She might be an adult in a legal sense, but she's mentally stunted. She's been starving herself since she was a young teenager. We know that lack of nutrition leads to a decrease in IQ, among other things.
Oh, she's stunted for sure but far from being retarded. She behaves like a 14 year-old and seems very sheltered, but it's not like she wouldn't be able to comprehend what she is doing to herself.
Added to that, her mother also controlled her growing up, so even if food wasn't an issue, Eugenia's never really gotten to go out and experience the world and mature like your average person does.
Again, I agree that she seems very stunted, but it is hard to say why. I keep hearing that her mom is controlling but it's hard to say how bad it really is. Plenty of mentally ill teenagers isolate themselves deliberately. People with an ED tend to become completely ensnared by it. Just think about how much of our socialization is tied to food and drink. Better stay away from people, or else you will have to explain allll the time why you won't eat your school lunch, why you won't have popcorn at the cinema, why you won't even try the awesome birthday cake your friends made for you, and why you don't feel like grabbing an ice cream after school. Worse even, if you get invited to a party you are expected to drink there, and we all know how many empty calories alcohol has and how quickly you start feeling unwell if you drink on an empty stomach. One second later you're done with high school and the only thing you did was attend class and count calories. No parties, no first kiss, no awkward teenage boyfriend.
What I can say is that Eugenia seems okay with her situation. People have made attempts to pry her away from her mother, she has spent time away from her when she was at the clinic, and yet she went running right back and doesn't even seem to have the slightest desire to live an independent life. She has unrestricted internet access and her super controlling mom is okay with her daughter posting bodychecks, knowing full well that thousands of concerned people are watching. She had "friends"/was in touch with other Youtubers and ditched them all for the sake of being able to continue destroying herself. Even just talking to Shane Dawson must have made her realize how abnormal her situation is. She's so sheltered she doesn't even understand some of what he is saying.
I don't feel like anyone can say that Eugenia's the one calling the shots and just "choosing" to stay sick, when she's been neglected and manipulated since she was young, and her mother is still controlling her. Situation really reminds me of Gypsy Rose.
Again, she may be stunted but she is a legal non-retarded adult. To this day she still refuses to even say the word "eating disorder", let alone admitting to having a problem. She gets thousands of concerned comments every single day. She had people in her life take action to get her help against her will, and she was even hospitalized and yet nothing changed.
I totally understand that children of controlling parents often feel unable to move out on their own because they were kept on such a short leash all their life that they don't know how to do anything for themselves, but if she really did have a terrible home life, she is the only one who can change that situation. Unless of course one of her whiteknights feels like Nicholas Godejohn-ing her entire household. Her advantage as an online personality is that she has an income and insane amounts of support.
Nobody else can beat her eating disorder for her either. You can get her hospitalized against her will every year and it would change nothing. She's going to play along for a little bit, gain a few pounds, nod to everything the doctor says, and then go right back to dieting as soon as she has been discharged. Again, she does not even acknowledge she has a problem. She's not ever going to get any better unless SHE wants to.
That being said, I don't get why people still harass her or attempt to "get her help". I'm not saying that in an aloggy way but like... If this is how she wants to live her life, there is fuck all that can be done. The decision is hers alone.
