Shane Dawson has made waves on the internet over the past year with a raft of documentaries capturing the lives of other famed YouTubers, and his most recent outing with the camera to interview Eugenia Cooney has provided fodder for headlines yet again.
Cooney, an influencer with more than 1.8 million subscribers on the platform, had been very active on YouTube since 2013. Though she gained attention in recent years due to her gradually worsening condition of anorexia, an eating disorder, that depleted her muscle mass and made many on the internet worry about her health.
The 24-year-old was also the target of much online criticism and bullying, with thousands taking to social media and commenting upon her appearance, matched in equal number by those who supported her efforts to create content consistently.
Earlier this year, however, Cooney finally took a break from the internet in order to address her condition and seek professional help, admitting that she’d avoided medical counsel all this time simply due to her not being honest with herself.
Dawson’s 1-hour interview marks her return to the public sphere.
Talking about her experience, Cooney said, “It’s kind of like smoking. People know in their brain, like, ‘Hey I should stop this’. It’s hard to totally stop and actually go and try to get help for myself. Even when I was younger I was always naturally small. As things were going forward I was losing more weight and not seeing that it was a really big problem.”
The video has made a clear impact and managed to garner over 11 million views in less than a day after release.
Cooney’s fans have also expressed gratitude to Dawson for featuring her journey, and legions of observers noted her positive recovery since the start of 2019.