Eating disorders and toxic images of beauty are on an all-time rise. We are seeing different microtrends that range from questionable to flat-out promoting disordered eating and thinking. With old trends like “girl dinner” and policing who can and can’t wear low-rise jeans with the 2000s fashion come back, we are seeing the past come back negatively.
The rise of these harmful ways of thinking and eating, it raises a question. How responsible are celebrities and their involvement in this, no matter how small? Most of these trends come from celebrities and influencers online, but on the other hand, can you blame it all on them, or is it a wider cultural phenomenon?
When discussing eating disorders, it’s important to note that they don’t come from the same source. However, they are most commonly caused by cultural views on beauty and body types. These views often come from a culture that views bodies, specifically women’s bodies, as something to be consumed, not just an inherent part of someone’s existence.
The influence that celebrities have on young women and girls cannot be understated. As far as the 60s, models like Twiggy were known for being skinny; it was her whole brand. And currently, celebrities and influencers have either publicly announced or are theorized to be on Ozempic, a drug typically used for diabetic patients, it can also be used and exploited to lose weight.
Celebrities like Ariana Grande have been in the public eye for her recent and rapid weight loss since her role in the film Wicked. This has raised questions and concerns for both her health and what kind of message it sends to young girls. She isn’t the only celebrity facing this criticism; Lana Del Rey has rapidly lost weight after being theorized to be on Ozempic, and influencers online are pushing for more restrictive eating for younger girls.
“I think celebrities have a role to play with it, but I don’t think it’ll be right to solely blame them.” Senior student Caliema Cortez answered a question on whether celebrities have some responsibility in rising disordered eating. “Like, yeah its obvious that at a certain point we have to ask if they’re complicit or just ignorant, like with the situation with Sydney Sweeney and her jeans ad. But with eating disorders, I think they can be just as many victims of the system.”
Our collective obsession with thinness is mostly unattainable to young women and girls, especially young women and girls of color. Women aren’t often born naturally skinny with no fat on their bodies; if anything, we need that fat to protect our organs, and it serves an evolutionary purpose to protect our wombs. But for women and girls of color, our body types aren’t typically very skinny due to our race having more fat and a slightly different bone structure than white women.
“With celebrities, I do think we should be calling them out for their involvement.” Senior Bella Gold told me. “They influence our cultures in different ways, and with young girls following them and looking up to them, they should know how it looks to them.”
However, some argue that celebrities shouldn’t be blamed for eating disorders as others are currently blaming them. It’s argued that it’s part of the system that celebrities eventually fall into due to how toxic these industries are. Musicians like Billie Eilish mentioned multiple times in interviews that she felt insecure in her body due to being exposed to this culture at a young age.
Celebrities, on some level, do have a role to play in the push for thinness in young girls and women; however, the system was always designed for them and all women to fail. The culture of fame and glamour creates an environment for female celebrities to feel as if they need to fit into the mold forced on them to succeed, and this in turn, unfortunately, is given back to women and girls.