Diet Culture: The Biggest Micro Trend

A guest column by Ana Grace Anderson

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A few days ago, as I was scrolling through my social media pages, I came to the realization that my feed was straight out of a 2000s diet magazine. While browsing the comment sections, “Omg skinny queen” “Your waist is invisible” and “Drop your workout girl!” were only a few of the repetitive comments I read on every “relatable” influencer’s videos. I saw countless videos revealing the coveted secret to losing weight, however they all swore upon different answers. How ironic! The point is: diet culture is unfortunately back and (not) better than ever.

Dieting has essentially transformed into a micro trend. Every few years, the fixation of crazy diets and workouts fluctuates. We saw this play out during the pandemic due to the introduction of Chloe Ting in 2020 but blamed it on the boredom created by a long quarantine. Suddenly we’ve time-traveled back into a dangerous era. It seems that everyone is once again OBSESSED with slimming down. Along with this mindset came an abundance of new influencers promoting their idea of “healthy”. While living a healthy lifestyle is certainly a positive thing, following the advice and opinions of influencers with little to no credibility is detrimental. Viewers, especially younger girls, see beautiful thin creators preaching their lifestyles and are instantly persuaded into being like them. 

Over the past year, it has become increasingly common to see influencers with large platforms spreading misinformation about workouts, diets and other health topics without prior research. 

Not only is the information typically incorrect or incomplete, but it is not versatile. With a plethora of different diets and plans floating around social media, it can certainly be overwhelming for anyone hoping to get real and honest guidance. The most important thing to remember is that many factors go into someone’s weight and appearance, and everyone is vastly different.

What makes this new epidemic of diet culture unique from the last is that the idea of health has become an aesthetic that is mainly catered to those with a high income. Unfortunately, the average person doesn’t have the time and money to attend a daily $50 Pilates class, walk 15,000 steps, and eat a $30 salad for every meal. Thanks to the glamorization of diet culture in the media, influencers have us convinced that this is a normal way to live. 

So now, not only do we have to be skinny, but we also must be rich with an abundance of free time!

But why did everyone change their minds? Well, it appears the “ideal body type” changes every few years. First, everyone aspires to be thin, then everyone wants to have curves and grow their glutes, and then it inevitably resets after we all become tired of the current trend. Even wanting to be tall or short inevitably switches up. It’s a continuous loop that has the younger generations in a constant chokehold. An aspect of society that has never changed is the idea of a perfect beauty standard. However, the idea is always evolving, so the key is to take care of your body in the way that is best for you. Beauty and health should be subjective to each individual. Nevertheless, chances are you’ll fit one of the new beauty standards in due time!