"Contestant Keenyah Hill shares that she has since heard from viewers that the way her body was discussed on the show actually kick-started their eating disorders, a sobering reminder of how televised body shaming doesn't stay on the screen. While media alone isn't responsible for causing eating disorders, it may trigger those with a genetic predisposition or other factors to develop one."
"Twenty years later, many of us can now see just how toxic that show and the general culture of the 2000s were when it came to the dieting and anti-fat bias in the media. Unfortunately, it is my belief that 20 years from now, we will be looking back on the present day with similar discomfort."
"Extreme thinness is being promoted in the media, and weight loss (now often aided by GLP-1s like Ozempic) continues to be praised. Today, the "Make America Healthy Again" movement is touting harmful rhetoric demonizing processed foods and promoting a very black-and-white mentality."
Contestant Keenyah Hill revealed that ANTM's body commentary triggered eating disorders in viewers, demonstrating how televised body shaming extends beyond the screen. While media alone doesn't cause eating disorders, it can activate genetic predispositions. An eating disorder therapist reflects on watching ANTM two decades later, noting how toxic the show and 2000s diet culture were. Today's promotion of extreme thinness through GLP-1 medications and movements like "Make America Healthy Again" perpetuate similar harmful rhetoric. The therapist advocates for critical examination of anti-fat bias and diet culture, urging society to protect future generations from normalized but unhealthy messaging.
Read at BuzzFeed
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]