Editor’s Note: This is a commentary. The opinions do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial board.
Social media is part of everyday life and whether it be TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, or Facebook — everyone has a For You Page (FYP). The irony behind FYPs is that they are not necessarily for you, they are in favor of mainstream media corporations. Artificial intelligence suggests posts based on what it thinks you would like to hear or be influenced by. With sloppy algorithms and multiple ways around sensitivity restrictions, doom scrolling has become inevitable.
Doom scrolling refers to the binging of social media through periods of excessive scrolling that becomes maladaptive rather than entertaining. This is concerning because once an individual is assigned an algorithm, it is hard to escape. Blocking accounts and disliking videos does not resolve the issue either — once a person interacts with the post, the topic is destined to return. Odds are if you see a post, thousands of others have too. Slowly, this spirals into a whirl of hashtags and searches. Before you know it, everyone is hopping on the latest “trend” and blindly paying both the psychological and physical prices.
Right now among young adults and teens, the latest trend has become “girl dinner.” Though this term may sound like a form of female empowerment, it is far from beneficial. What exactly is “girl dinner” and why is it considered toxic? According to those involved, “girl dinners” are typically small and consist of little nutritional value. This disordered eating takes on the image of small portions, often turning snacks into meals. Popular “girl dinner” examples are two pieces of chocolate and a black coffee, a slice of cheese with grapes or a singular can of diet coke. “Girl dinner” is a fad diet.
Fad diets have earned a sour reputation for their false direction and unhealthy weight loss methods that lead followers nowhere. A prime example would be the so-called mono diet; an unhealthy method of eating that limits nutrition by consuming only one type of food repeatedly. Other examples include intermittent fasting, as well as the grapefruit, cabbage soup and South Beach diet. All fad diets share one vital similarity: they are extreme, maladaptive and lead to malnutrition.
Though “girl dinner” might not sound detrimental to the ear, the scarce amount and types of food that are being eaten is concerning. Mainstream media seems to think this delicate diet is appropriate and good for the soul. Yet, there is a problem at hand. Such diets resemble anorexia nervosa or avoidant restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID), suddenly and intensely limiting calories. Rather than jump-starting a healthy weight loss, an individual dabbles in disordered eating rituals.
No one is choosing to have a “girl dinner” because they think it is part of their gender norm, but because there is a deeper underlying issue. Once one starts restricting, it becomes hard to stop and the longer you persist with the diet, the farther one falls. It is an addicting cycle of emotions and hunger. Before you know it, “girl dinner” will replace all meals.
Besides the emotional toll fad diets have, there are physical factors at risk as well. Aside from weight loss one can expect to feel lethargic and weak. Other developmental health risks of restrictive eating are anemia, diabetes, compulsive disorder, anxiety, depression and more.
When left untreated, at its worst, death can occur. If we as a society are actively trying to prevent suicides in our communities, then why are we promoting disordered eating? More importantly, why do we allow the media to decide our diets and claim eating disorders as feminine?
As a society, we should question why such a diet is correlated with feminism or sisterhood. Disordered eating does not limit its target audience to women, all genders can suffer from “girl dinners.” The notion that females are the only ones affected by diet culture is ridiculous and outright wrong. Portion sizes and types of food should never be associated with gender; if you are hungry then you should eat. Moving forward, we should take it upon ourselves to reshape what a “girl dinner” truly should look like and who it includes. A “girl dinner” should be fruits and vegetables with balanced servings of carbs, proteins and fats. Humans are not meant to pick at food like birds, we are meant to eat intuitively; whether that be a slice of pizza and salad, or a steak and fries. Not all “girl dinners” are maladaptive, some do promote healthy eating. Yet, the dysmorphic beauty standards of the Western culture are to blame for our misunderstanding of intuitive eating. “Girl dinner” should be whatever makes the “girl” happy, not the media.
Samantha Ruiz (she/her) is a sophomore journalism major. Contact her at [email protected].