Diet culture is defined as the belief that being thin and losing weight is the most virtuous and healthy thing to do. And, unfortunately, it permeates our media and many of us have internalized it. But it’s incredibly damaging, leading people to try unhealthy diets, work out too hard, and not love themselves the way that they should.
But because diet culture is so ingrained in our society, sometimes it’s hard to even notice it. And when we don’t see it, we can’t fight it. So here are some tips for ways to spot diet culture in action.
Calling Certain Foods “Good” or “Bad”
One of the most pervasive misconceptions to come out of diet culture is the idea that certain foods are “good” or “bad”. While it’s certainly true that some foods are healthy and others aren’t, attaching value to foods can make you feel wrong or ashamed for your eating choices, which is never good. So if you ever catch somebody else (or yourself) saying something like, “I’m going to order fries. I’m so bad”—know that it’s a product of diet culture.
Talking About Other People’s Bodies
Being shamed for being fat is a clear example of diet culture, but so is being praised for losing weight. In fact, making any comments of any kind about other people’s bodies is inappropriate, as you never know what is going on in somebody’s life to make them look the way they do.
