You’ve probably noticed the 2000s aesthetic making a comeback. Social media is full of people bringing back the era’s fashion, along with old-school tech – such as film cameras, wired headphones, iPods, and MP3 players. But it’s worth remembering that some “trends” from that time, like eating disorders, are better left in the past.
The darker side of the 2000’s aesthetic
Between the 1990s and 2000s, aesthetics such as Y2K and heroin chic emerged, defining female beauty largely based on weight. At that time, the thinner a woman was, the more attractive she was considered. With the normalization of these beauty standards, which date back to the 1950s, thinness became established in Western culture as an ideal of beauty and social status.
Now that the 2000s aesthetic is making a comeback, it is important not to forget the darker side of these beauty standards. Eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia – mental health conditions that cause an unhealthy relationship with food – are still taboos, topics that are gaining traction in the media, after being silenced for decades.
Once the thinness aesthetic gets strongly reminded in the digital field, it becomes important to question if the trends being revived can also contribute to the normalization of harmful ideas about bodies, food, and beauty.
The duality of the internet
The internet is a tool that, depending on how it’s used, can result in good or harm. When it comes to eating disorders, the use of social media becomes an even more sensitive topic, since videos about bodies, food and weight loss journeys, can be interpreted differently depending on who is watching. Trends like What I Eat in a Day, for example, can encourage comparisons with a particular diet or an “ideal body”. In the same way, content about harmful weight-loss advice can normalize problematic behaviors.
“Social media also sells the idea that everyone who’s thin is happy. And that’s a standard that doesn’t exist. You don’t need to be thin to be happy. You need to accept the body you have and like it. That’s what makes the difference”, says the psychologist Daniela Saad, who has been working with eating disorders over the past 10 years.
But social media’s influence on eating disorders isn’t necessarily negative. Influencers who share their own experiences dealing with the condition, can help transform how this topic is discussed. Simple actions such as their own path, debunking myths about the topic, and encouraging others to seek professional help, can make a real difference
Giving eating disorders a voice
The actress Jameela Jamil, who has starred in “The Good Place” and “She-Hulk“, uses her social media to speak openly about the time she was dealing with anorexia. She created the podcast “I Weigh” , where she criticized the culture, film, and media industries for defining women by their bodies and promoting thin bodies as a standard — not necessarily healthy ones.
“Please don’t be like me. Don’t waste your life. Don’t waste your precious time and your joy. Run towards recovery.”
Jamela Jamil
Jameela Jamil is not alone; other influencers are using social media to talk about this topic and its importance. The Center for Discovery, an eating disorder treatment organization, made a list of 10 Instagram accounts which are run by people who turned their own experiences with eating disorders into posts that help raise awareness and motivate through recovery.
Even though consuming this kind of content can be supportive and encouraging, it’s always important to seek professional help when dealing with an eating disorder. “Seeking help is always the best option,” Daniela says. “From the moment you take that step, the relief is enormous — knowing there’s support, a path, a way out.” Also, professionals are there to help you, without judgment. “They’re there to welcome you and help you find a different path,” she emphasizes.
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The article above was edited by Júlia Festagallo.
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