The world of social media is a noisy one. With so much content, it’s easy to dismiss much of what we consume as frivolous. But one influencer is highlighting the problematic nature of a popular TikTok trend. “What I Eat in a Day,” is self-explanatory, and these posts seem ubiquitous of late.
In them, influencers document their meals across a single day and share them with their followers. It seems innocuous. But Christine Laraine, a body image advocate, claims the trend is “dangerous.”
Laraine says the trend promotes toxic diet culture.
Laraine says the trend, which often features people having a smoothie, small snacks, and a large salad, promotes toxic diet culture. In pictures of her own seated body, Laraine shared text on Instagram about the trend.
"The amount of food every individual eats and needs in a day varies considerably,” Laraine wrote.
The perception can be harmful for those with eating disorders, Laraine believes.
Furthermore, she said many fitness and wellness influencers secretly struggle with eating disorders currently or have in the past.
“The perception of this lifestyle can be turbulent to those who struggle with eating disorders, are in remission, or feel great shame for always being hungry,” Laraine wrote in the caption of her Instagram post.
The trend has been viewed over 13 billion times.
That’s no small problem when the trend has been viewed over 13 billion times across various videos on TikTok, according to Laraine. “These videos may seem harmless to those who are incredibly confident in their body & eating habits, but for someone who is at war with their body, these videos only further validate their skewed perception,” Laraine explained.
As 'a girl who can eat,' Laraine says the trend has inspired her to question her choices.
Laraine says she's one of the people whose been influenced by that skewed perception. She describes herself as a “girl who could eat.” Watching these videos would make her regret the cookie she ate or how she ate the day before.
“I could be feeling completely fine one moment, and then absolute overcome with body hate in the next,” Laraine wrote.
Laraine says the videos can be especially harmful for young girls.
And she suspects she’s not the only one who may be negatively affected. She believes that young women who see these videos may be influenced to restrict their eating. The lack of nutrition, mixed with an overcommitment to fitness can result in amenorrhea — a lack of periods — which can impact the hormones.
She says the imbalance can lead to “osteoporosis, stress, cardiovascular issues, and pregnancy complications.”
Laraine's followers agree.
In the comment section, followers echoed Laraine's sentiments, adding that the videos promote the idea that eating certain foods will result in achieving a particular body type.
“This completely negates the effects of genetics, access to healthcare, access to wealth and stress levels and so many other things,” one comment asserts.
