Editor’s Note: This article handles topics such as eating disorders, which might be harmful to some readers.
Generation Z has taken skinny culture to the extreme, fighting back on the “Body Positivity” ideals that once united them.
Glucagon-like peptide-1 drugs (GLP-1s), like Ozempic, Wegovy or Mounjaro, have become increasingly more popular over the last year. Ozempic is seemingly the most popular, with an episode dedicated to it on South Park, which criticized the overuse of GLP-1 drugs.
Let’s be clear, there is nothing wrong with losing weight, especially if it would benefit your mental or physical health. The problem with the popularity of GLP-1s is they contribute to the idea that being skinny is the only option.
Recently, social media has been a storm of diet tips and weight-loss hacks, promoting getting thinner and thinner, according to NPR. This slender version of social media isn’t new and it is available on any platform. “#EDTwt,” for example, is X’s, formally known as “Twitter,” own version of this skinny promotion, with memes and threats featuring people sharing “thinspo.” It is not that social media is creating eating disorders, but it is definitely promoting them.
According to NPR, body positivity used to be booming. People actually wanted body positivity to be real and heard, and for a while, you could see it in action. Brands started offering more inclusive sizes while shows, ads and runways all featured different body types. The question of when this positivity began to decline once more is up in the air, but the truth is that GLP-1s are part of the problem.
It has long been known that America’s definition of “beauty” was false. For a long time, the only models featured in magazines were under a size 4, and that has stuck with our culture. “Fatphobia” became a mainstream idea long before I can remember, and it’s come back with more strength than before. This rise has dimmed the inclusivity that once took over the media, and can impact the empathy for not only others, but for yourself. Watching your favorite celebrities and influencers rapidly losing weight can make you question your own appearance and body.
It is almost like people do not care about others anymore. They don’t understand the impacts of mocking someone else’s body. The rise of skinny culture is going to leave a lasting impression on the youth today, adding another generation of teens struggling with eating disorders.
