“‘I’ll just have a salad’ are the 5 most annoying words,” an ad for a new snack brand reads. I couldn’t tell if this was meant to be funny or relatable or what, but it didn’t sit right with me at all. There was something unnecessarily aggressive about it. It’s like that whole thing about when you go on a first date with a woman and she orders a salad, you know that’s the first and last date with her because she’s obviously “watching her weight” and being a buzz kill by doing so. Why is it that eating a salad makes you a boring and unlikable person?
I feel like I’m in a constant struggle of being judged for eating too healthy and not eating healthy enough. (Personally, I know what I’m doing when it comes to food and I know what’s best for me, so, I don’t really care what other people think. That’s not to say it’s not stressful going grocery shopping, especially with other people, despite the fact that I won’t let their possible judgments influence what food I buy). Everyone’s health is different and everyone’s body is different. Differences in eating don’t make one person weaker than the other.
So then why do salads equal a bad, boring buzz kill? Most people equate a salad to health consciousness. If you choose to eat salads you’re tied down to worrying about your weight and physical appearance, therefore, you’re no fun and don’t know how to let loose. On the other hand, if someone who wasn’t very thin got something that wasn’t a salad, people could turn around and shame them because they’re not being health conscious when they “should” be, based on their appearance.
This salad dichotomy ultimately comes down to body image and how the world perceives people. And then that ultimately comes down to the media with how they treat different body types. We all know how they glorify being skinny and shame being fat. It gets into people’s heads more than they realize to the point where someone desiring a salad is an undesirable quality in them.
Little known fact though, people need and deserve to eat. It doesn’t matter what your body type is or whether you’re eating a salad or a steak, you are allowed to eat. Plus, you shouldn’t be bothered by what other people are choosing to eat. So what if someone orders a salad? Maybe they have food allergies and can’t eat much else on the menu. Maybe they just enjoy salad. Maybe it’s literally none of your business if you’re going to be that judgmental over something so small. These guilt inducing ads are more harmful than your date’s salad.
Don’t feel pressured to eat or not eat certain things. Don’t feel like you’re doing something wrong by ordering or not ordering a salad. You’re allowed to eat and you’re allowed to eat what you know you need to and want to eat. You know your body.
