look like, which is just plain unhealthy. However, I do also believe in personal freedom, and I can't say that I would support banning obese people, or smokers, or for that matter junk food ads, so if I supported her ban I feel that would be hypocritical. Besides, one chick on YouTube is honestly not that huge of a problem, seeing how prevalent major media encouragement of unhealthy habits is. Like, I feel the attention would be much better focused on larger issues.

[woefulfairies]

hell no. banning her from youtube won't help anything. its ultimately the fans' choice as well as their parents' to make the decision to have an eating disorder, you don't see her telling kids "stop eating and you'll be pretty!", she even said she doesn't see herself as a role model. people are becoming so freaking soft nowadays, youtube is something she loves to do, and y'all are taking that away from her for something she can't help.

[Raymond_Reddington]

When will people finally learn to mind their own business i wonder. Will Boogie get banned for being overweight? No nobody complains about his weight. Except for himself and his daughter then lol

[Elarra]

If you mean Boogie2988, he has had people in the past tell him to lose weight and talk to him about it. In fact, he's made several videos about his weight and what he plans to do about it, which is probably why he's not being banned. Eugenia, on the other hand, doesn't think there's anything wrong.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zm5INb2D-lw

[Raymond_Reddington]

Yeah you just repeated what i said.. do you have anything new to add?

[Elarra]

You: No nobody complains about his weight. Except for himself and his daughter then lol

Me: If you mean Boogie2988, he has had people in the past tell him to lose weight and talk to him about it.

Did not repeat what you just said.

[Raymond_Reddington]

You: "You: No nobody complains about his weight. Except for himself and his daughter then lol"

Yeah you quite literally just repeated what i said. Notice the "except for himself" part? All you did was telling me he made some videos about his weight and what he's planning on doing about it. Thats just what i said, you just used different words. Jesus some really should learn to read before saying something. Unbelievable..

[Elarra]

First of all, i can read as I'm an English teacher and I literally just copied and pasted what YOU said. I said, "If you mean Boogie2988, he has had people in the past tell him to lose weight and talk to him about it." YOU, since, you know, you obviously failed 1st grade English, said, "No nobody complains about his weight. Except for himself and his daughter then lol", not me.

So not only can you not read, but you can't comprehend or even remember what you said. And since I don't like associating myself with illiterates, please excuse yourself and your low IQ due to lack of brain cells from my question.

[Theodorable]

Thank you!!! People need to mind their own business. Bunch of hyenas on the internet.

[fhs886]

Elarra there's other Youtubers who promote obesity which reduces lifespan. Should they be banned as well?

[Jxpxtxr]

I do get that you all "want the best" but honestly as someone who's recovering from anorexia I can tell you that extreme reactions like this are absolutely not the way because it does nothing but make her feel like shit about herself, especially this campaign against her downvoting every single video she uploads I mean that's literally just cyber bullying at this point - wtf people?

[Bandit74]

I hate people that try to ban or boycott things.

They think "I don't want to watch this, therefore no one else should be allowed to watch it" or "I dont want to hear this person speak, therefore no one else should be allowed to hear this person speak".

I wouldn't want to watch this girl because she's gross to look at, but if other people want to watch her then thats none of my concern. She isn't breaking any laws or violating Youtube's code of conduct.

[anonman32]

Some people are banned from youtube because others have their feelings hurt. If thats gonna be the case then they should ban this bitch too.

[Elarra]

Uh... okay, don't need to call her a bitch though.

[anonman32]

*degenerate, sorry.

[DaddyRollingStone]

Why would you remove her channel? So she could be forced to leave her house and get a job where she feels vulnerable? And why do women look through all types of media for excuses to validate their existence, you want to ban Eugenia because you think adult women will watch her videos and think it is ok to be anorexic. I don't understand this mentality, either of them actually.

1. That we need to regulate what people see because some people are too stupid for their own good
2. Why people, usually women, would look at someone online or tv, or in a magazine and think that since someone published a models photo that would make it ok for them kill themselves.

She makes videos in her living room for a living, she isn't a role model or anything. So who the hell cares?

[Artesian]

If her only 'crime' is being very thin, and she isn't frequently (or even occasionally) discussing it and it is not part of her shtick online, then no. She shouldn't be banned.

She shouldn't be banned anymore than we should remove any rock videos produced by rock stars when they were known to be abusing drugs.

[BellePepper]

I think she should be banned for promoting suicide since that's clearly where she's heading.

If people really want her to stop though, they should stop supporting her channel. All this attention is just telling her that the worse she treats herself the more attention she'll get. Stop giving her the attention and maybe she'll work it out.

[Sojex]

You can't ban someone from YouTube because they have an appearance that makes you uncomfortable. What's next? Ban an obese YouTuber? Someone who's too ugly? Someone who's got an opinion you just don't agree with? It's a slippery slope you're talking about

[Cmasterson]

No I don't think she should be banned, its not like she's advertising "hey be this skinny!" its not that easy for people will eating disorders to be changing overnight, if theyre influencing "young girls" maybe their internet should be monitored by their parents. I have mixed feelings too, seems like people care more about how she's influencing others than the actual health of her.

[Cmasterson]

Even if they're making videos begging someone to help her, thats only causing more attention and it can be an easy trigger for her to just do the opposite.

[Bleh-___-]

Not at all. She doesn't advocate eating disorders and even if she did, like others have mentioned, who is to say you can't ban other channels that encourage unhealthy lifestyles (obesity, substance abuse, etc.)? If a parent is concerned about her being a dangerous influence to their child, it's up to them to manage what their child watches, not try to ban every person who may have have a "negative impact" on them. Censorship isn't the way to go.

[somebodysaycheese]

anorexia ( body dyshpora) and gender dysphora is in the same family.. literally. If she is leaving a negative impacts so is transgender people and ther 100 genders.
If these people have a right to have a youtube channel so can she. We can't pick and choose what to accept. She is a grown woman who has chosen to live her life a ceratin way.

[madhatters4]

i signed a change. org petition to get her help. i don't know if she should be banned, i think more important is informing the public of the dangers of being so drastically underweight.

so i guess i think there should simply be better balance to show the significant and often fatal health risks of anorexia and similar disorders

[tattooedhandfet]

Poor kid needs help.
My opinion on this is if we don't wanna watch her, we don't have to. There are many people out there in the world with eating disorders. Even celebrities, but we don't have a petition to remove them from being casted in a movie.

[OrdinaryGentleman]

Ok first off, why do you listen to that cuck Onision or whatever the fuck.
You use a guy as news who doesn't take care of his girlfriend when she is having a panic attack but instead films it?
And hell no, no one like that should be forced off youtube, wtf... how fucking stupid are you people who sign this petition?

[OrdinaryGentleman]

Oh and Temporarily banning her won't change anything.

[Elarra]

Lol, calm down, I just used his video because it was the first to pop up in a search. I don't watch him personally plus Eugenia responded to Onision personally.

[OrdinaryGentleman]

Then i reiterate. I don't believe in signing a petition that berates a user with a problem as it only puts them further at the fringes.