The first time I criticized my body was when I was in kindergarten. Looking down, I saw a few tiny rolls that encased my stomach. I pinched them, wondering if all of my friends had them too. I did not realize it then, but that was the beginning of my struggle with body image. A sugar-free, air-brushed, fatphobic society only reinforced my insecurities by reminding me that “successful” and happy people were thin and denied themselves of certain foods. To me, dieting and even fasting symbolized discipline, which I thought was the key to success. Western society communicates this by surrounding us with gaunt models, commercials for weight loss programs, and Instagram "nutritionists." Our society emphasizes the superficial, and as a result, many “individuals” follow suit and adopt diet culture as their own. Besides the potential for triggering people at risk for eating disorders, diet culture distracts people from more pressing matters by diverting their attentions towards perfecting their bodies.
Diet culture draws one’s attention inwards to focus on self-denial, exercise, and ultimately fitting a social norm. Weight loss programs, such as Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig disguise their diets as “healthy lifestyles,” while they encourage a fixation on weight, avoiding certain foods, and counting “points.” This is time-consuming and also it takes up a lot of space in one’s mind.It can take away from time spent with family, volunteering, or gaining knowledge. The corporations use the argument that they are helping extend customers’ lives, when they are actually depleting them of money, time, and energy. Food is meant to support life, not control it, but weight loss programs make food the center of one’s life by encouraging customers to allot special attention to food consumption.
According to the National Eating Disorders Association, “It is estimated that we see 3,000 advertisements each day, often a barrage of messages designed to make […people] hate their bodies.” This not only exemplifies corporations’ ploys to gain revenue, but also the ubiquity of diet culture. It constantly encourages people to criticize themselves, and diverts their attention toward “fixing” their bodies. This teaches people to focus less on helping others, learning, working, and enjoying life, but more on losing or gaining weight.
In short, diet culture is a distraction.It convinces people that if they lose enough weight, their lives will be complete. This is deceiving, as weight loss does not normally “transform” one’s life. It often only causes people to focus on food and weight instead of their needs or underlying issues.
