The Quiet Comeback of Thinness Culture: What It Means and How to Respond

From a Coach

Dec 24

I think it comes as no surprise that the resurgence of the thinness ideal has whispered its way back into many minds like a dependable bad habit. And honestly, it’s not your fault if you’ve felt pulled back in.

Why Thinness Is Making a Comeback

We are seeing celebrity endorsements for weight loss medications in between Instagram reels, “What I Eat In a Day” clips glorifying restrictive food habits, and viral tips for sickeningly increasing food volume because apparently anything considered calorically dense is now a universal swear word. It makes sense that these bombardments of a past beauty standard have a lot of us questioning what our health and fitness should look like.

Thinness culture hasn’t disappeared; it’s evolved into modern “wellness” language that still promotes restriction and body dissatisfaction.

Why We’re Vulnerable to Old Beauty Standards

When we lack a strong concept of self, it can be easy to turn to others to suddenly materialize a fast track answer to an unrealistic self-standard that *magically* appears realistic. Please hear me when I say: you must treat yourself the way that you deserve to be treated; with respect, love, and kindness. You cannot hate yourself into a body that you love.

Dieting yourself into a shell of yourself will not heighten the satisfaction you idealize from fitting into your pre-pubescent jeans. It also goes without saying that what The Rock did to get in beyond-normal TV shape for his WWE wrestling career is not realistic for the average 9-to-5’er.

What celebrities, Tik-Tok-ers, or the stay at home mom blogger that tries to relate to average “hardships” from her million-dollar mansion do not tell you is this: what you see on your iPhone are premeditated, click-worthy “secrets.” The relatable content they show is not meant to be repeatable, it’s meant to keep you engaged in wanting more than what is realistic for you. When you idealize more than what you can handle, you stay displeased with yourself. You stay craving the next glimpse into a life that falsely fulfills all of your fantasies and desires.

If we stay engaged with a life that isn’t our own by idealizing a false sense of peace, we never have to delve into the deepest parts of ourselves that could bring about true change to our individual lives. We aren’t the only ones that know this, or who capitalize on the idea.

The Industry Built on Insecurity

Thinness standards and eating disorders are tricky little demons; they have evolved with the times. Itsy-bitsy-teeny-weenie-yellow-polka-dot-bikini commercials from the Yoplait dieting days of 2002 aren’t going to capture the minds and wallets of those of us with deep-ridden insecurities. Remember, the dieting industry is a billion dollar industry, with an expectation to reach a staggering all-time high in marketing and sales by 2030. The weight loss supplement market was worth a staggering $33 billion in 2024, with an estimated market size growth to a staggering $71 billion in 2030.

Doesn’t the rate at which we see ads, testimonials, and celebrity endorsements now make sense?

These companies do not have your best interest at heart and over-humanizing the influencers being paid to promote supplements, ideologies, or “lifestyles” won’t serve your best interest either-no matter how connected you might feel to them online.

Listen, I want nothing more than to imagine that Taylor Swift and I are besties, but it doesn’t mean that I would ever adopt a lifestyle or habit she might suddenly start promoting… just because I think she’s super cool. We are simply not the same. Not in our bodies, our lifestyles, nor in what we would each consider as accessible.

The “Sexy Secret” No One Talks About

Here’s the not-so-sexy truth: there’s no quick fix. There’s no detox, cleanse, or magic shot that can replace the daily work of taking care of yourself.

You don’t have to reject every form of self-improvement or body change - but your motivation matters. Are you changing out of curiosity and care, or out of self-criticism and comparison?

You do not have to have it all figured out. I’m not here to say, “Sally! Steve! Love yourself no matter what! Give a big ol’ middle finger to every diet culture concept around you!” No. That kind of thinking radiates toxic positivity and invalidates the very valid want and need to change. No one has the right to tell you what you can or cannot do with your body nor how you should or shouldn’t think when it comes to your health.

If there were a sexy secret to dodging diet culture it would be just that: definitive promises of a set-in-stone solution do not exist. Our health and wellness is much too multifaceted. I know it is endearing to think they have it all figured out for themselves! If I follow in their exact footsteps, I will too! But the sexy secret is that there is no sexy secret.

You have to do the work for yourself, not blindly adopt the habits of someone else who has maybe already done the work for themselves (or pretends to from behind the safety of a screen and an all-too-convenient ad-endorsement). You have the power for change built right into your back pocket. Sleep, stress management, balanced eating, watering yourself, and seeing some sunlight - as well as movement - are all excellent places to begin.

Where do your gaps exist and where can you begin to build the foundation of a more balanced you? A gentle hint: it does not begin with punishing yourself via a lack of food, the viral “Oatzempic” drink trend, or believing that the more emotional pain you are experiencing means that something is “working.”

Where The Real Change Actually Begins

I have done my fair share of diets, cleanses, and diet-Tok trends during my finest moments of desperation. As a recovered anorexic, no-nonsense nutritionist, and a both strong and confident gym-goer, guess how many of those same trends I am still doing now? None of them. Zero, zip, nada.

Temporary “satisfaction” (I think we all know what that is code for: “suffering”) does not bring about lasting change. You don’t just have to take my word for it. Many of us have already been through the ringer. The good news is that you do not have to stay on the toxic diet hamster wheel. Changes stem from seemingly small repeatable actions. Let’s start there.

Metaphorically speaking, you are starving until you're not. What a simple thought.

We are committed coaches who love nothing more than helping our clients find a sustainable approach to nutrition that allows them to work towards their goals without white-knuckling their way through yo-yo diets. Learn more about our KLN team here!

Kimberly ZeHnder

Certified NTP, eating disorder survivor, and former D1 athlete guiding clients away from restrictive past eating habits and toward food freedom with a body built on trust and respect.

More about Kimberly