Body Image & Diet Culture

January is possibly the most challenging month for anyone suffering from an eating disorder. It can not only reinforce behaviours that you’ve been working so hard to change but can drive a depriving and punishing mentality with regards to food and exercise.

Diet culture can be tough to navigate when in recovery from an eating disorder. This week two of our recovery warriors have chosen to share their letters to diet culture with us all. As well as being thought-provoking and impactful, these are letters that deserve to be shared and celebrated.

Muscle dysmorphia is a subtype of a mental health condition called body dysmorphic disorder, where a person spends a lot of time worrying about perceived flaws in their body. It is also associated with eating disorders, as it often leads to disordered eating behaviours.

Body-editing apps are the newest trend fuelling body image issues in both men and women. Instead of supporting us to accept that we are all different and embrace our individuality, editing apps encourage us to conform to society’s pressures and only share a sculpted ‘version’ of ourselves.

Many people think that it is simply about being on a diet, however diet culture is a belief system that worships thinness and values a socially constructed ideal of beauty over health and well-being. This is why diet culture has become so dangerous and is strongly implicated in the rise of eating disorders and body image issues.