Angels: The Rise and Normalization of ED Culture

 Most people have something they don't like about themselves. Most of the time, it's something having to do with weight. Either you want to lose or gain weight, which is fine if you have a healthy plan to achieve your weight goals. However, we all know that you want results now even if it meant getting hurt in the long run. 

Recently, I've been getting videos on my FYP from different accounts encouraging toxic eating habits. This community call themselves "Angels", named after the Victoria's Secret models, and often have a star emoji next to an angel wing emoji in the username. The emojis spelled out are "starwing", meant to sound like "starving". These videos either talk about how the user has been starving themselves, asking for tips how to lose weight fast, or encouraging people to lose weight by showing a series of photos (disgusting food, XS clothing tags, pigs, etc.). Most of these videos are toxic in nature and invite other people with eating disorders to discuss their unhealthy habits in the comments. They encourage others to start starving themselves or even make themselves throw up to get skinny. There have also been other ways peoeple in media have been encouraging this toxic behavior. This year, there has been a lot of talk about the rise of Ozempic. A lot of women (specifically in Hollywood) would take Ozempic to help with weight loss. Most of these celebrities have become extremely thin to the point of making fans concerned for their well-being. However, it is also encouraging people to become skinnier because their favorite celebrity is. Making it worse, it's also starting to become normalized. For example, Cynthia and Arianna sparked a lot of talk on the internet about their appearance as fans were concerned about their health. They looked extremely thin and skeletal. Unfortunately, some people took it as a sign to also look that way because they thought it would make them look more attractive. 

To the people who may be reading this right now, you don't need to change yourself to be more attractive. You're amazing just the way you are. Don't let anyone get under your skin and encourage you to do something that will get you really sick and even hospitalized. Spread love and stay true to yourself.

- Cherry 💋