LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Anorexic YouTuber Eugenia Cooney, who is still fighting an eating issue in front of a very large audience, has sparked a social media uproar by displaying her thin frame in a recent video. The 29-year-old vlogger has long been the subject of controversy and concern; she initially incited a storm of outrage in 2013 when she started posting films of her eerily thin figure on TikTok, where she had already amassed a devoted following through her beauty lessons.
The video, which has over 16.8 million views since it was posted on July 21, has Cooney donning a hot pink ensemble from head to toe that was inspired by the movie 'Barbie.' "Hiiii im Barbie," wrote Cooney in the caption of the TikTok post. Cooney often shares fashion-related content on her YouTube channel, which has more than 2.13 million subscribers. Her extreme thinness, however, appeared to worry some fans, who voiced their concerns in the comments section.
Is Eugenia Cooney sick?
Currently, American YouTube personality Cooney is not sick but the 29-year-old has been battling eating disorder anorexia nervosa since joining YouTube in 2013. Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder that makes sufferers fixate on their appearance and diet. According to the Mayo Clinic, the eating disorder anorexia also involves mental and behavioral problems that cause the person who is experiencing them to have an unrealistic impression of their body weight as well as a severe fear of putting on weight or getting fat.
Cooney's appearance in her videos and images is the primary source of evidence for her condition. She appears malnourished and has an unusually low body weight, as well as outward symptoms of malnourishment like pale complexion, brittle hair, and a fragile physical appearance. Many doctors and viewers have expressed concern about her health, pointing to the risks that could be related to her weight and the obvious indicators of her physical decline.
Cooney often sports revealing clothing that draws attention to her lean body, and the focus is mostly on fashion, makeup, and her looks. Despite pleas for Cooney to get treatment from viewers and the larger online community, her condition has not changed over time, with brief improvements during treatment intervals followed by relapses into an extremely thin state.
In 2016, viewers pleaded with the YouTuber to get treatment and also initiated a petition to have her removed from YouTube, claiming that she was encouraging anorexia. As per Daily Mail, she got treatment in 2019 and took a break from social media. After taking a break from the internet to concentrate on her health, Cooney starred in a documentary on Shane Dawson's YouTube channel. According to Metro, she admitted in the video that she had an eating condition and had sought treatment.
'Sick and sad'
Cooney rekindled the concern over her diminutive stature after she posted the recent Barbie video, leading viewers to plead with the social media star to "get help." The situation was described as being incredibly "Sick and sad" by viewers on Twitter, who swamped the comments section with requests for the YouTuber to get help. One Instagram viewer wrote, "Sadly Someday this will be a memorial account." A second one said, "This poor woman. This is blatant fetish content and it's heartbreaking to see." A third Instagram user commented, "You barely have the strength to walk in shoes that heavy. Get some help." Another one claimed, "This is just so depressing. How can this many people around her, fail her."
One Twitter user, who appears to be a doctor, claimed, "How is this extremely sick girl allowed to influence millions of kids? Her accounts should be shut down and she should be hospitalized." A second user wrote, "She looks almost like a Holocaust survivor. Especially if u remove her makeup." A third one chimed in, "She is literally knocking on death's door. This is exceptionally sad." "Sick and sad," wrote another. Another caring viewer wrote, "She’s live nearly every night. I watch it sometimes. People comment about her weight and many sound genuinely worried. They’re usually banned by the moderator. She won’t hear it and collects views and money because she knows it’s controversial. She’s using her own mental illness for monetary gain and is gaining followers. The most concerning thing I see in this case, however, is the amount of young girls in the chat asking her for tips on how to lose weight."
One more exclaimed, "Jesus, so looked her up and she went under medical care in 2019 for her disorder. Doesn't look like it worked since this video is only a week old (well posted to her IG a week ago)." Another concerned fan typed, "This is extremely concerning. She's been like this for a long time, I'm surprised thus far she hasn't received help for her problems."