In 2012, in Kent, England, 17-year-old Alice Oseman wrote her debut novel, Solitaire. Solitaire follows Tori Spring, a nihilistic teenager struggling with the obstacles of adolescence. In the background of the novel were two characters, Charlie Spring — Tori’s younger brother — and Nick Nelson, Charlie’s boyfriend. When Oseman published Solitaire in 2014, readers loved Tori and her story. Interestingly, many of them loved Charlie’s story, too. Oseman’s audience grew steadily on Tumblr, @aliceoseman, and she began to post a series of comic-style drawings of Nick and Charlie. In 2019, Oseman published the first installment of Nick and Charlie’s story as the now-bestselling graphic novel series Heartstopper. After selling over 1 million print copies worldwide and selling out bookstores, “Heartstopper” season one took to the screen on Netflix in 2022.
The Netflix adaptation, starring Kit Connor and Joe Locke, follows 14- and 15-year-old Nick and Charlie, students at an all-boys school navigating coming out, homophobia, and the woes of teen romance. As the show progresses, the challenges that Nick and Charlie face grow more serious. In season three, which was released on Oct. 3, 2024, Charlie (Locke) is revealed to be struggling with an eating disorder and OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder). Scenes depict Charlie experiencing panic attacks, restrictive eating, and compulsions. Charlie reflects the staggering reality of the mental health crisis among LGBTQ youth; according to The Trevor Project, a leading nonprofit organization benefiting the mental health and safety of the LGBTQ community, a steep 30% of queer youth are affected by eating disorders. In episode four, “Journey,” Charlie is admitted to an inpatient facility.
Portrayals of mental illness in media, particularly eating disorders, are historically difficult to pull off. Notable examples include Cassie from “Skins” and Ellen from “To The Bone”—both of which have been widely criticized for their romanticization and perpetration of harmful stereotypes. “Eating disorders can be very competitive,” explained April Lyons, a licensed clinician, in an April Lyons Psychotherapy Group article. “Hearing that another person has lost weight can fuel your desire to lose more than them. … as long as you’re the weight that you want, you’re winning the game.” With the competitive nature of eating disorders, graphic portrayals of them can do more harm than good. Viewers struggling with eating disorders are likely to be negatively influenced by these depictions of dramatized characters in media where soapy shock value is prioritized over accuracy and viewer benefit. Oseman told Elle Magazine, “We don’t see as much [accurate representation] on TV or in films. … Charlie is hopefully a bit of representation for the many young queer men out there who do have eating disorders and are struggling with that every day.” But how does one achieve this representation? How does one portray an eating disorder accurately and safely? The answer is complicated.
Alice Oseman, alongside See-Saw Films, “Heartstopper’s” producer, made the decision to work alongside Beat, short for Beat Eating Disorders, a leading eating disorder prevention and research organization in the United Kingdom. “We wanted to ensure that there was nothing in the show that was particularly harmful or triggering to people who have experienced eating disorders,” Oseman told Beat. “We wanted to work with Beat to ensure that Charlie’s story in season three and his experience of having an eating disorder felt realistic.” Through working with Beat, the representation of anorexia through Charlie was closely monitored by psychiatric professionals. The show utilizes animation, music, and color-grading to represent Charlie’s illness.
Interestingly, “Heartstopper” takes a unique approach to Charlie’s stay in an inpatient setting by switching the point-of-view of the show entirely to another character. While the majority of the show follows Charlie, episode four of season three, titled “Journey,” focuses on the other characters as they navigate Charlie’s absence. The episode is a turning point in the series, whereby the characters are seen as mature young adults instead of the bright-eyed teens they’d been prior. The choice to shift the perspective of the story assures that the hospitalization wouldn’t serve as a triggering or otherwise harmful depiction for viewers, but it also provides needed commentary on how the hardships of those that we love can weigh on us heavily. Notably, Charlie relapses after returning home from the hospital, which Oseman carefully chose to include. “It was really thinking about how much to show and what specifically [the audience] should be seeing,” they told The Nerds of Color in an interview about the season’s release. “Charlie’s relapse is important because it shows that even though Charlie has come out of the very worst part of it, it’s not all better. He’s still struggling. The journey is not all uphill. It’s going to be a bit of a roller coaster.”
Oseman’s insight combined with the input of professionals created a beautifully crafted story that is delicate and serious, and viewers shared that sentiment. “Season 3 of Heartstopper, especially the first half, is such a balm for my soul. The way Charlie’s struggles were presented with such purity and care was nothing less than gorgeous. As a queer person who struggled with an ED and [self harm], I felt so f***ing seen,” wrote X (formerly Twitter) user @MamaBeth834. User @kamofmyheart wrote, “as someone who has struggled with an ED similar to charlie’s in the past… heartstopper season 3 healed me in ways therapy didn’t. it’s so relieving to see the thing i and many other struggled with represented in the media.” These reviews are amongst a sea of many heartfelt comments from viewers who felt seen, comforted, and safe. The season received a whopping 98% on Rotten Tomatoes, and judging by the reception by watchers, the high rating is certainly deserved.
Members of the LGBTQ+ community affected by eating disorders can seek support from organizations such as The Trevor Project or the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA).
