Extreme thinness is being normalized and glorified in society, through celebrity appearances, endorsements, and social media trends. This is harmful, as thinness is being celebrated with no care for the mental and physical harm it may cause.
There is a trend of Hollywood celebrities undergoing extreme weight loss. For example, the cast of “Wicked” at their latest premiere, appeared dramatically thinner compared to how they looked before film production. Other celebrities, such as Lilly Collins and Natalia Dyer “Stranger Things”, have appeared incredibly emaciated at their latest public appearances.
The promotion of unhealthily thin celebrities sends the message to young viewers that extreme thinness is normal. It is incredibly harmful to not only young viewers, whose perception of body image will become influenced by these celebrities. Especially because these celebrities may be battling eating disorders and other distressing factors causing their malnourishment.
Other celebrities have come out about using diet drugs in recent years, to undergo extreme weight loss. Tennis star Serena Williams has been part of ads promoting GLP-1, a diabetic and obesity medication known as Ozempic, and has spoken about her experiences using it for weight loss.
Williams is one of the biggest tennis stars in the world. Her body prior to taking Ozempic has won her Olympic gold medals. Promoting GLP-1s for weight loss normalizes going to an extreme in order to lose weight. This shift says that you could be perfectly healthy, and athletic, and still, thinness is the ultimate goal.
Trends on social media, such as the recent “sunglass check”, contribute to the idealization of thinness. This challenge involves putting a pair of sunglasses around one’s waist to see if their waist is small enough for the sunglasses not to stretch out.
This harmful trend encourages scrutinization of one’s own body, celebrating what is likely a result of genetics. When an unattainable body type is glorified, it causes people to overscrutinize their own bodies, and potentially strive for a size that may not be healthy for them.
In the midst of the normalization of extreme thinness, and glorifying certain body types, it is necessary to educate young people on the importance of staying healthy and to recognize that what is glamorized is not always the right path. We need to protect girls and women from losing themselves in the pursuit of thinness.
