Breaking Up With Diet Culture

For centuries, women’s beauty standards have been chopped and changed and have never stayed the same for more than a few years at a time. As a young woman today, I’ve seen this shift happen before my very eyes.

 ‘Twee’ fashion was all the rage in the late 2000s, an aesthetic that first originated from Tumblr. The twee style is mainly characterised as cute, quirky, and delicate, and is reminiscent of 1960s mod fashion. Innocent enough on the surface, however twee was incredibly popular on pro-anorexia forums, and those interested in twee fashion were expected to have thigh gaps, teeny-tiny wrists, and just overall, be slim. That was just what was ‘in’ at the time. Yet, with the rising popularity of the Kardashian family in the 2010s, like most women’s beauty standards, twee was disposed of nearly as quickly as it was adopted. Skinny is out, slim-thick is in. We must keep our thigh gaps and flat tummies, but we must have big bums and breasts. Because fat is only desirable in certain places.

Postmodern beauty standards are unimaginably profitable; the dieting industry is worth a staggering $254.9 million. With our ever-growing reliance on social media, this is projected to only increase over the next few years. And are we really surprised? From laxative tea detoxes to Victorian-style shapewear, social media stars love to flog these dodgy ‘solutions’ onto young girls who are desperate to look like Kylie. What these influences fatally forget to mention though, is that these ultra-glam models we’re expected to look like have access to photoshop, top-notch personal trainers, premier plastic surgeons, and professional dietitians. We only ever see them propped, posed, and perfect; they’re job is to sell, and their product is their body type. However, what we the consumer perceives is completely unattainable. And that’s why I’m breaking up with diet culture.

Much like with a toxic friend or ex, it's our duty as feminists to hit the block button on diet culture. Mute it. Hit 'not interested'. We must do whatever we can to release ourselves from it's deadly clutch. If we allow ourselves to let diet culture dictate our lives, we are conforming to the capitalistic and patriarchal standards we fight so hard to destroy. Diet culture is a product of both capitalism and the patriarchy. We are tricked into spending ungodly amounts of money to fit body standards that were created by the male gaze. These standards are quite frankly unrealistic for the average woman, and so diet culture will do anything and everything to force you to conform; it convinces you that you are not worthy unless you look like whatever is in the magazines. This leads to self-esteem issues and unhealthy relationships with food that can develop into eating disorders and other serious conditions. 

So the next time that family member that has been long indoctrinated with diet culture rhetoric pipes up, just close your ears. You are worth far more than your jean size.