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Defining Diet Culture and the History of Beauty Standards
Defining Diet Culture and the History of Beauty Standards
Beauty Standards: Why do they Exist?
Beauty Standards: Why do they Exist?
A beauty standard is an arbitrary measurement of sociocultural ideals of beauty. These vary widely across cultures with more resource-scarce areas prioritizing larger body sizes and less scarce areas prioritizing smaller bodies. There is also a biological aspect of beauty standards which has to do both with finding good genes and attempting to pass on the more favorable "pretty" genes to their child.
Some traits are linked with more desirable genes like people with more athletic builds portraying higher levels of fitness. This can be seen with pheromones influencing what smell women find most attractive in men as seen in the "sweaty t-shirt" experiment.
There is also a phenomenon called the Fisher process or the "sexy son" hypothesis. Even though a trait may have no evolutionary benefit, it will be socially chosen because that trait is the one that most of the population wants to mate with. If their child doesn't have that trait they will be less likely to pass on their genes. For example, if being tall wasn't a sign of good genes but all women liked tall men, women would choose a tall man simply because then their son would be tall and more likely to find a girlfriend.
That aside, humans are much more complex than evolutionary standards because we are social creatures and form civilizations with forms of government. A thousand factors effect what the most "beautiful" or "handsome" person might look like.
It's important to note that a rigid pursuit of any body standard can be dangerous and pressures to fit these standards apply to all men, women, and gender nonconforming individuals.
Diet Culture
Diet Culture
According to Medical News Today, "diet culture" is a set of myths and expectations around food and weight, which typically equate thinness to health and categorize foods into “good” or “bad” types.
This is closely linked with beauty standards because the male standard is typically an athletic build with a high muscle content and low fat content while a girl's ideal is either an hourglass with large hips and shoulders but a small waist or petite and thin. Both of these standards need certain food cycles in order to reach and maintain.
It is important to note that there are healthy ways to meet that ideal, but this is also highly dependent on genes, time, and monetary means. Beauty standards are not made to be attainable to everyone, and their main utility is to create an arbitrary social hierarchy.
Some unproductive patterns that extend from this pursuit of "thin"-ness and muscle content are:
A period of extreme restriction followed by binges of restricted foods which leads to periods of rapid weight loss followed by rapid weight regaining
Similar to Yo-Yo dieting, prolonged hunger can cause some people to overeat within their eating window and lose sight of their hunger cues over time. While this diet can serve some people, it can also be a gateway into disordered eating for others.
Restricting food groups
These diets like vegan, vegetarian, paleo, keto, gluten-free, etc purely for weight loss reasons often lead to extreme cravings and the labeling of foods as "good" or "bad" which can be difficult to maintain long-term.
Calorie Counting
Using a caloric estimator to count the calories of every meal, snack, etc; this diet can lead to obsessive behaviors around food and can often fail due to incorrect tracking of portion sizes (underestimating consumption)
Every body is genetically predisposed to rest at a certain weight that is healthy to them, and Body Mass Index (BMI) is not always an accurate predictor of health. From a nutrition standpoint, the time to diet and the best way to diet is under the direction of a medical professional.
Ozempic and Wegovy: Does this new weight loss drug work and should you consider using it
Ozempic and Wegovy: Does this new weight loss drug work and should you consider using it
You should only use a weight loss drug or method if directed by a medical professional
That being said, if you are considering consulting your doctor, here are some facts to consider:
These drugs are appetite suppressants originally created to treat adult-onset diabetes and found within clinical trials to cause weight loss.
They are now used for weight loss in people classified as "obese" on the BMI scale in an attempt to lower the risk for heart disease and other health effects of higher weights
It functions by interacting with the hypothalamus of the brain but the exact mechanism is not understood at this time
Studies show that most people taking these drugs gain the weight they lost back within a year of stopping the drug
There is a very minor risk of developing pancreatitis and a higher risk of developing thyroid cancer the longer the drug is used.
Financial implications: since there is a possibility of it being a long-term drug the monetary commitment can be very high.
Be careful when buying off-brand products that they are FDA-approved and distributed by an established, reputable company with reviews from other verified users.
Before making any medical decision you should do your own research and consider the tradeoffs carefully.
Remember: The internet is not an expert on your body or your health needs. It can be a helpful source not a standalone tool.
Ways to improve your body image (backed by science)
Ways to improve your body image (backed by science)
reduce exposure to idealized body types
Change follow settings on social media to include diverse body types and nutritionists over fitness influencers
listen to social verbiage
pay attention to how you and your friends talk about bodies and food; food is both for function and enjoyment, not solely nutrition, calorie count, or taste. They must all work together and body size is not the main determiner of health.
understand that a "dream" body can be a nightmare to maintain if reached in ways that don't promote real health
Try writing a letter to someone--perhaps the childhood version of yourself-- about the pros and cons of approaching an "ideal" body. This can help expose negative thoughts about yourself and develop counter thoughts
Find ways to counter negative thoughts about your body
ex: “I must have a perfect body or else people won’t like me.” Counter with: “I like people who don’t have perfect bodies and obviously other people do too. And if someone doesn’t like me because I don’t look like that, then their priorities are screwed up.”
Body Dysmorphia and Eating Disorders: What they are and How to Find Help
Body Dysmorphia and Eating Disorders: What they are and How to Find Help
A mental health disorder is something that is pervasive to your everyday thought, life, and functioning.
Body Dysmorphia
Body Dysmorphia
According to the National Health Service, Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), or body dysmorphia, is a mental health condition where a person spends a lot of time worrying about flaws in their appearance. These flaws are often unnoticeable to others.
People of any age can have BDD, but it's most common in teenagers and young adults. It affects both men and women.
This Disorder is beyond insecurity and can cause swings between accurate and inaccurate self-perception, causing detrimental effects on mental health.
Eating Disorders
Eating Disorders
A mental health disorder is something that is pervasive to your everyday thought, life, and functioning.
When eating habits become pervasive, causing obsession and anxiety, eating disorders can manifest.
There are 5 standard diagnoses identified by the National Institute of Mental Health and DSM-5:
Anorexia nervosa: People with anorexia nervosa severely avoid or restrict food intake due to a distorted self-image or an intense fear of gaining weight. Even when dangerously underweight, they may see themselves as overweight. Some people with anorexia nervosa may also have binge eating and purging episodes.
Binge-eating disorder: People with binge-eating disorder regularly lose control of their eating and eat unusually large amounts of food.
Bulimia nervosa: People with bulimia nervosa regularly binge eat and then engage in unhealthy behaviors to prevent weight gain, such as forced vomiting or the use of laxatives. People with bulimia nervosa may be difficult to identify because they often maintain an average weight or are overweight.
Avoidant restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID): People with ARFID limit the amount and variety of food they eat due to their anxiety or fear of the consequences of eating (such as choking or vomiting) or dislike of a food’s characteristics (such as its appearance or texture)
Pica: Compulsively swallowing non-food items (such as chalk, dirt and paint).
Diagnosis that is not yet included in the standard diagnoses (DSM):
Orthorexia nervosa (ON): people have a fixation on eating foods they consider pure or “clean” and rigid eating patterns, which include avoiding any foods deemed “unhealthy.”
How to Get Help and Why it's Necessary
How to Get Help and Why it's Necessary
Many people with eating disorders don't perceive themselves as needing help, whether that be because they haven't had symptoms yet or because they "are not skinny enough" to deserve help.
This is not true. Eating disorders can cause many health issues and be detrimental to mental health.
Whether it's you, a family member, or a friend, it's important that every person gets the help they need. Here are some nationwide and local resources that can help:
National Alliance for Eating Disorders Helpline: 1 (866) 662-1235. Monday-Friday, 9am-7pm ET
MS&T Student Wellbeing Nutrition Consultation and Counseling
Compass Health (evaluation in person; no appointment needed)
Within Health (eating disorder specific online counseling)
Sources
https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/presence-of-mind/201501/five-research-based-tips-for-improving-your-body-imagehttps://hub.jhu.edu/2024/01/11/ozempic-wegovy-weight-loss-drugs-pros-cons/ https://health.ucdavis.edu/blog/cultivating-health/ozempic-for-weight-loss-does-it-work-and-what-do-experts-recommend/2023/07
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