Raising awareness to support and heal the silent struggle
1 in 10 women are affected by eating disorders at some point in their lives, in the UK.
Body image issues are more prevalent in women than men, though men also experience these challenges. Many of my female friends, who are beautiful and healthy by any societal standard, still face these struggles.
Despite having bodies that should be celebrated, I often hear them say they’re not slim enough or good enough.
A lot of this has to do with how women in general, are brought up and then how other factors in the society leads up to this deep rooted fear of not being good enough.
The Social Media Trap
Studies show that social media has a significant impact on how teen women and men perceive their body image. The pervasive nature of social platforms has been shown to worsen body dissatisfaction and contribute to the development of eating disorders.
It’s not uncommon to see posts from fitness influencers with heavily edited images, even though the pictures are taken under perfect lighting, with top-tier equipment, and after muscle “pumping.”
Many of these influencers use secret methods to achieve unnatural-looking physiques but still have the audacity to lie about it. Despite having bodies that look far from natural, their bios often include phrases like “natural lifter” or “natural bodybuilding,” among other claims.
The Hollywood/Bollywood Garbage
As if the “social media” trap wasn’t bad enough, Hollywood celebrities are also out there lying right to their fans’ faces. Whether it’s Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson saying,
“Sure, you get a lot of people out there who will suspect, and say sh*t. They want to negate the hard work you put in"
Or take other actors who go through a 3-month fitness transformation at 50 and then claim it’s all due to a good diet and hours in the gym. In reality, most of these “magical” transformations are carefully planned with strict diets, perfectly designed workouts, and often steroids.
It’s not just the male actors — top magazine models and movie star actresses with their size “0” bodies are part of this too. These are the same hypocritical celebrities who promote body positivity and healthy living, saying they don’t eat sugar in interviews.
Alia Bhatt, during her appearance on The Kapil Sharma Show, mentioned, “I don’t eat sugar at all,” emphasizing her commitment to a healthy lifestyle.
On the contrary, these are the same actors and actresses who promote FMCG products like soft drinks, chips, and frozen desserts — packed with sugar and harmful additives. This creates confusion and body image issues for teens who look up to these “celebrities.”
Even people who are already in great shape start to feel disgusted with their bodies because someone like The Rock, at 50, has a “better” body naturally, or a fitness influencer claims to get six-pack abs by just drinking a gallon of water every day.
The Stigma
Even though many men face body image issues and eating disorders, these problems are more prevalent among women. In almost every culture, women are told to look a certain way. In some cultures, the focus is on being as thin as possible, while in others, it’s about having larger hips or specific body proportions.
South Asian women want to have a thin body, where as ‘Black-Women’ are generally seen to be more resistant to the mainstream body image standards, and this often causes dissatisfaction among the other groups, as black women often have preference for a curvaceous body.
This mindset is ingrained in women from an early age and passed down to the next generation. In some parts of the world, it’s so normalized that making mean comments about other girls or women is common. Often, these remarks unknowingly leave lasting emotional scars on young girls.
Body Positivity and Intuitive Eating
Promoting true body positivity is crucial to addressing this rapidly growing issue. While some influencers share the right message, others spread a misguided version of body positivity.
Real body positivity is about loving and accepting your body’s unique features — your genetic gifts that make you different from others. However, it’s not about promoting obesity. It’s about loving your body enough to take care of it through proper nutrition, which is where the concept of intuitive eating comes in.
Restrictive diets often work initially, but they’re hard to maintain long-term, leading many people to revert back to their old habits. Intuitive eating, however, may provide a more sustainable solution.
Conclusion
The lies on the internet and in mass media often mislead young girls and boys, contributing to eating disorders and body image issues. It’s crucial to call out the hypocritical celebrities, influencers, and brands that make these teens feel like they aren’t good enough.
We need to promote influencers and experts who share genuine content and are truly helping those struggling with these issues. Most importantly, we need to openly discuss these problems.
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