We still don’t know how to talk about extreme celebrity diets

Jessica Viana tells me it was her sense of caring for the teens of the 2020s that inspired her to “make 90s diet videos and Noughties.” She said the initial impulse came to her, “because [she] Realize that every year there is a new generation of young people smoking shows of this era”. Viana says she’s realized that in many of those shows “especially the ideal body type required in female actors, setting a certain standard that young audiences consider normal or effortless. that, and I worry that this will continue to spread to our current generation.”

She adds that diet culture spreads the idea of ​​”some kind of magic potion, and if you eat what other people eat, you’ll look like them”. In response to this, she wanted her video to look like a Trojan horse. “I made Friends videos in the ‘diet video’ format so I could reach people affected by this,” says Viana, “and then incorporated nutrition science education to teach about the risks and effects of an overly restrictive diet. “

Video of the day

Ruth Tongue is a nutritionist, employee health and wellness specialist and director at Elevate, a leading workplace wellness provider with a global team of health professionals. She says that videos like Viana’s can be a valuable source of information for young people. “In a way,” says Tongue, “I think there is some comfort in knowing that we are currently ‘poking fun’ at some of the ridiculous diets that have become so popular, and hopefully by reading about it. Given the dangers and harms (mental and physical) these diets can cause, it should help discourage anyone from thinking about trying them. However, she also has reservations. “There is a worry that for anyone who is desperate to lose weight, by bringing these diets back into the limelight, it will give They’re a platform,” suggests Tongue.If people hit play videos like Keltie O’Connor, would a large portion of the audience ignore the warning that “it’s going to be miserable, you’re going to hate your life. “Do they just hear “yes, this will make you lose weight”?

Lindsay McGlone, an award-winning variety and variety producer and activist, agrees with Ruth Tongue. She says that while well-intentioned and contains information about the harmful effects of dietary restriction, many of these viral videos can have side effects. “Fortunately,” she says, “most of the videos around this issue expose the idea that ‘dieting’ works. Unfortunately, however, they don’t practice the idea that being thin is not the end goal.”

It can be nice and reassuring to think that pop culture has moved on from the bad Noughties days of “size-zero success stories” and fat clothes played for fun – or really, from “INSANE Diets & Workouts 1960, 1970, 1980”. But, this may just be a fantasy. “In 2022, there is still great, if not more, focus on the unattainable beauty ideal than ever before,” emphasized Tongue. “Don’t get me wrong, I think social media has been great at promoting body positivity and the ‘health of all sizes’ movement. But sadly, there are still a lot of false statements and messages that say slim is beautiful, and slim is healthy that we use every day. “

Anne Larchy, a weight loss and healthy lifestyle coach, also suggests that people are flooded with misinformation and misinformation largely due to social media. “Despite a lot of information online about healthy eating and nutrition, I see a lot of confusion and ignorance on a daily basis,” Larchy says. “And, with diets like the 800 cals diet and apps like Myfitnesspal that typically display your daily calorie intake at 1200 cals or more — and restrictive diets like keto and other apps – I don’t think we’ve moved on, unfortunately.”

Clearly, body image, weight, and the “magic pill” mindset are still shaping our media landscape today. A few months ago, Kim Kardashian was criticized for talking about how much weight she lost to wear one of Marilyn Monroe’s dresses to the Met Gala. Just this week, a Taylor Swift music video was edited to remove a scene in which the word “fat” appeared on a bathroom scale. On the surface, these cases seem to suggest that things are improving – proving that the public will no longer be in favor of the “fat” diet and chatter that dominated 20 years ago. However, I feel a double-edged sword.

Despite ostensibly criticizing Kardashian for explicitly discussing her diet, many articles on her comments also post what the diet is all about and how much weight she’s lost. Swift, on the other hand, is alleged to have a agoraphobia, despite discussing earlier in 2020 how she once struggled with an eating disorder and would “starve” herself at times. Basically, both women are condemned for “negative body” – one for revealing the limited length she went to achieve “unattainable ideal body”, the other for revealing the negative, intrusive thoughts she had about not getting there. ideal. Instead of suggesting that we live in a body-positive period, don’t these moments – taken together – attest to the enduring tenacity of diet culture, and the desires of the world’s food industry. media denying the reality of disordered, diverse thoughts under the rug? Or, even worse, frame it as a moral failure? Indeed, the tone of astonishment and reproach that many of the Kardashian articles have recorded is, in my mind, similar to the tone of the shocking videos. “Don’t do this, whatever you do,” they seem to want to cry. It also offers – under a bold and versatile title – a neat step-by-step guide on how to embark on a “crazy” diet on your own.

Over the past year, many have noticed a clear, unsettling return to the “skinny” Noughties aesthetic. Low-rise jeans and mini skirts. Bella Hadid’s pregnant belly on social networks. Speculation is that the Kardashians have dissolved their implants and switched their Blackfishing looks to rich, skinny white girls. Adele and Rebel Wilson cheered for weight loss. And, worry and hey, a series of videos that “debunk” the diets and workout plans of Kendall Jenner, Bella Hadid, Adele, and Rebel Wilson.

The problem is, despite calling them “dangerous” or “crazy,” we don’t have a culture that isn’t enthralled by extreme diets, or driven by an industrial complex. health care that is fundamentally, “you are what you eat” thinspiration ideal beauty. Until we do, voices say that the results are worth the pain may be greater .