Eating Disorders have been around for years, slowly ripping apart people’s health and confidence. The media is not making this issue any better, with shows like “The Biggest Loser” and “My 600-Lb Life,” it is very apparent that being thin is the ideal look. Many people will go to great lengths to achieve a thin physique; once one starts, there is no looking back.
There are many “communities” online for people with eating disorders; X, formerly known as Twitter, is one of the most significant spaces where these people communicate. This community is called EDTWT (Eating Disorder Twitter). While many people in these communities are helpful and kind, others are horrible, like the “coaches” of EDTWT. These “coaches” benefit from making people worse. Another big struggle with disordered eating is the “mukbang,” “What I Eat in a Day,” and even the occasional workout video. These videos can be so deceiving to many people trying to enjoy the content and improve themselves.
Many people have seen “mukbang” videos. For those who haven’t, mukbangs are videos or livestreams of the creator talking to the camera and or audience whilst eating. Some prominent creators in this category are Zach Choi, Jane Mukbangs, Ssoyoung, and, most notoriously, Nicholas Perry, better known as Nikocado Avocado. His videos gained massive popularity due to the unhinged behavior displayed in them, such as his bizarre eating habits, thumbnails, and the titles of his videos. When Perry first started his channel, he was a vegan mukbang creator. When he posted a video of himself binge eating, it did better than all of his vegan videos combined. It was apparent that people liked this side of him more. Perry is still posting his binge content, featuring other mukbangers occasionally. One video that went viral was his video with “Hungry Fat Chick.” Seeing many people promoting this unhealthy lifestyle can normalize it and make it seem like living like this is not a major health risk.
The “What I Eat in a Day” content is mainly popular on TikTok, with many teens uploading these videos. In the posts, you can see extreme calorie deficits, and the uploaders “self control.” This style’s intention is primarily to show how the uploader maintains, loses, or gains weight. The more problematic piece of it is the “tips,” such as “forgetting” to eat, or not eating until your body physically hurts from it. “What I Eat in a Day” and athletic content often go hand in hand. Workout videos can be such a good way to stay active and healthy. There are many different styles of workout videos; the most common among teenagers is pilates. Nikola is a pilates YouTuber; her videos are shorter than most, but she claims to be effective. The issue with Nikola’s videos is that she is giving the impression that you can achieve her look if you do the workouts she does. She is a very small girl; to many, it seems impossible to get as skinny as her in the “healthy way” she promotes. While some people believe Nikola is disordered, a larger group of people think she is not.
Being thin has always been something many dream of being. Whether it’s the 1800s and people are shoving themselves into tiny corsets, or it’s the photoshopped world we’re living in now. Beauty standards are forever changing; it’s hard to keep up. You can’t win when you’re dying to be thin.
