How getting healthy also means bucking society’s weight, beauty ideals

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Society’s obsession with the idea that skinny bodies are the ideal and the healthiest has been decades in the making, or maybe more.

Starting in the 1970s and intensifying through the 80s and 90s, there’s been a rise in media portrayals that equate thinness with beauty, success, and health, says Felicia Newell.

Newell is a registered dietitian and nutritionist with Sustain Health in St. John’s, N.L., and offers health and nutrition coaching services, corporate wellness programming, group education, nutrition project consulting and content writing. Her goal is to help her clients improve their health, feel their best and reach their wellness goals while maintaining their sanity and in a way that fits their lifestyle.

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What started with magazines, movies, and television reinforcing beauty ideals, especially for women, has now been amplified by social media. We now have constant exposure to filtered, curated, and often unattainable images of “ideal” bodies. Algorithms often push content that keeps us engaged, and unfortunately, body comparison and idealizing thinness are a powerful hook to most, she says.

“This long-standing cultural conditioning makes it really hard to separate thinness from our idea of what it means to be healthy, even though we know that health is much more complex and individualized,” points out Newell.

Harmful messaging on social media

Messaging on social media creates unrealistic expectations and can lead to a constant sense of failure, low self-esteem, disordered eating, and even body dysmorphia, explains Newell.

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These messages often present appearance-based goals as health goals, which confuses the two. It also implies that our worth is tied to how we look and not who we are or how we feel, she says.

Plus, the advice on social media is often oversimplified, not evidence-based, and sometimes downright dangerous, says Newell.

“The focus shifts from living a balanced, fulfilling life to endlessly chasing a changing and often unattainable aesthetic ideal,” she says.

“We know that someone living in a smaller body can be sedentary, have a poor diet, and someone in a larger body can be physically active, eat nutritious foods, and get adequate sleep, so we need to start focusing on the behaviours instead of hiding behind ‘health’ to call out others’ appearances and make them feel unworthy.”

Who is being targetted?

Teen girls, and even younger children, are certainly heavily targetted — or indirectly targetted, as they are more vulnerable — which is dangerous because these age groups have become increasingly at risk for eating disorders, says Newell.

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But they’re far from the only ones affected. Adults of all genders, young children, and increasingly even boys and men are experiencing insecurity, disordered eating, and body dissatisfaction.

“Social media doesn’t have age restrictions when it comes to its impact — people of all ages are absorbing these messages and comparing themselves,” says Newell.

It should also be recognized how intersectional this issue is. People in larger bodies, racialized individuals, LGBTQ2S+ individuals, and those with disabilities often face even greater pressures or are entirely excluded from mainstream “body ideals,” says Newell.

How to measure success?

This obsession with weight and smaller bodies not only tends to backfire when it comes to making positive lifestyle changes — it also overlooks the complexity of health, which includes mental well-being, social connections, and sustainable habits, says Newell.

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When we tie results only to numbers on a scale or visible body changes, we’re setting ourselves up for frustration.

“Real, sustainable change comes from focusing on how we feel — such as more energy, better sleep, improved mood, less stress. These things may not be visible, but they matter just as much, if not more,” says Newell.

This means shifting the focus from aesthetics to overall well-being which helps us stay motivated and reduces the guilt-and-shame cycle that so often leads to giving up health goals, explains Newell.

Where to focus?

By focusing on certain aspects of health, Newell says it has been proven that we can create an environment that values diversity, reduces stigma, and encourages individuals to prioritize their overall well-being.

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Three of these focuses include:

Balanced eating

This doesn’t mean following rigid diets or cutting out entire food groups. It means tuning into your body’s needs, eating regularly, and including a variety of foods that give you energy and satisfaction, says Newell.

Food is about nourishment and enjoyment. People tend to get overwhelmed in this department by trying to take on too many changes at once. But Newell says that’s not necessary.

Start with small, realistic changes, with the habits we know support health. This means to increase fruits and veggies, fibre, and protein (especially plant-based proteins).

In her practice, Newell says she usually starts here with people, and then over time, works on other components such as getting enough calcium, Vitamin D, and Omega 3.

Regular physical activity

Movement should be something that makes you feel good — not something you force yourself to do to change your body, says Newell. People tend to think they need to have a complex fitness or training program, but it’s just not essential, she adds.

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Optimal targets are two strength or resistance training sessions weekly, and 150 minutes of combined cardio exercises (someone just starting can slowly work their way up to this).  Walking, dancing, gardening, and yoga all work — whatever gets you moving and brings you joy is what is going to be sustainable.

Body acceptance

This is about respecting your body as it is today, while also caring for it. That might mean dressing in a way that makes you feel good, speaking kindly to yourself, or surrounding yourself with diverse, body-positive media.

Accepting your body doesn’t mean you give up on caring for your health — it means you stop punishing yourself for not looking a certain way.

Focusing on these areas shifts the conversation from shame to empowerment, and from temporary fixes to long-term health, says Newell.

For more information, visit sustainnutrition.ca.

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