2/3/2006 - Our Lips Are Sealed Press Release

 

CTV recently put out a press release on the upcoming episodes of Degrassi: The Next Generation 515 + 516 "Our Lips Are Sealed." The two part episode will explore the topic of eating disorders, as Emma tries to gain control in her life. To read the full text, visit here.

Or read the highlights below:

"On the eve of National Eating Disorder Awareness week (Feb. 5 – 11), CTV announced today the premiere of a dramatic, two-episode story arc in Degrassi: The Next Generation that draws attention to this pervasive problem. Ripped from the headlines, "Our Lips Are Sealed," is a two-part account of how 16-year-old Emma Nelson (Miriam McDonald) battles with anorexia and bulimia. The wrenching, all-new episodes premiere Monday, February 20 and 27 at 8:30 p.m. ET on CTV (check local listings).

"It upsets me greatly to see that young people's body images are so affected by the media," says Linda Schuyler, Degrassi's Executive Producer. "The message of self-acceptance is so important, and Emma's eating disorder brings that issue to the forefront."

In "Our Lips Are Sealed," a distraught Emma throws herself into losing weight - the one thing she has control over – when she confronts her parents' recent split and the demands of keeping her relationship with Peter (Jamie Johnston) under wraps from her best friend Manny (Cassie Steele). "We haven't starved for two days just to ruin it in 10 minutes of gluttony," Emma tells Manny after a big family dinner. But when the sparse eating, over-exercising and constant purging become too much for her body to take, Emma collapses and a family intervention ensues.

"The upcoming Degrassi: The Next Generation storyline illustrates how people don't start out with the idea of getting an eating disorder," said Merryl Bear, Director, National Eating Disorder Information Centre. "These unhealthy patterns of behavior around food, exercise and weight management begin as a way to help structure or manage stressful lives, but in the end, control the individual. As the actions of the Degrassi character Emma indicate, vanities don't drive these preoccupations, but attempts at self-management and emotional regulation do."

At the end of the second episode in the "Our Lips Are Sealed" story arc, CTV will direct viewers to visit www.nedic.ca, the website for Canada's National Eating Disorder Information Centre (NEDIC). Nedic is a non-profit organization founded in 1985 to provide information and resources on eating disorders and food and weight preoccupation. In addition to information about eating disorders and advice on how to help friends and/or family suffering from an eating disorder, visitors to NEDIC's website can obtain information about local organizations and outlets available to help those in need.

Canada's most-watched original dramatic series, Degrassi: The Next Generation has hit a milestone in its current season, garnering over a million viewers***, a record for the series on CTV. Now in its fifth season, Degrassi's audience has increased 24 per cent**** compared to Season Four."


Source: CTV.ca