Orthorexia still sells

The fat-free craze of the 90s is out. High protein is in.

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I hate talking about the Kardashians, I really do. And I want to start off by saying that this newsletter isn’t really about them per se, but they are involved. I feel like the 90s and the 2000s diet culture is making a comeback, but in a new form. Instead of the fat-free craze, we now have everything being high in protein.

I remember being in third grade and my teacher constantly talking about her diet. I mean, talk about inappropriateness, but she would always joke about not being able to eat this food because of her diet. And us 8-year-olds would laugh (I mean, what else were we supposed to do) because it was a form of self-deprecating humor on her part. Then I remember being in high school, and my classmates were bringing SlimFast for lunch and doing the Special K Challenge. I mean it was the early aughts or 2000s if you will, so the age of Britney Spears twirling around on stage with a python, her arch “nemesis” Christina Aguilera singing Genie in a Bottle, Bridget Jones being considered plus-size, and Mariah Carey having “fat thighs.” Fond memories all around.

Diet culture and fatphobia have always been there. And unfortunately, I think it will continue to always be here because it sells. And we are a society that thrives off of capitalism. After all, we are talking billions of dollars with a capital B. It’s also safe to say that when there is money to be made, celebrities are always going to enter the chat. I feel for those in the public eye because having your body constantly on display, and of course, with the internet, everyone feels entitled to give their opinion, it’s rough. Everyone’s a critic, apparently. Not to mention, being on screen, big or small, and being “required” to look a certain way, must be hell. However, these people play a role in diet culture, whether they themselves realize it or not.

Enter in the Kardashian family. I know what you’re thinking, “Do we really need to bring them into the conversation?” Yes, only because Khloe Kardashian has a new line of protein-powered popcorn that is apparently more “health-conscious” and “guilt-free” than regular popcorn. And normally, my first thought would be, “Who cares?” Let her team of marketers and developers who slapped her name on the bag create a new kind of popcorn. However, this is Khloe Kardashian we are discussing, and she isn’t a stranger to highlighting her disordered eating habits.

Her constant weight loss and how she dropped 40 pounds. Again, I am not against weight loss, but I do know the repercussions of constantly putting your body through a weight loss cycle. I also know that if you have to work out multiple times a day and unnecessarily cut out certain food groups, that’s not your natural weight, and you will