I read this article about the eating disorder helpline taking down a chatbot because it was giving weight loss advice. This is so concerning to me because it just shows how pervasive and normalized diet culture has become. We should be encouraging people to develop healthy relationships with food, not constantly reinforcing the idea that the only way to be healthy is to lose weight. It’s so important that organizations, especially those that are designed to help those struggling with eating disorders, recognize this and take measures to ensure that their messaging is not perpetuating this kind of thinking.
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It’s so disheartening to see how diet culture has become so pervasive and normalized. It should never be encouraged for people to pursue weight loss in order to reach a particular ideal of “health”.
I think it’s incredibly important for organizations like the eating disorder helpline to recognize this and take steps to ensure that their messaging is not sending out any wrong signals. Instead, they should be focusing on encouraging people to develop positive relationships with food and taking care with their self-image.
No individual should ever feel obligated or pressured to conform to an impossible standard of beauty promoted by society; instead, we need holistic approaches that focus on healthful habits as well as mental wellness.