The drive for thinness is at the heart of the eating disorder epidemic. Countless research studies show that the insidious nature of glorifying thin bodies through all types of media convinces us to believe that losing weight is the way to a good life. Short-lived cultural shifts towards accepting different human bodies never last long. Too many forces in our society benefit from an audience captivated by thinness and susceptible to any market force that promises the miracle of weight loss.
I have written before in this blog how industry benefits from the drive for thinness. The diet industry promises the magic goal of weight loss even though research has proven unequivocally that diets don’t work. The exercise industry focuses on weight loss despite evidence proving health benefits but not sustained weight loss from regular activity. The food industry plies us with a smorgasbord of supposedly healthy foods and simultaneously the most delectable options when everyone gets too hungry. And now the pharmaceutical industry finally gets to offer the holy grail for weight loss.
A capitalist society can’t get enough of a public willing to spend their last dollar on the promise of sustained weight loss.
There is one other weakness in this moment that heightens our vulnerability. Modern life isolates each of us in our bubble, surrounded by technology, addictive content providers and the increasingly limited ability to find connection and satisfaction in other parts of our life. Technology may make things easier in some ways but doesn’t replace our human need to find meaning in relationships or the ways we interact with the world. Passive movement through the world fills our time but doesn’t allow us to experience the world fully. Our brains are wired for interaction and engagement in order to feel satisfied. Experiencing content on its own won’t suffice.
Increasingly, the desire to lose weight is one of the primary ways people search for identity and meaning. The goal of thinness itself is empty which is why people are never satisfied with the results. That drive to lose weight at all costs, when particularly strong, often becomes an eating disorder.
The forces for thinness are broad and powerful. These days no other goal is equally revered or desired.
We need to constantly be reminded that other avenues for satisfaction in life exist. Instead, powerful industries constantly urge to follow the desire for thinness and hope for the best. The central force for weight loss and the epidemic of eating disorders is societal. Messages promoting weight loss push us towards this meaningless desire each and every day.
In the end, the apotheosis of thinness in our culture begs a question: why is it so hard for the modern human to figure out what actually matters in our lives?
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