By Isabella May
The show Apple Cider Vinegar premiered on Netflix on Feb. 6, 2025, and tells the story of Belle Gibson, played by Kaitlyn Dever. This Australian woman lies about having cancer, along with other medical issues, to gain sympathy and support from others. The show does an astounding job showing that Belle created the lie when she threw her baby shower and invited a few coworkers. Everyone bailed or made up an excuse for not being able to come. Feeling alone, Belle saw the rising success of Alycia Debnam-Carey’s Milla Blake. Reading all the love and support she received from other people, she went down the only path that would give her the same feeling: love.
Not to argue that Belle Gibson was right, but in some ways, she is relatable. Have there ever been times we felt so alone, so unseen, we’d do anything we could to make ourselves visible? Have there been times you hung out with a certain group of people or listened to a certain type of music you used to despise just to fit in? Belle was wrong in how she attempted to fit in, but if people had cared more and taken the chance to see who she was, this lie may never have happened. Did Belle Gibson create the lie out of spite, or did the people who ignored her force her into a lie?
“I don’t think she did that to hurt people; she was just too far in and mentally unwell,” said Lili Soleberg, a biology major at The University of Tampa.
Was Belle the enemy, or was she a victim who made a small lie snowball? Many who have seen the show on Netflix or knew of Belle’s story before the show believed she was a ruthless, evil human being. Others believe she was mentally unwell and desired love and affection so much that it overcame her.
“She felt unloved and wanted more attention, and it unraveled way too far,” said Claire Kulas, a biology major at UTampa.
Some believe that one lie is not worse than another and that all lies, no matter how big or small, are bad; a lie is a lie. Belle Gibson started her lie by saying that she had terrible migraines, which led to her false discovery that she had brain cancer. After years of keeping up this lie, people, such as her publicist, question whether or not she had cancer. After the fear of people distrusting her and no longer loving her, she made a post saying that she had just discovered that she had blood, spleen, uterine, liver, and kidney cancer. She became so invested in her lies that they overcame her.
“I don’t think she is a victim; I think you always have a choice in life, and you reap what you sow,” said Ryleigh Donegan, an English major at UTampa. “Lying, in general, is just bad; it’s not good. Do I think some lies are more detrimental than others? Yes. I mean, I think you can get invested in a lie like she did.”
Dever did an incredible job showing the fear and anxiety surrounding her constantly about people finding out about her lie and no longer loving her. There is one particular scene where she is sitting in the shower practicing what to say in her post to inform her viewers about her newly developed cancers. The scene demonstrates that Belle was not just a liar but an actress, and she knew how to put on a show that people believed online and in person. Belle was a wonderful actress, and we can acknowledge that, but we must shake our heads at the show she put on.
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Photo courtesy of Netflix.