Member-only story

Women Are Pushed to “Idealized” Female Figures in Diet Wars

Dr. Patricia Farrell
6 min readDec 19, 2023

Diets are big business, and behind all of them is the belief that women must adhere to an unrealistic female figure.

Photo by Thought Catalog on Unsplash

The diet industry and the media promoting its many products, programs, and entertainment stars involved in it are lucrative for corporations but can be injurious to women’s mental and physical health. We now not only have plans that provide complete meals but also individual products aimed at keeping the culture of thinness in women alive, and an active customer base is vital.

How many fail at these programs is not discussed, only how happy a woman will be if she adheres to their mandates. Of course, cost is not the issue; meeting our cultural standards for a woman's body image is the main focus. And there are unseen dangers dieters may not see in their pursuit of the ideal body.

The risk of unhealthy diets and disordered eating patterns is higher in individuals with a negative body image. The effects of habitual social media use or exposure to image-related content on healthy young people's (18–30 years old) body image and food choices are still involved today, as we go from diets to pharmaceuticals.

The latest celebrity to admit that years of rigorous diet and exercise routines have not worked for her? Oprah Winfrey not only owns a major share of…

--

--

Dr. Patricia Farrell
Dr. Patricia Farrell

Written by Dr. Patricia Farrell

Dr. Farrell is a psychologist, consultant, author, and member of SAG/AFTRA, interested in flash fiction writing (http://bitly.ws/S94e) and health.

Responses (16)