With summer just around the corner, it is not unknown to hear about people implementing all kinds of diets or gym schedules. The pressure to have a perfect beach body is becoming more and more of a voice in everyone’s minds, regardless of gender. But how harmful diet culture can actually be?
Diet culture can be defined as “any programs that encourage extreme weight loss, require restricting yourself, and suggest cutting calories […] as well as programs that advertise weight loss pills and shakes,” according to The Alliance for Eating Disorders. Food guilt, praising starvation, undereating - all of the above are the results and aspects of what diet culture represents. It is with utter shame that over the recent years we could notice its fundamental impact on social media. More and more influencers glorify diets and products that promise immediate changes. Yet, not many realise how toxic their content, as a matter of fact, is.
The audience gets younger and younger, though the subject matter remains as wide; if not wider. Thoughts determine emotions that impact actions that influence results. It’s a never-ending, vicious cycle.
10,200. This is the number of deaths each year that are directly linked to an eating disorder. That sums up to one death every 52 minutes. Horrifying, isn’t it?
Keto, Paleo, Dukan, Low Carb - you name it. It all eventually comes to restricting one group of foods or the other (or all of them for that matter). Mind the fact that it is not about the people who must diet due to their health conditions; it is about the ones who brag about slimming themselves down in order to fit into the beauty standards. The pressing impulse to fit in, to be like the others, to have the hot summer body, to be The Cool Girl.
The beauty standards; how toxic of society to invent those. When did we make the turn to fit into the clothes instead of garments to fit us? When did we make the change to stressing ourselves to madness before the summer months instead of feeling thrill and excitement? When did swimsuit and beach become trigger words?
Well, is there a light to this tunnel? Despite the fact that the toxic reasoning is now more talked about and criticised more often, it is an issue that will stay for generations to come. Thus, next time you are about to say a thing or two regarding losing weight, dieting or whatnot, think about the critical impact your words might have over others; and yourself, too.
Klara Anna Gonciarz
June 8, 2022
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