The Rise of Body Image Concerns and Diet Culture Among College Students
In the midst of their college years, many students find themselves increasingly susceptible to body image issues and unhealthy eating patterns. These concerns are part of a broader trend influenced by the growing popularity of weight loss medications and societal beauty standards.
Recently, drugs like Ozempic have gained traction among young adults in the U.S. as a means to lose weight. This trend coincides with the portrayal of extreme thinness in social media and Hollywood, influencing impressionable groups including college students.
According to Savannah Roberts, a PhD candidate specializing in clinical and developmental psychology, body dissatisfaction often arises when individuals fail to align with cultural beauty standards. “We develop this discrepancy between what we think we look like and what we wish we looked like,” Roberts explained. “Society for a very long time has been a weight-stigmatizing environment.”
The U.S. has seen a shift in its beauty ideals over the decades, from the “heroin chic” look of the 1990s to the more inclusive body positivity movement in the 2010s. However, Roberts notes that the pendulum has swung back towards valuing thinness and fitness, often driven by influencers who promote unrealistic lifestyles and digitally altered images for commercial gain.
“By shifting what the appearance standards look like, corporations and folks who are developing products are able to introduce new things that can make money,” Roberts stated. This is evident in the evolving beauty standards, where trends like the thigh gap have been replaced by the popularity of procedures such as the Brazilian butt lift, promoted by celebrities.
Claire Visscher, a graduate student specializing in eating disorders, emphasizes the vulnerability of college students to developing such disorders. “College is a pretty common time for eating disorders to develop,” Visscher said. The notion of the “freshman 15” exacerbates these concerns by stigmatizing normal weight changes during this life stage.
GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic, initially intended for type 2 diabetes, have become popular for their weight-loss side effects. “It’s bringing weight loss even more into the mainstream than it already was,” Visscher noted, highlighting the increased accessibility of these medications.
Roberts warns that the transition into college can exacerbate body image issues, especially when students are exposed to peers using such weight-loss aids. “You’re leaving that adolescent window and joining young adulthood,” Roberts said, “and if you’re only seeing other young people who are really thin because they’re on those medications, it has the potential to make you expect that you should be thinner too.”
Danielle Miller, a senior majoring in nutrition science and dietetics, leads events for Girl Gains at Pitt, a female empowerment weightlifting club. She acknowledges the pressures students face regarding physical appearance. “There’s definitely a lot of self-comparison,” Miller said, urging students to seek support if struggling with body image issues.
Roberts advocates for curating social media use to focus on values rather than appearance. “Use social media as a way to connect with other people and other communities that are more values-aligned,” she advised, underscoring the importance of deriving self-worth from meaningful pursuits rather than physical appearance.
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