Dieting Down the Line: An Analysis of Generational Diet Culture  

From ‘heroin chic’ to ‘almond mums’, diet culture has mostly been linked with society's expectations of the female body. Throughout the years, we can see an increasing trend of some mothers, grandmothers and daughters alike subconsciously passing down hereditary diet habits. Despite the age old prevailing expectations on women, there are huge misconceptions and social stigmas around disordered eating in men. Body dissatisfaction has been perpetuated throughout society with the idealisation of unrealistic beauty standards. How has our pursuit of the perfect physique impacted the complex landscape of diet culture throughout generational history?

The early 90s witnessed a fascination with a very slender, often edgy model aesthetic, dubbed ‘heroin chic’ by media and tabloids. This look emphasised a lean physique and a raw, unpolished style. In the wake of this era, alongside the rise of the digital age, new concepts including ‘almond mums’ appeared, referring to women influenced by generational diet trends, who inadvertently encourage restrictive eating habits within their own families. More recently, body dissatisfaction and unrealistic beauty standards have been particularly exacerbated by social media through the yearning to change one's appearance into something desirable yet unattainable. I propose an analysis of diet culture and its stigmatisation by examining its origins, evolution, and the misconceptions surrounding disordered eating both in men and women.

The etymology of the word ‘diet’ in Ancient Greek roots from ‘diaita’ meaning ‘a way of life’. Consuming food is simply an essential element of our existence. When did the act of consuming food transition into a societal tool for enhancing beauty and attractiveness? While healthy eating and attention to nutrition undoubtedly contributes to a healthy lifestyle, it is important for individuals to do so with moderation. However, the epitome of ‘health’ currently appears as an obsessive pursuit of individuals competing to adhere to the 'best' diet, achieve the 'ideal' body shape, and conform to ever-changing beauty trends. Nowadays, the word ‘diet’ often drums up negative connotations of restriction and weight loss perpetuating the idea that smaller is better. This shift in meaning has contributed to the association of food and beauty by feeding into the categorisation of ‘bad’ and ‘good’ foods. In reality, there is no such thing. Restricted eating leads to unhealthy associations with food which exacerbates negative psychological and physiological health. 

The concept of modern ‘ideal body types’ arose in the mid-1800s, and beauty became reliant on the aesthetics and physicality of one's body. The thin ideal and form-fitting clothing of the mid-19th century was so prevalent that the first ‘diet influencer’ emerged with the likes of Lord Byron. His infamous eating habits consisted of thinly sliced bread for breakfast, water for dinner and chewing Tobacco on the side to appease hunger pangs. Interestingly, the legacy of such Victorian eating habits lives on in several modern practices disguised as fad dieting tips & tricks with the example of apple-cider vinegar before meals. We can acknowledge the simple fact that eating in a healthy way that sustains our bodies with nutrients is universally beneficial and not in itself a negative practice, yet somehow the concept of ‘healthy eating’ within our society has been generationally skewed towards an obsessive competition of adhering to fluctuating body type trends, emulating the appearance of influencers and models, and has unfortunately become a root cause of many eating disorders.  

Originating in the 90s, the term ‘heroine chic’ circulated the media and tabloids, with the likes of Kate Moss and Shalom Harlow plastered over the covers of Vogue. Cigarettes, coffee and a line of cocaine became the new culinary desire in efforts to achieve the supermodel skinny aesthetic. Continuing into the early 2000s, the era of ‘Pro-Ana' Tumblr cultivated a toxic online environment which contributed to the culture and practice of eating disorders (EDs). This harmful environment consisted of dedicated blog posts of tips and tricks for maintaining unhealthy and concerning eating habits with users even holding each other accountable for what they ate in a day. The toxicity continued with a vicious cesspool of competition between opposing ED categories; Anorexia versus Bulimia, both claiming to be the ‘better’ disorder. The horrific realities of what information was in circulation caused the normalisation of behaviours which led to eating disorders. Despite Tumblr being a visually compelling and innovative platform for creative expression, it unfortunately played a role in fostering a toxic echo chamber that proved harmful to susceptible young minds of the era, highlighting the significant influence social media can have on vulnerable individuals. Even more alarmingly, modern parallels can be seen today on the likes of TikTok with body checking, calorie counting and ‘what I eat in a day’ videos in circulation. One like of a rogue video floods your feed down a rabbit hole of such niche topics and before you know it you are being exposed daily to displays of dieting fads, toxic eating habits and harmful ‘quick fixes’. 

Throughout the analysis of generational diet culture, it becomes evident that the quest for an ideal body has evolved into a deeply rooted societal norm, fraught with psychological and physical consequences. Pervasive societal stereotypes tend to imply that disordered eating primarily affects women, leading to the underrepresentation of men's experiences. From historical dietary practices to current social media trends the constant pressure of idealised body types for both men and women is always there. The troubling cultural obsession with appearance fosters restrictive eating habits and eating disorders across genders and generations. This begs the question, can society move away from destructive diet culture to adopt a future where health and self-acceptance prevail over conforming to unattainable beauty standards and body trends?