Diet culture has tricked us into thinking that our worth relies upon our looks, that the loudness of our voices increase as we drop a size, and that our right to take up space depends on the gaps between our thighs. Some examples of diet culture are clear cut such as clothing stores only holding certain sizes and advertisements promising the latest fat burning capsule. But some ways that diet culture shows up in our life are not so apparent. In order for us, as a society, to move past the idea that one’s worth is centered on their appearance, we need to recognize attitudes stemming from diet culture.
I am sure we have all heard a phrase along the lines of “I am eating good foods only,” but what does that even mean? Is this to say that there is such a thing as bad foods? Food is meant to nurture the body and while some meals provide more nutrients than others, certain foods/food groups cannot be all good or all bad. By referring to food as either “good” or “bad” you begin to assign moral values to your meals, which will bring on guilt to the supposed “bad” groups and limit your enjoyment with food altogether. When we hear such comments, we can tell ourselves and others that food has no moral value and serves as energy to keep our bodies functioning.
As if diet culture has not already done enough, it continues to persuade the public that movement is a punishment for our bodies. Statements such as “I can have this because I worked out” or “I will work it off tomorrow” imply that our bodies only deserve food when it has “worked for it,” making food a reward. In reality, exercising and eating do not have to go hand in hand – you do not have to do 20 crunches to eat one cookie and more importantly you should never be made to feel as if you should. The ability to move your body should be used to express joy and not forms of punishment.
There is no such thing as the perfect body. A one size fits all expectation has been falsely portrayed. Your story does not begin and end with your waistline. It is important for us to recognize the diet culture attitudes and practices ingrained in our society so that we can move forward and rewire our thinking. It is time that we begin to appreciate our bodies and create goals based on body positivity. As body image therapist Ashlee Bennet said: “We all survive and even thrive, at different body weights and sizes. Assumptions made about what it’s like to live in someone else’s body are likely inaccurate.”
Sources:
The body image therapist: Mental health: Melbourne: Online. (n.d.). Retrieved March 29, 2021, from https://www.bodyimage-therapist.com/
Klein, S. (2014, June 27). 8 things nutrition EXPERTS wish you would stop saying about food. Retrieved March 29, 2021, from https://www.huffpost.com/entry/nutrition-misunderstood_n_5508695
Recognizing and resisting diet culture. (2019, May 02). Retrieved March 29, 2021, from https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/blog/recognizing-and-resisting-d….