Ugly Betty Takes Food Allergies Lightly
As more Americans become familiar with the issue of food allergy, the condition is being increasingly portrayed on television and in the movies. The positive side of this is that it increases public awareness. But sometimes Hollywood forgets that food allergy is a medical condition and portrays it insensitively. One example of this can be seen in the 2007 spring season finale of the ABC television hit comedy Ugly Betty.
In the episode, which aired on May 17, one of the characters, a boy named Justin, is the understudy for a lead role in a school play. Determined to get the part, he slips walnuts into his own sandwich and then switches lunches with the boy who actually has the part – and who is allergic to tree nuts. Though Justin is not shown doing this, afterwards he gleefully tells his mother that the other boy is home in bed with hives, whereupon she realizes what he’s done, but does not scold him or even address the issue at all. Later in the show, Justin is shown successfully playing the lead part in the play.
The Ugly Betty episode incorrectly gives viewers the impression that an allergic reaction to food is merely a nuisance. In reality, one bite of the wrong food can cause death in a matter of minutes. Once a reaction begins, there is no way to predict how severe it will become.
Food allergies can be deadly and should be taken very seriously. We are grateful that ABC is helping raise awareness about food allergies and hope future shows will do a better job of portraying this condition accurately. FAAN has contacted ABC to educate the people there about the potential seriousness of food allergy.
You can do the same online by going to http://abc.go.com/site/contactus.html, or by writing to:
ABC, Inc.
500 S. Buena Vista Street
Burbank, CA, 91521-4551 |
