What is “diet culture”?

Open up social media, a magazine, or even a news website and you’ll likely come across messages about what to eat, how to exercise, or what your body should look like. Sometimes these messages are direct. Other times they’re more subtle, like seeing only thin and perfectly toned models on magazine covers.

"Diet culture” is to blame for many of these messages. It focuses on weight, and body shape or size, rather than health and overall wellbeing.

Diet culture also promotes the belief that people with “perfect” bodies are healthier. In many cases this is far from the truth. Being thin or maintaining a certain body shape can require restrictive diets or excessive exercise.

These messages can even take on a moral tone, where people with “perfect” bodies are seen as having more strength, control, or self-restraint. Because of this, diet culture can lead to stigma and discrimination against those whose bodies don’t fit the ideal.