The Skinny is an R29 original dark comedy series that follows feminist wannabe YouTube star Jessie (Jessie Kahnweiler) as she explores love, life, and friendship in L.A. — while struggling with bulimia.
The visible landscape of an eating disorder is comprised of sad, hungry, emaciated women — but Jessie is none of those. She is a loud and proud feminist willing to go the distance (physical and emotional) to tell a story; whether it's trying to get arrested to demonstrate the tenets of white privilege or going to the West Bank in Israel to try to find a nice Jewish boy. Despite her empowering body of work, she struggled with her eating disorder for most of her life. Jessie lived on mints and laxatives at different times in her career, she wouldn't allow herself to finish an entire meal, and once overdosed on diet pills while riding the subway in New York. And she felt like she couldn't ask for help because she didn't fit the mold of a person with bulimia — she was happy, tan, and busy. She was simultaneously all of those things as well as puking up the contents of her stomach after breakfast. The struggle is real and The Skinny is a love letter to anyone going through it alone or feels too ashamed to seek help. It's not enough to pour yourself into projects when you're empty on the inside.
The visible landscape of an eating disorder is comprised of sad, hungry, emaciated women — but Jessie is none of those. She is a loud and proud feminist willing to go the distance (physical and emotional) to tell a story; whether it's trying to get arrested to demonstrate the tenets of white privilege or going to the West Bank in Israel to try to find a nice Jewish boy. Despite her empowering body of work, she struggled with her eating disorder for most of her life. Jessie lived on mints and laxatives at different times in her career, she wouldn't allow herself to finish an entire meal, and once overdosed on diet pills while riding the subway in New York. And she felt like she couldn't ask for help because she didn't fit the mold of a person with bulimia — she was happy, tan, and busy. She was simultaneously all of those things as well as puking up the contents of her stomach after breakfast. The struggle is real and The Skinny is a love letter to anyone going through it alone or feels too ashamed to seek help. It's not enough to pour yourself into projects when you're empty on the inside.