Skinny Culture is Taking Over. Here’s How You Can Push Back.

2026 is the new 2016, right? Wrong. Try 2006 instead.

By Phoebe Stern

Photo by Aanya Bhatia

Although we brought back 2016 trends like King Kylie, chokers, and the Snapchat dog filter, we’ve also brought back the skinny culture from the 2000s. Except this decade, it feels even stronger. It feels like I can’t go on social media without being infiltrated by some form of diet culture, whether that’s a “what I eat in a day” video, a post promoting “high-protein, low-calorie” meals, or someone online fearmongering about carbs because God forbid you eat a regular bagel. Even when I try to avoid social media and watch a show or movie, it feels like every other ad is promoting the latest weight-loss drug, peptide or pill. If I hear Serena Williams say “I’m on Ro,” one more time, I seriously might have to cancel my Hulu subscription. 

But seriously, let’s talk about it. Women have faced pressure to lose weight for decades. That pressure is like a gnat: it just won’t go away. Except today, that gnat has turned into a giant hornet with a mission to kill you. It gets hard to ignore when it feels like suddenly every celebrity is stick-thin and looking skeletal is the new beauty standard—which I claim is a recession indicator. 

So how do you resist the urge to listen to diet culture or stop comparing yourself to unrealistic bodies? It’s a feat that feels impossible at times, I know. But through lots and lots and lots of therapy, I’ve learned a few tips and reminders. So let me save you a long insurance bill and share some of the things that help me. 

Block creators that trigger you. 

Blocking accounts is an easy and effective way to quiet the “skinny culture” content I get on my feed. For example, Liv Schmidt: proudly blocked on both Instagram and TikTok. If you don’t know who Liv Schmidt is, I envy you. She’s an influencer who preaches about living a “skinny lifestyle” and has even created a membership club called “The Skinni Societe,” where she praises members for restrictive diets and weight loss. It only took a few Liv Schmidt videos on my For You Page for me to realize I didn’t want to see any of her content. 

Unfortunately, it’s impossible to block every toxic account, which is why I’m also an active user of the “Not interested” button. This lets my algorithm know I don’t want to see diet culture content. 

Question the trend cycle.

Why is skinny culture trending, and what does it actually accomplish? I like to remind myself that society promoting thinness and undereating is another way women can be controlled. When we’re all weak and starving, we can’t think clearly, work as hard, or have as much of a social life. This is intentional. Keeping women physically small can keep us mentally small and easier to manipulate or take advantage of. I like to remind myself of this when I feel pressure to restrict my diet, and that eating the cookie can actually be an act of feminism. 

Social media does not reflect real life.

Although it might seem like wellness creators or celebrities have it all together, they are only posting a snippet of their lives. I think about how “movie magic” is just as applicable to social media. People can easily edit and curate their content to promote an idea of lifestyle that they don’t even live by themselves. 

You also don’t know a creator’s relationship with food, exercise or their body. They might be struggling with these things themselves but just don’t talk about it. And even if they do share what they’re going through, they are still choosing what to share. 

Surround yourself with confident, positive people.

Now this one is hard, but it has been arguably the most helpful for me. Although no one is responsible for your relationship to food and your body, life is so much better when the people you’re with are also confident in themselves and don’t participate in diet culture. 

When I surround myself with groups of people like this, dieting and negative body talk just aren’t conversations we have. Instead, we’re talking about actually interesting things like the music we’re listening to, our plans for the weekend or fashion trends we’re loving. And if you’re struggling to find a group that’s anti-diet culture, you can be the first of your friends to start. Share your freedom and confidence with them; they’ll thank you someday.  

Remind yourself of your values and life goals.

Something I always circle back to is my values and goals. Do I value my sister for her weight? Am I best friends with my best friend because of the way her body looks? Is my professor intelligent and knowledgeable because she doesn’t eat sugar? Will shrinking my body get me the summer internship I want? 

When I ask myself these questions, the clear answer is no. And even though it’s easier said than done, these reminders help me make decisions that do align with my values and goals, like eating breakfast so I can focus in class and getting ice cream with my friends to strengthen our friendship. 

Skinny culture affects all of us, so if you’re struggling, know that you’re not alone. Also know that things get better and there are so many ways to fight back against it. We’re in college. Now is the time to enjoy life as much as we can. You deserve to eat whatever you want, love your body, and not feel guilty about it. 

And remember, everything tastes better than how skinny feels.