The early 2000s were a brutal time for women and body image. Through every facet of media, it was impossible not to consume images of women who were thin. This came along with a push for extreme dieting, which is a dangerous fad. Any semblance of body rolls, cellulite and perceived imperfection was photoshopped away. This led many to internalize shame about themselves.
Dubbed the “anorexia pandemic,” many women perceived their worth based on their thinness, which proved detrimental to their mental health. Eating disorders ran rampant, as hospitalizations for them increased 53 percent from 1999 to 2000 to 2008 to 2009.
The body positivity movement in the late 2010s gained steam, and slowly things began to change. Representation for body diversity took the lead. Harmful rhetoric around body image was quick to get called out. More resources to learn about body neutrality and self-acceptance became available. The media was becoming a safe space for real people with real bodies.
However, this major advance has seemingly regressed over the last year. “Heroin chic” has found its way into the public dialogue again. Ozempic has become a staple in Hollywood’s medicine cabinet. One influencer shared a viral TikTok explaining that she “stays fit” because she enjoys waking up and loving her body more than food. This is an obvious reworking of the early 2000s mantra, “Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels.”
When this year’s “Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show” returned after its pause for being problematic, women on social media shared that they would be eating “bowls of ice for dinner” to look like the models on their screens. While it may seem like society is moving backward, that doesn’t mean you need to succumb.
Overcoming The Obsession With Skinny
Social media has played a major role in the harmful rhetoric’s resurgence. People are looking at more images than ever before. If you’re not ingesting photos of bone-thin women, you’re seeing women with extreme surgeries, boasting emphasized hourglass figures. Comparing a human body to what’s been FaceTuned to the point of being AI is incredibly damaging.
While social media has worsened conditions, it can also serve as a lifeline. You not only have the authority to vet who you follow, but also join communities that center dialogue around body neutrality. There are so many influencers who share content revolving around self-acceptance. There are also platforms that uplift and connect women through their own experiences. You get to curate what you consume.
If something or someone makes you feel bad about yourself, you can divest your energy. You don’t have to follow skinny celebrities if seeing their bodies are triggering. You don’t have to follow media platforms if you don’t feel they have your best interest at heart. Social media at its core is a communal space to follow friends and family, and you can protect that. This doesn’t mean harmful dialogue won’t still find its way to you, but cutting down much of the noise can help tremendously.
While you may feel empowered enough to protect your body and spirit, others around you may not be as mindful. Be brave enough to instill boundaries around how your friends and family speak about their bodies around you. By doing so, you lead by example and plant a seed that they get to love themselves unconditionally.
You Are Enough As Is
The state of society and how it wants to bank on your insecurities has nothing to do with you. You get to decide how you feel about yourself, no matter what social media defines as valuable. From thin eyebrows to boho braids, trends will come and go. Thinness will be in, then BBLs will be in, and the cycle will continue. However, your body is not a trend. It is your home. Mute the noise and cherish the temple you have the privilege of living in.
When you reflect back on your life down the line, you won’t be proud of how much meals you skipped or hours you spent jogging. You’ll be proud of the moments you spent courageously living your life, despite all the ways your brain was poisoned to think you shouldn’t. You’ll remember the nights baking sweet treats with friends, traveling and savoring new delicacies, the birthday dinners you didn’t lie your way out of. Ultimately, you’ll remember a full and complete life you got to live in a body that was perfectly yours.