If you’ve been on social media, particularly TikTok, in the past few years, you’ve probably heard that hot girls have stomach issues. This little joke among women has amassed millions of views and likes, with many feeling seen as they deal with their own digestive problems.
As a self-proclaimed hot girl myself, this sentiment rings true in my own life. While I may be comfortable enough now in my health to talk about it openly, I spent much of my stomach issue journey feeling dramatic and embarrassed about my own body.
Digestive issues have been a taboo topic for a long time, with women taught to keep our pain silent for fear of being told we’re overreacting. The culture around women, food, and our bodies as a whole has historically been an icy topic, treated as foreign and unsavory to bring up.
This lack of open discussion has led to a general lack of understanding as to what these “hot girl tummy issues” are and how to properly treat and manage them. I spent years feeling isolated and ashamed, not knowing what was wrong or what I could do about it.
Though it might seem like a dumb little trend on the internet, it has made me feel much less alone knowing that other women have similar experiences. Awareness is one of the strongest defenses to feeling helpless about our own bodies, and it is important, as a hot girl, to know what to do with your tummy issues.
The Role gender plays
Women inherently experience higher rates of digestive distress compared to men, with the prevalence of the most common digestive disorder, Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), being 2-6 times higher in women.
The way women’s bodies are physically structured makes us inherently more susceptible to stomach discomfort and gastrointestinal problems. Female abdomens must accommodate additional reproductive organs, which can cause overcrowding that impacts functions of the digestive system, like emptying and nutrient absorption.
The role of female hormones in the body can also make these issues worse. Baseline estrogen fluctuations—normal during the menstrual cycle—can change gut function, causing IBS irritation and influencing the movement of food through your body’s system.
Simply put, we as women are naturally more susceptible to experiencing digestive pain and disorders. The normal processes your female body performs disrupt other bodily functions, leading to seemingly random onset and development of stomach issues.
Different Types of Stomach Issues
Stomach issues don’t necessarily come from an inherent disorder or issue in the body.
We all know some foods and drinks do not “sit right” or digest easily for everyone. Highly processed and high-fat foods can cause stomach pain relatively universally and are often a single-cause issue.
Some bodies also can’t handle certain ingredients. Food intolerances, like gluten and lactose, are both issues stemming from an individual source. They occur when the body can’t process and break down a certain element, causing digestive distress.
In terms of actual illnesses, the most well-known stomach issue is IBS. The trend even has a subcategory of hot girls having IBS. However, it’s a bit more complicated than just having common stomach aches.
IBS is not itself a disease, but rather a group of symptoms that cause gastrointestinal disruption. It is a common diagnosis when the criteria for other stomach diseases are not met, as it encompasses a variety of issues that do not damage vital tissues or increase your risk for more serious disorders.
IBS is divided into three categories based on symptoms during flare-ups: IBS with constipation (IBS-C), IBS with diarrhea (IBS-D), and IBS with mixed habits (IBS-M). Flare-ups can be triggered by a variety of factors, most commonly periods, stress, and foods, depending on the person. Regardless of the way it presents, all types of IBS are manageable and relatively common, with about a suspected 15% of all adults in the U.S. having some form.
What To Do About It?
While hot girls do have stomach issues, it is also something that should be managed if it is disrupting your everyday life. As women, our bodies constantly fluctuate, so occasional disruptions are normal and not a cause for concern. If you feel good day to day, then by all means, eat what you want when you want.
Still, hot girls take their health into account and go to the doctor if they are in discomfort, pain, or need some help managing their stomach issues. While it may be daunting, there are a wide variety of solutions, from diet changes to medication, that can help make your stomach issues easier to deal with.
Taking your health into your own hands is a scary thing. Learning to advocate for yourself in a world that can sometimes undervalue and diminish women’s pain is something that no one teaches you how to do. But you know your body better than anyone else, and if something feels consistently wrong, you have to be your own biggest advocate.
Going through my own journey, I doubted myself a lot and was ashamed to talk to anyone about it. I struggled in silence for a long time and spent months in unnecessary discomfort and pain simply because I did not know what to do.
The best thing I ever did for myself was share my problems and concerns with my mom, who then gave me information from her doctor. I felt more comfortable and was able to implement changes that made my stomach problems much more manageable.
Now, I am still a baddie who battles her stomach from time to time, but I feel much more comfortable and confident. It may seem like something small, but being able to embrace and take control of something I was so embarrassed to talk about has felt like a weight off my shoulders.
Being a baddie does not mean being perfect; it means being confident in your own body and prioritizing your health. Some girls have the occasional stomach ache, some eat dairy and take a Lactaid, and some divas have IBS.
You are not alone; there are millions of other people dealing with similar issues. Embrace your imperfections because, yes, even the hottest girls have stomach issues.